The Coolidge examiner., 1934-12-07

~ was sorest When. desperately pur
hrrT~1L< suing. he died on the heights above
l|iIIillHEg the Little Big Horn Glory. the per.
SseYy verse reicu,ed and gave eternal
hyiiiiance % bis maine"
So begins chapter one % new "now-lt can.
be-told" bloEraphy-Frederic ?. Van he Waters
-Glory Hunter" published recently by the Bobbs.
Merrill company. The GLORY Hunter was
George Armstrong Custer Lieutenant. Colonel
5th United States Cavalry. Breyei Malor-General
United States Army. the Boy General with the
Golden Locks the MurAt OF the American
Army the good sword. the hero the martyr"
Around his name has ragged endless contro-
versy. for be vas the Kind Of man who seems
TO have been capable of inspiring either the bit.
terest hatred or the bllndest loyalty. Chief among
the eremplars of the latter was of course bis
wife. who was to devote the rest OF her Ife 20
adornment of her husbands memory Long De-
fore his tragic death In 1916 there were those
who had reason 10 hate him but chose to hold
their tongues After tha, event there were whis-
pers of suspicion but little, II any. full.volced
deuunciatlon
Elizabeth Bacon's nfty-odd years OF glorinea-
ton have enshrined her husband In the folk-lo
OF America She proclaimed him hero and since
she Was his widow. men who thought otherwise
held their peace" Last spring she died. did
Gen. +. s. Godfrey. another staunch defender Of
1NA&&TA name lN.fHinFe a DnM-tt can -tntu
biography appear without giving pain TO
these two honored deyotccs TO a partly true
legend.
r. indeed. as the poet tells us. the child is
father TO the man. then several incidents IN the
childhood of the boy who was born In New Rum
ley. Harrison county. Ohio. just a5 years ago
December 5. iSEal are significant Of the man
he was TO become When war with Mexico
threatened bis father, Emanuel Custer, Joined the
New Rumey Inyinclbles.- militia company.
and provided bis little son. "Autie.- with a min
iaturc replica Of his uniform one day the young
s;er amazed his father by lifting bis arm in im
tAtion Of older halfbrother who had been
speaking a piece" al school and declalming In
his boyish treble My voice is for war;" For the
next 50 years ~Autle" Clusters voice was 20 be
raised for war-to be heard In wild shri
whoopng In the forefront OF a hundred cavalry
charges
The Clusters were staunch Jacksonian Demo
Gratis even though their community FREEDOM
Inantly whlg. one day Emanuel Custer took his
four-y year-old sou TO the doctor 10 have tooth
pulled As they left the Office. the boy gave
bloody grin and. apropos of nothing. exclaimed !:
Father. you and me can lick all the whgs
In Ohio In 1876 he felt the same way about
the Sioux In Montana and he died because OF
that belief.
When be was four years old a new brother
arrived IN the Custer home-Neyln j.. who Is
worthy OF mention n for no other reason than
that he was SO different from the rest. lie lived
and died In peace. farmer Thomas w. Custer
appeared on the scene In 1S45. Boston Custer In
lS4S and Margaret Emma Custer in 1872 They,
especially Tom Custer became the nrst hero
worshIpers 10 send their older brother his pur-
suit OF glory and they were 10 share In the
tragic end Of his quest. as his half-sister.
LYDIA who in lS49 married David Reed OF Mon
roe Mich When she went To the little pioneer
town on the shores OF Lake Michigan. she took
"Autie" with her He lived there OF and on for
the next six seven years and there he met
the girl Elizabeth Bacon, whom he was TO marry
10 years later.
Returning to New Rumley again. Custer took
the hrst step in his gloryseeking career. Despite
his fathers strong Democratic principles and
consequent dlsapproval ~ his sons actions. Gus
ter was not averse to asking Republican con.
gressnan 70 get him an appointment the
United States Military academy al West Point
Unsuccessful Al hrst. Custer WAS 50 importunaie
that finally john A bingham. the congressman.
gave Il 10 him and on June 8, 1851 he entered
West Point There he "A defiant insubordi
nate cadet. forever IN trouble and constantly
on the verge of more. The impartial voice
" the Academy records portruys George Arm
strong Custer as a sloveuly soldier and deplor.
able student. The approaching crisis Of the Ciyll
war resulted In the acndemys dve-year course
being compressed into four and two classes were
graduated In lS6i-one in April and another In
June. Custer In the latter group. his stand
Ing being thiriy-fourth In class of thirty -four
Two years OF campaigning would turn West
Points Indifferent sloven into a soldier" writes
Van De Water 1T would not change his sub.
stance Battle that reconstructed others. sober
lng and deepening their spirits. would only sharp
en- George Armstrong Custer. He would become
a keen weapon terrible to the enemy. difficult
for a weak superior to WELD. yet intrinsicaly he
would remain the raucous and reckless youngster
uho had dehed his parents 10 clasp the hand OF