Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1923-02-17
SAYS HE IS SURVIVOR
OF CUSTER MASSACRE
Impaired Mentality Caused Indians
To Spare His Life.-Cets Aid.
For Pension Claim. Il

contains the following story: II IL be
o fact, it furnishes one more example
testifying. to the verify Of the old ad-
age, "Truth is stranger than fiction"
At Mckee. City, N. j., which is near
Atlantic City, there lives seventy
year-old farmer named Charles Hay
ward who says he is survivor Of the
Custer massacre, when General Geo.
A. Custer and his Seventh Cavalry
were slaughtered by the Ogalala
Sioux at the Little Big Horn River
June rs, 1876. The histories Of the
event have always stated that not a
single white man survived Clusters
impetuous attack against a force that
outnumbered his ten to one. But Hay
wards story is sufficiently credible to
have impressed Representative Isaac
Bacharach, who intends to lay before
the authorities at Washington Hay
wards claim for a pension based oh
his war services under Custer.
Hayward says he was a private in
Company I Of the Seventh Cavalry
when it was detached by General Ter
ry as one of the three bodies of troop
ers ordered to attack what was sup
posed to be a small body Of Indians
near the confluence of the Big Horn
and the Little Big Horn rivers. And
Representative Bacharach has search
ed the records and found that there
was in Company I of the Seventh
Cavalry during it's Indian campaigns
a private named Charles Hayward.
To continue Hayward's account. The
main body Of the Sioux suddenly ap-
peared and cut off from the white
forces 264 men in Clusters command.
The cavalrymen formed the custom
airy circular barricade Of slain horses
and fought the Indians, who, accord
ing to Hayward, outnurubered them
three to one, in contrast to the "ten
to one stated in the New International
Encyclopedia. Hayward, as he tells
Rep. Bacharach, was wounded land
went half out of his mind" the latter
fact saving his life. He climbed to
the back of a wounded horse and
started to flee. But not far from the
barricade behind which Clusters men
were rapidly being shot down his
horse was shot again, falling and pin
ming it's rider underneath.
OF what happened after that Hay
ward says he remembers nothing.
Later he was told that he had been
found by Indians, who spared his life
because of his impaired mentality.
They put him to work and kept him in
servitude until 1000. In that year he
was sent one day to fetch a bucket Of
water, and while bending over a bub-
ling spring his mind cleared suddenly
and completely, as quickly as it had
become clouded twentyrfour years be-
fore. Then he made his escape, still
carrying with him the old headquar-.
tiers flag of the Seventh Cavalry
wound about his waist. Ii,
When, a. few years later, he moved
to Atlantic county, N. j., he entered
a claim with the Pension Office at
Washington for an annuity. But on
account Of his previous lapse of
memory he was unable satisfactorily
to substantiate his assertions or to
relate his record in detail. Therefore
the officials refused to believe his
story and his pension was disallowed.
Since then he has repeatedly pc
titioned the bureau chiefs at the capt.
tai for an audience, but has had none.
Representative Bacharach, however, is
going to examine thoroughly the old
farmers romantic story, and if he is
entitled to pension he will try to get
it for him. Hayward bears upon his
body scars, which he displays with
pride, stating that they are the last
vestiges of the wounds he received
while fighting under Custer at the
Little Big Horn.