The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-03-04
At The National Capitol DAILY WASHINGTON LETTER Digest of Who's Who and Whats What
 By RODNEY DUT:HER
DAILY WASHINGTON LETTER
By RODNEY DUTt:HER

Washington. = Thirty-four men who fought one of the bloodiest bat ties in American history while serv- ing in the army still go unrecognized by the war department, which has no record of their service. Their survivors never went on the pension rolls.
 Congressman John M. Evans of Montana tells the story to illustrate the fact that official records can sometimes be incomplete, to a vet eran's loss. An example appeared to be the case of Sergeant Homer. Horine, for whom a bill was intro- duced to provide an honorable dis charge so that he might receive a Spa nish- American War pension. President Hoover vetoed the bill because the war department had no record of Horine. The house sus- tained the veto. Evans showed, how ever, that the captain of Horine's company and the major of his regi- ment, along with the others, we'll remembered Horines service in tho Kentucky Volunteer Infantry end that Horine had once ably command ed group of troops which averted what might have been serious race riot.
 AOsSN AhC oSANSu
 On the day the men were sworn in, Horine's child was involved in a serious accident and Horine ran home. He was sworn in alone. few days later. it is alleged. Any way. there is plenty of evidence. that he served.
 But Evans had a better story than that-how 34 men fought in one of the most desperate offall Indian bat ties, third of them killed or seri- Ously wounded on the field, and probably saved command of 15O troops from annihilation
 It was in 1877, the year after, the Custer massacre, when the Neg Perce tribe with 400 fighting men. under Chief Joseph. left its for Montana. with the idea that all the Indians were going to get together and wipe out the white men. There were few people in Montana then and the Indians at first defeated such troops as were sent against them. Little companies of soldiers were formed in settle ments for protection and mud forts were built. One of the small units was John B. Catlin's company of volunteers.
 General Howard was following the Indians with 600 men but failed to overtake them, running three or four days behind. Colonel John Gibbon came in from another direction with 150. Catlin. who had gone with his and retired when he found the In- dians hopelessly outnumbered him. offered to join the pursuit. Gibbon. badly in need of men. promptly ac-, cepted the offer and the expedition hastened on without bothering to swear in the new recruits. Women and children of the section remained in mud forts.
 Every OfIiccr Hurt
 Catlin's company was in the lead when the expedition hit the Indians at daylight. The Indians soon had surrounded it.
 Every officer in the command was killed or wounded. Thirty-six white fighters were killed and 3S wounded, a casualty percentage of 40 per cent. Six of Catlin's volunteers were killed and as many wounded.
 "It was as desperate fieht as the nation probably ever had, except Busters fight" Evans says.
 Surrounded. and greatly outnum- bered they fought from daylight and late into the evening. The night was cold and the men were soaked from crossing and recrossing the river There was no medical at-, tendance and the wounded suffered intensely The Indians Kent yelling and shooting. Billy Edwards. one of the citizen volunteers. offered to carry dispatches to Deer Lodge.
 "Edwards left at II o'clock on n Thursday night. crawled through the encircling Indians, walked 40 miles to French's guJch. rode 40 more and at 10 a. m. Saturday reached the Deer Lodge telegraph office. Friday morning the troops he left behind had breakfasted on a horse shot by the Indians.
 Chief Finally Captured
 s.As a boy of IS, I saw Billy Ed wards come in on a faded, foam fiecked horse. bearing the news that the Indians were likely to wipe out that band of whites as they had Custer's. They wanted help. medi- cine. doctors and food.
 "Chfef Joseph was finally cap- tured at Bear Paw Mountain in northeastern Montana by General Miles after a f.BO0-mile march in which he had killed hundreds of A f4 .f fl M " W