Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1926-06-03

Next to the matter Of responsibility for the
disaster is the question Of whether or not there
any survivors Of the Custer battle The
center Of the controversy this point for many
years was the Crow Indian scout Curley whose
claim to the title OF Survivor" depends entirely
upon an Interpretation OF what that term means.
Curley was with Custer after the general had
separated his command and was with him when
he first came into contact with the Indians. Just
when he left Custer-at the order OF the COM
mander, by the ways not known definitely but
It has been pretty well established that he was not
with him when Custer made his last stand on the
barren hillside which the red wave of de-
struction swept to blot out FIVE companies of the
Seventh. The only genuine survivor OF that last
desperate struggle was not human being but
a horse, C0manche, the claybank sorrel charger
ridden by Capt. Myles Keogh OF Troop of the
Seventh. Comanche found after the battle
wounded in seven places but with tender care
his life was saved and he lived to an honored old
age.
Despite indisputable evidence that there was
only one real survivor, a horse, and one human
being who had faint claim TO being a survivor
--Curley the Crow-during the last half cen.
fury there have come to light nnumerabie sur
vivors" whose claims have been easily exploded
by competent authorities but who have succeeded
Ia deceiving many persons not familiar with the
Custer battle. In the same manner innunIerable
"Custer scouts" have gained wide publicity They
Dob up at sucn regular intervals Lhat the head
line Last of Custer Scouts Dies" has become a
commonplace Evidently every packer, wagner or
other civilian employee of the army, who ever had
any remote connection with Clusters regiment
some time before he dies gets the idea--or his
friends get It for him-that he was Custer
scout" and either living dying he enjoys brief
moment of fame. If all Of the men who have
claimed to be SURVIVOR or Custer scouts" had
been with Custer on the Little Big Horn on June
Is 1876 It is difficult TO see how ten times the
number OF Indians who we're there would have
been able to have wiped out Clusters commando
one OF the favorite pieces Of fiction about the
Little Big Horn battle is that the Indians were
led by Sitting Bull and that RainIn-the-Face per-
sonally killed Custer. While II has never been
definitely established inst how prominent part
Sitting Bull had in the battle (some authorities
say that he was not even in the dghf) II has been
fully proved that the leaders who were principal.
" responsible for maneuvers OF the Indians on
that day were Chief Gail Of the Hunkpapa Sioux.
Chief Crazy Horse of the Oglala Sioux and Chief
Two Moons Of the Cheyennes. As 10 Rain-ln-the-
Faces claim to distinction-lt ia true that there
was a feud between him and Capt Tom Custer.
brother OF the general and that he had Threatened
to cut out Tom Clusters heart II Is also true that
Tom Clusters body was found after the battle
thus mutiated and. although Rainin-tbeFace f.
accused of having done this In the closing years
Of his life be denied IT, His denial was made 10
a man Of HIS own race. DR. Charles A Eastman
and under all the circumstances II is reasonable
TO believe that he told Doctor Eastman the truth
Within the last year there has been much dis
pute over the arms which Custer and his men
carried into the battle Many artists who have
drawn pictures OF the Custer battle have shown
the soldiers using swords. when as matter Of
fact there was not q saber In the entire command
The men Of the Seventh were armed only with
ancient single shot Springfield earbines and Colt
revolvers and Il was partly because OF these In
sneeffye single ah0e carblnes that Casters com
nabd persisted.
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