Evening star., 1934-06-26
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

r. IFTY-EIGHT years ago today
l. took place the Battle of the
Little Big Horn-perhaps the
L most complete defeat ever suf-
fered by American troops.
Since there were no white survivors
among the soldiers Gen. George Gus
ter, the yellow Hair" of the enemy,
led into battle, few events in Ameri-
can history have been surrounded with
more uncertainty and conflicting
statements.
Four Scouts Survived.
But actually at least four men, all
now dead, survived. They met at a
great Indian gathering near the Crow
agency in Montana in July, 1909, to-
gether with the leaders of the In
dams who wiped out Clusters COM
mand, and held a solemn reunion.
Sitting about q teepee were four In
dian scouts under Custer who escaped
the so-called "massacre'-Curly, Hair
Moccasins, White Man Him and
Goes-Ahead. With them we're Crazy
Bull, the brother of Sitting Bull, who
was chief in command; Two-Moons,
the Cheyenne leader, who fought with
the Sioux, and four or five others.
An invited guest at this reunion
was Richard Sanderville. Blackfoot
Indian, interpreter and scholar of the
ways and traditions of the Plains In
dians.
Take Oath Of Peace Pipe"
Curly took the lead in this eunion.
He started the fiow of remembrance
among these old Indians. Each one,
before telling his story, took the un-
breakable oath of the peace pipe"
To each man, in turn, was handed
lighted pipe. Solemnly he took four
puffs and then held the stem pointed
straight upward to the sun, his di-
vinity. 1t was the supreme oath he
knew, and to break it, he felt, would
bring down upon him inevitably the
wrath of Heaven.
Then old friend and foe told all
they remembered of the stirring scene
in which they had been actors. San
derville listened intently, but during
the Is years that have elapsed he has
not revealed what took place. Now,
to the best of his belief, all the actors
are dead. He is engaged in special
linguistic researches for the Bureau
of American Ethnology, and today he
recalled the strange scene to the best
Of his memory.
Indians Prepared to Flee.
First was Crazy Bull. Still fresh in
his memory was the scene of terror
and confusion in the Sioux camp
when scouts reported Clusters men
riding over hill short distance
away. Hastily they snatched up
their children, gathered their few be-
longings. untethered' their horses and
prepared to flee.
Then, mounted on a cream -colored
horse, appeared the great war leader,
Sitting Bull. Round and round the
camp he rode. haranguing the people.
If they ran, he said they would lose
everything. If they stood their ground
they at least stood a fair chance of
saving their property and perhaps
even wiping out the soldiers. If they
fled it would be merely a prolonga-
ton Of the war. If they fought, re-
gardless of the outcome, it would
soon be over.
They began to rally, the young men
first. They mounted their horses with
their weapons The women and
children also were rounded up and
placed on horses, with instructions to
remain in camp until runners re-
ported to them the progress of the
battle. If it was a defeat for Sitting
Bull they were to fee The warriors
would hold the white man back until
they could make their escape.
Warriors Inspired by Leaders.
Had it not been for Sitting Bull
there probably never would have been
battle of the Little Big Horn, but
just another Sioux camp wiped out.
The thought uppermost in Sitting
Bulls mind was that they must fall
upon Custer before he could cross the
Little Big Horn. Sitting Bull and the
other leaders-including Crazy Bull
and Two Moons, who were at the
reunion-crossed first. Inspired by
their example, the young warriors
followed them. They succeeded in
getting over the river before the ad-
vancing soldiers realized what had
happened and these suddenly found
themselves caught in a trap from
which there was no escape.
There was some uncertainty at the
reunion as to the number of Indians
involved, but Two Moons, the Chey-
enne, believed that about 1000 were
following Sitting Bull.
Sitting Bull Cleared.
They were especially anxious to
clear for posterity-among the In
dians-the reputation of their gen
eral." All except the scouts took oath
that Sitting Bull took an active part
in the fighting from first to last. This
Mr.. Sanderville remembers especially
because there have been reports that
the Sioux chieftain let his men do the
fighting while he remained well out of
range of bullets on q nearby hill and
prayed for victory, or made medi-
cine"
Had he done such a thing, Mr.
Sanderville says, he would have been
an object of ridicule for the rest of
his life.
During the nearly so years that
have passed since that bloody June
day on the banks Of the Little Biz