Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-06-17

truth OF the end Of the gallant and pic
turesque Custer" says Chief Buffalo
Child Long Lance in the Cosmopolitan.
For hfty-one years the world has be-
lieved that Gen. George A. Custer was
killed by the Indians in the Battle Of
the Little Big Horn in Montana. in 1876,
called by the White Man The Custer
Massacre For ffty-one years the Sioux
Indians who annihilated Clusters COM
mand, and who now live in Manitoba
and Saskatchewan. have kept quiet on
this subject.
Yet, through all these years, the Sioux
have known the truth about Clusters
death.
mo white soldier survived to tell the
story. Only the Indians knew-and not
caring to risk sacrificing the peace which
they now enjoy by r%eopening this dam
gerous question for discussion, they have
never told what really happened to this
hero of the military world.
Met Sitting Bull at West Point
1T was in 1859 hat Sitting Bull, then
a young medicine man and minor chief,
was sent to Washington, d. c., with a
delegation of Sioux chiefs to confer with
the government on Sioux land rights.
Following this conference the chieftains
were taken up to West Point Military
academy and shown the young embryo
officers who were later to come out onto
the plains and help to establish peace
between the Indians and pioneers.
Cadet George A. Custer. a tall. slim
lad, with frank, handsome face N fair
hair. was delegated to escort the Indians
through West Point. He and Sitting Bull
were about the same age, and apparently
young Custer o. a distinct liking to
this remarkable young leader of his peo-
pie. Through the interpreter he con-
versed with Sitting Bull necessarily. He
dined him privately, and when he left
he presented him with a complete uni
form Of the United States cavalry. which
Sitting Bull had so openly admired-with
the true Indian eye for brass and adorn-
ment.
When they parted Cadet Custer told
Sitting Bull hat he would finish school
in w years, and then he wanted to
come u into his country as an officer
and renew their friendship. Sitting Bull
took him by the hand and called him
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Brother-and
told him that he would some day repay
him for his kindness.
When an Indian declares another mar
his Weh-hunkaowanzi 1t brings that man
closer to him than his w c~onsanguine-
Gus brother. On reaching manhood every
Indian forms a blood brother relation
ship with some particular member of his
tribe whom he likes more than anyone
else, and there can be no secrets between
himself and this person. In battle and
in peace they are Damon and Pythias
for the rest Of their mortal lives, and no
one can come between them. Whether
young Custer understood this, no one
will ever know. Probably for a time at
least all of this was completely out Of
the young officers head.
Fought to Strike Terror Among Indians
"At the close Of the Civil war Custer, a
brevet major general. turned his adven-
turous gaze to the wilderness of the tur-
bulent west. The Indian was preparing
to make his last stand against the Wah-
sheechu-the mad god-the white man.
I'm 1866 General Custer came west and
joined General Hancock in his long cam
paign against the Cheyenne Indians,
finally defeating them at Washita river