The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-06-24

stool, in his book, "a Trooper With Custer"
writes: Nothing was ever learned of their fate
and while it has always been supposed that they
were killed, but possibly not identified, yet, it is
not beyond reason that all one of them may
have escaped, badly wounded to die in some
Outof-theway place. Some writer's have insisted
that they were doubtless captured alive and tor
tured to death that night in the Indian village
which flushed with its bloody victory over
Custer. The Sioux, however, always have main
tanned that they took no prisoners on the occa-
sion of the Little Big Horn fight"
Mr.. BrininstOOl also quotes a letter from Cen
eral Godfrey on a mystery of the Little Big
Horn battle which has never been solved Cen
eral Godfrey wrote as follows: "About the last
of July or the first of August, 1876 General
Terry moved his command from Pease Bottom
down the Yellowstone river opposite and just
above the mouth of the Rosebud. Here some
infantry troops were ferried to the south side
of the stream
"Soon after, heard a rumor that they had
found dead horse that was fully equipped, ex-
cept bride, and that it Seventh cavalry
horse. 1 went to the steamer at once to investi-
gate. 1 crossed to the south bank of the stream
and found the horse. 1t was impossible to de-
termine if it was sorrel or light bay animal.
Halter, larat saddle, saddle-blanket and sad
die bags were intact; and strapped to the cantle
was the small grain bag with which the Seventh
cavalry had provided itself. The oats in the
bag had not been disturbed. The saddle bags
were empty. was told that when first discov-
cred the carbne of the rider was there. The
horse had been shot in the forehead, which
must have been fatal on the spot.
while ] was examining the equipment for
some Identification, the steamer whistled for
the return trip and had to leave and get back
to camp. The next day I returned to continue
my investigation and found that the horse had
been stripped. The animal was lying on its left
side, and where the body touched the soil
so decomposed that the brands could not be
identified. Endeavors to locate the taken equip
ment were in vain, and 1 never learned any
thing further either Of horse rider.
Here was the one chance that know of
where a man may have escaped the fate of his
comrades / have met several who claim to have
escaped and have heard of many others, but
never one who identified himself by this Incl
dent"
Who rode this solitary animal found dead by
General Godfrey the banks of the Yellow
stone far from the scene of the Custer defeat?
Was it one of the three officers never accounted
for? Was it Lieutenant Porter or Lieutenant
Sturgis or Lieutenant Harrington? No one
knows, and like the mystery of their fate it
seems likely that 1t will remain a mystery for
ever.
Not only is the ignorance of her fathers fate
one of the tragic incidents in the life of the
woman who is postmaster at West Point, where
30 many of Clusters officers were once cadets,
but there is another tragic memory which she
has carried through lfe-a memory of her moth
err who suddenly disappeared several years after
the Custer battle "Amnesia it would be called
nowadays" Miss Harrington says but at that
time it was ascrbed to grief and the uncertain
ty Of what had happened to my father Several
times we heard from Indians that lady dressed
in black had been seen on the battlefield. Other
reports came from Indian Territory We investi-
gated all these runners and finally after two
years we found her in Texas where severe at
tack of pneumonia had served to bring back her
memory so that she knew who she was. But
she was never able to give any account of her
wanderings while she was gone or why she was
there"
Tragedy also stalked through the life of
Miss Harrington's greataunt Miss Blanche Be
rard, who was postmaster at West Point for al
most so years. Appointed by President Polk in
1S47, she served in that post until 1897. AS
young girl she was engaged to an officer. Zone
afternoon this officer brought his horse to the
post office to show my great-aunt" Miss Har-
rington tells the story: while exercising him
and demonstrating his good points, the officer
was thrown and killed. This aunt never married.
remaining true to the memory of her first and
only love. One big thrill did come to her in her
later life While on leave of absence from the
post office, which she spent in Europe, Miss Be
rard was presented to Queen Victoria"
The war record of the Harrington family dates
back to the birth of the United States, for
among the family papers in Miss Harrngton's
possession is the honorable discharge Of her
greatgreat grandfather, Niles, who was a SOL
der in the Continental army. This historic doc
umenr is signed by George Washington. In the
Civil war members of her family participated
in many engagements as volunteers.
Over Miss Harrngton's desk in the postofice
hang two pictures. There in the busy turmoil
of mail distribution for the 1890 cadets at the
academy and an equal number of regular Off
GERS and soldiers is constant reminder of de-
votion to duty, the cornerstone of Miss Har-
rington's life and that of her distinguished an
cestors One of them is picture of her father
as cadet and the other picture of him as an
officer in the regimentals of the Seventh cav
airy. the uniform worn when he disappeared
forever. The picture of him in cadet uniform
is enclosed in frame made of beads and these
beads were obtained by her mother from In
dams in Dakota-perhaps from members of the
same tribe whose warriors rode over the troop
ers of Custer and his captains and his Iieuten.
ants in a red wave Of savage triumph that fear
ful day on the Little Big Horn Sc years agot
Uo~for Me-