Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-03-28

around 10 the SOutn ana up tnc ttOSe-
bud to drive the Indians down the Big
Horn into fire of the larger force that
was to march up stream. he sent
Reno with seven companies across the
Big Horn to descend it and attack
from the west Before he could do
this, he was himself attacked and held
on the defensive for "a hours. Custer.
with the remaining five companies,
came upon the Sioux camp and with
out hesitation charged the Indians.
The particulars Of the fight can never
| be clearly known, fer every white man
engaged was killed. 1t was all over
in 20 minutes. Curley, Clusters scout,
wrapped himself in a Sioux blanket
and alone escaped.
Our history continues: 'Gibbon and
Terry, ascending the. Big Horn, came
upon the bodies Of Custer and his COM
panions two days after the massacre.
Custer had been shot in the left tenn
pie, and his was the only body that
was not mutilated." 1t was found that
the Seventh Cavalry lost 2s1 killed
and 50 wounded, Terry having lost So
killed, escaping the fate Of Clusters
force by retreat to the west bank.
Recently there appeared the story
Of a survivor who says: II was in the
fight on the Little Big Horn from start
to finish. saw the first man fall by my
side and lived through the two days
battle to help bury General Custer and
his gallant men," Continuing. he de-
scribes the finding of the bodies: 1.-THE
bodies Of Custer and. the men trapped
with him were in an indiscnminate
heap. The Indians had stripped every
private in the ranks, every officer save
one, Custer. They had scalped every
man except the general. Clusters body
had been lifted from the heap and laid
to one side, handkerchief, spread over
his face. A knife had been inserted
deftly under the lower rib and the
heart extracted. We found 1t set up
on Clusters breast, a silent testimonial
of the completed vengeance Of the
Sioux chief. Some time after the bat
tie, when talked to Rain in the Face,
he told me that he had vowed to Gem
eral Custer that he would some day
cut out his heart and that he left 1t
on the battle field as his boast that he
had carried out his threat"
Properly 10 understand this Incident
Of the heart-cutting, we shall revert
again to history and quote cnother
line or twoa "Chief can Was leader IN
the massacre. Rain-in- the, Face was
the Sioux chief who killed DR.. Hull
Finger and Mr.. Balliran in 1873 on the
Rosebud. These men had fallen be-.
hind Custer and his. command. and
were found dead with no traces Of
their slayers. Some months later,
Radn-in-the Face told of the killing, In
the hearing of Reynolds, one Of Gus
ters scouts, who reported 1t to the
general who arrested Rain In the
Face and locked him in the guard
house but he escaped" 1t was this ar
rest that infamed Rain-in- -the-Face
and his friends, among whom the
nearest and best loved is none other
than the author of the statement here
matter quoted-Chief Flying Hawk,
who was with him throughout these
campaigns, was present in the 1873 In
cident and during his arrest and con-.
finement, and took a prominent part
In the massacre under Rain in the
Faces leadership. But here again 1t
Is necessary to call up some history
and try to understand the Indians
viewpoint and the cause and manner
and the arrest.
The Sioux and Cheyenne country
included the Black Hills, where gold
was discovered in 1874; it was on their
reservation; they had been driven
out into this bleak and supposedly
yalueless land. just as they always
had been, and herded together like so
many wild animals, and like animals,
were supposedly fed and clothed by
the government in this reservation"
set apart and scarcely proclaimed by
solemn treaty to be their forever.
1t was under these conditions ard
while facing starvation, that Rain-in-
the-Face wandered from the reserva-
ton to hunt along with others. This.
with the blame for killing Hulzinger
and Balliran, furnished an excuse for
his arrest and inhuman confinement.
1t was then that he made the threat
that some day he would cut out the
heart of General Custer 1t Is believed
that failing to Convict" the chief in a
court martial proceeding, the general
issued orders to his jailers to remain
| off duty while ,Rain-in- -the-Face 'es-
capped" from the guardhouse. He had
not murdered" Hulzinger and Balli-
ran, for 1t was in war" that they met
their death. So that the Indian had
"grudge" that, from his viewpoint,
was entirely natural and fully justified.
It was with this feeling of great per-
sonal injury and humiliation that he
went into the Custer fight on that
beautiful June day in 1875, and IL we
are to believe the statement Of the
white survivor quoted, he made good