The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-06-11
REVER|ES Of LAST
STAND Of CUSTER IS
KIWAN|S talk TOPIC

Pat E. Byrne Tells OF Visit to
Battlefield on Little Big
Horn Last Year
A visit to the Custer battlefield
near the Little Big Horn, last sum-
n1er, was made the subject of a talk
given by Pat E. Byrne at the XII
wants luncheon, at noon, today.
The visit was likened to a visit to
an old home. Mr.. Byrne had never
oeen to the field before, but the ad-
venture and the romance Of Clusters
death and the ineffable pathos of
the slaughter of his command, he
said, often had occupied his waking
dreams, whether standing on his
feet or sitting in the ease Of revery.
So he told Of the emotions that
gripped his soul as he traced the
battle trail over which the commands
of Benteen and Reno and Custer had
toiled and fought or as he came upon
some marker perpetuating the men,
Dry Of the fallen, along the stream,
up on the bluff or amid the cactus
and sage or weeds of the Montana
wales and hills.
He wove the bated pathos of that
tragic day Of June 25, 1876, into
the story Of his visit and brought
so wildly before the minds Of The
luncheon gathering the tense mys-
terry Of just how the men Of the
Seventh cavalry went down under
the whitening fire Of the horde Of
Indians, that his final words
cracked amid the silent attention
accorded. He quoted Theodore
O'Hara:
"Hew sleep the brave who sink to
BY all their country's wishes blest
On Fame's eternal camping ground
Their silent tents r spread,
And Glory guards. with solemn
round,
The bivouac of the dead"
Noted Grave of Tribune Man
Among the markers which Mr.
Byrne came across q one to Marx
Kellogg, placed by the New York
Herald and accrediting him as thu
correspondent of that paper. kel'
log1 also was the representative Of
The Tribune on the ill-fated expedi.
ton.
Mr.. Byrne has promised to write
out his talk and allow it to be pub
lished. It was one Of the most in
teresting talks that possibly coult
be given to any gathering out II
the land of Custer.
He began by telling of The
political sidelights. These grew Out
of the political %rottenness of tn,
Grant administration, when Secre
tary of War Belknap was impeachet
for selling post trader privileges
Custer, always honest and out
spoken, gave testimony before I
congressional committee investigat
ing this scandal.
Then began his punishment. Aftel
he left Washington he was place.
under technical arrest at Chicago b.
General Phil Sheridan, said Mr.
Byrne, on orders from Washington
on the ground of showing ~disrespec
for his %superiors, Grant and Sher
man, in not calling on them. Thu
he had tried to do, but he had beer
thrust aside.
Indian Girls Sing
When the expedition into Montan;
started it was only through the in
tercession of General Terry that h,
was allowed to accompany it at tn,
head of his Seventh cavalrymen, salt
Nj. Byrne.
10 the resentment aroused by thi,
treatment, MI. Byrne ascribed tn,
debacle. Custer ventured q fasl
risk to rehabilitate himself and raj
into a larger force of Indians thar
his split command could handle. S,
all of his detachment went to Their
slaughter, while Benteen and Rem,
barely were able to fight their wa!
out.
The luncheon was marked by tn
presence of four of the singing In
dian girls from the Indian school
They were Alice Slater, Dora La
France, Vitalline Azure and Mari,
LaFrance. They sang "Pale Dawn,
by Logan, and "Roses Everywhere,
by Denza, and as an encore, 9TH,
Indian Song" Mrs. Herman Schef
fer accompanied.
Allen Made Delegate
T. p. Allen was elected delegate t,
the Milwaukee international con
vention Of kiwanis.
It was announced that the Jerse.
Kiwanis special would be here Mon
day. June "a. The local club vii
turn out in greeting the visitors
curving back from a trip through thu
southwest to make the internationa
convention.
Eric Thorberg, chairman Of tn
day, read a letter, urging the mem
bers to attend 4 junior baseball
league game, for which tickets wer'
distributed.
Guests were l.. A. Ward, Fargo
Cell Cannon and Russell Reid, loca
n~aturalists; L. F.. Crawford, stat,
historian, and G. B. Dickinson, Of tn,
Indian school.
HURON FLAMES WIPE
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