Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-13

No, and he wouldn't have seen the big
fight there in the Valley of the Greasy
Grass one blazing hot afternoon So
years ago, when the Sioux and their
friends. the Cheyennes, wiped out the
pony soldiers.
Had Owl Child remained in school he
would not have the story of how he and
his brothers. the Piegans, saw Brevet
Maj. Gen. George A. Custer and five
troops of the 7th u. S. Cavalry perish
in the epic battle of the Little Big Horn
of June IS, 1876.
AS not a white man survived the
slaughter that tragic Sunday in the
sun-scorched wilderness of Southern
Montana, and as the historians never
have known that others than the Sioux
and their allies could supply first-hand
information, all the eyewitness accounts
heretofore recorded have come from the
lips of Indians who participated.
But with Owl Child's story we have
for the first time bystander's account
of what happened to CUSTER graphic
picture of the whole bloody affair as It
looked to a little group of hreech-
clouted warriors f1attened on a rocky
ridge above the battlefield. Luckily for
this narrative, the Sioux did not dis
cover those spectators.
The Suicide Theory.
Clusters body, spared mutilation after
death, bore two bullet wounds, one in
the left side, the other in the temple
It was assumed that Custer was slain
by Indian bullets. But several persons,
one of them Col Richard I. Dodge, an
authority on Indian customs were in
clined to think that Custer had COM
mitted suicide, because the Indians had
refrained from cutting and bruising the
body. officers who knew the gallant
general scoffed at the suicide theory.
Rather recently several aged survivors
of Sitting Bulls band were quoted by
Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance, Black
foot Indian writer, as saying that
Custer was the last soldier to die and
that he did commit suicide. And now
comes Owl Child, eyewitness Of the
Custer massacre, to support this.
It is due to Lucullus v. McWnorter OF
Yakima, adopted member Of the Yaki-
ma tribe that Owl ChildS version of
the disaster can be presented.
OF all the white persons Owl Child
knows there is just one to whom he
talks freely. in whom he confides, and
for whom he has a brotheriy affection.
That person is McWhorter. on and on
for the last 18 years Owl Child has re-
lated the story Of his life to McWhorter,
who has collected material he intends
to use in biography of the old warrior.
To Owl Child his own war experiences
are more important than the Little Big
Horn fight. In his opinion there is
nothing creditable in being spectator
of any fight.
Now I viii tell you about a terrible
battle" Owl Child began. II was not
in that fight. Perhaps that was a good
thing for me. Well. while was living
with the Piegans many war parties went
against the Sioux. The Piegans hate
those Sioux and the Sioux have bad
hearts for the Piegars.
Coming Upon the Battle.
1--WE formed our parties in the Sweet
Grass Hills or at Muffalo Head. where
we lived, as Travelled to the enemy coun-
try. There we would scatter and look
for Sioux. We watched for small hunt
Ing parties and small camps. Not often
did we mix with a stronger party. That
was because a leader tried not to lose
any of his warriors. The greatest chiefs
were those who got home with scalps
and horses and all their men alive. No
one liked the death vail In the lodges.
Sometimes We were glad to go home
without scalps or horses.
This time I tell about II of us went
out under Chief Lone Pine. He was a
good leader. Not many men of his own
did he ever leave dead. We went south
and east from our country, looking for
Sioux We came to a country strange
to me. never been there before.
There we ind a big Sioux camp. Big
gest camp we ever find. Tepees, tepees,
all along the river. Too many tepees to
count. Too many horses to count.
| Some Injuns there belonged to other