THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
H. E. WADSWORTH, Superintendent
VOLUME 15
MAY,
1913
NUMBER 8
CUSTER’S LAST FIGHT
T O L D B Y “ W H IT E M A N R U N S IIIM ”
H I I E Man R uns H im , one of the Indian chiefs who
visited W ashington for the in au g u ratio n of President
W ilson, was one of the th ree Crow scouts w ith G en
eral C uster at th e b eg in n in g of the fatal en g ag e
m ent by the banks of th e L ittle Big H orn. Both of
th e other survivors of the opening engagem ent are
dead and every man who rem ained on th e little h ill
side u ntil the fight was in full sw ing perished w ith C uster.
W hite Man R uns H im is now nearly 59 years old. H e is tall, as
straig h t as an arrow and bears him self w ith d ig n ity and th e sure-footed
grace of the plainsm an. H e speaks not a word of E nglish, but in his
native tongue, the Crow, he is eloquent. Affixed to his w aistcoat is a
little shield of m etal. T h is is th e badge issued to him by the U nited
States G overnm ent. It m arks him as one of Uncle S am ’s veteran
scouts. Of th is token W hite Man R uns Him is very proud.
F ran k Shively, a fellow tribesm an and a g rad u ate of the Carlisle I n
dian School, is a m aster tran slato r of the Crow language a u d i t was
th ro u g h him th a t the chief related th e stirrin g story of C u ster’s last
fight and the six d a y s’ m arch th ro u g h the hostile cou n try th a t preced
ed the battle.
“ T he C ro w s,” said W hite Man R uns H im . “ were the friends of the
G overnm ent. T h e Sioux and the n o rth ern C heyennes were its en e
mies. T he Crows were to furnish scouts for the soldiers, and messages
came to the chief w ith in stru ctio n s for them to join G eneral Crook near
the m ountains. C urly, W hite Sw an, M edicine Crow an d m yself all
joined G eneral Crook. So also did P lenty Coups, who is now chief of
the Crows. It was th is force th a t m et and was nearly defeated by the
Sioux under th e leadership of Crazy H orse, who came up Rosebud
Creek and attacked Crook.
“ A fter this I was sent as a scout to join th e C uster forces. T h ere
were 30 others. T h is was on Ju n e 20, 1876. W e joined C uster on the