The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1924-10-02
BARRY ATTACKS
ARTICLE BY FLICK:
FACTS TWISTED
TAKES ISSUE WITH STATEMENT
OF FRANK FLICK WHO SAYS
HE is CUSTER SURVIVOR
Places Lecturer in the Light of an
Imposter; Gives Facts Concerning
Memorable Indian Battle, and
Shows Discrepancies of Article.

ID. f. Barry, a Duluth, Minn.,
photographer, and a widely known
authority on pioneering life of the
early West, takes issue with one,
Frank FIeck, age go, a so-called
survivor of the battle of the Lit
tie Big Horn (The Custer Massa-
GREY, who in an article appearing
recently in Minnesota newspapers,
in which state Fleck has been de-
ivering lectures, gives an account
of the memorable battle.
In calling attention to the article
of Fleck, and his claims made there
in, Mr.. Barry states, in part, as fol-
lows:
From his twisted and warped
facts, Flick was never in the bat
tie. The article published by Fleck
states that Fleck enlisted in the reg
ular army in 1857 going from To-
ledo with Is other recruits, and was
assigned to the Seventh U. S. cavalry.
In 1875 he was one Of the cavalry
detail that captured the Indian
chief, Rain-In-the-Face, and placed
him in a prison at Fort Lincoln, Ne
braska. The chief afterwards es-
capped and was one of Clusters bit
crest enemies.
"'The Seventh cavalry was sta
toned in the northwest and waged
continuous warfare upon the Sioux
under Chief Sitting Bull states this
man Fleck. Before the battle of the
Little Big Horn, where Custer and
his men met death, at the hands of
the Sioux, Custer divided his forces
into two parts, one commanded by
himself and the cher by Colonel
Reno.
Lost Entire Command
"fHe had planned ia strike the
Indians from two sides and demon
alize them, but instead he suffered
the loss of his entire command and
Reno and his men narrowly escaped
humiliation. Just before the en-
gagement Custer detailed 80 men to
gnard the supplies, and with this de-
tail Fleck was stationed.
eve were separated from the
other men but a short time said
Fleck, when we saw that they were
being surrounded by the Sioux.
There was no commissioned officer in
our detail, but we Immediately de-
termined to follow the trail Of Re-
nos command. We lost the trail
and came out 80 or 40 rods to the
left of the position occupied by Re
nos men.
Faced Deadly Fire.
1--WE had just reached the top of
the bluff when a band of savages
seemed to rise out of the ground
but fifty feet distant and poured a
deadly fire into our detail. We
were completely overwhelmed and
in a short time every trooper except
myself and a trooper named Frank
Knapp of Milwaukee had been killed.
Knapp was shot through the
hip and I had four bullet wounds and
an arrow wound. One bullet passed
through my left wrist and the same +,
ball or another pierced my shoulder.
Another bullet entered my right leg !
and a fourth my right side. Both
of our horses were shot from under
us, and in falling my mount rolled {
my legs and pinned me to the !
ground. I lay for four days with !
dead horse on my legs before :
some of Reno's men got me and :
me from the field" I
Knapp was shot on the third day l
he peered over the carcass of
dead horse and on the fourth
lay the Indians withdrew fearing re-
Inducements, Fleck further states. /
men then picked up Fleck and {
withdrew from the field. e
Gin withdrawing from the field, a
Fleck states, he passed e the t
scene of Clusters last stand and saw
he mangled and mutilated bodies of n
he brave general and his men, and y
hat Cuser's body was SO mutilated n
hat it was scarcely recognizable" y
Hr. Barry continues. r
Article Is Amusing. e
"Fleck's article amuses me-" Mr.. fl
Barry states in reply. First, Sitting k
Bull was not a chief, he was a Sioux t.
Medicine man. Second, R~ain-in-the- K
race did not hate General Custer.