The next morning we were up early, and had our breakfast by 8. We dressed in our new dresses, as we would not have a chance to change after our session at the newspaper, before our visit to the theatre, and then out to dinner with the Hudsons.

We were sitting in the front lounge, waiting,when our driver announced himself at the front desk, and we followed him out and got in his hansom cab. The drive to the newspaper office on Herald Square, just south of the famous Times Square took about ten minutes. This was downtown New York and the streets were full of carriages, and people walking. I had never seen so many people at one time before. When we reached the building, the driver told us to go to the front desk and ask for Mr. Hudson.

Mr. Hudson took about five minutes before he came to rescue us . He asked us if we had had a comfortable night, and then quickly showed us into an office which he said would be ours to use for the morning.

On the table he had clippings from news stories relating to the Battle of the Little Big Horn, including the articles written by our Pa. But he indicated that we might be more interested in another file, in which were contained the interviews that various reporters had produced with many of the Indians who had been at the battle on June 25-27th, 1876.

“I hope I don’t need to remind you girls that this information is very important to me. I am letting you read it, and copy from it, because I was instructed by Mr. Bennett to do so. We have done some articles on the Indians, but have not yet produced the major article that we intend to use with this material - so in effect we are offering you a scoop. However, you must quote the material exactly, and you must put our newspaper down as your source. Are you clear about that?”

“Yes, Mr. Hudson. You are willing to let us read and copy the material as long as we copy it exactly and accurately and list your paper as the source of our information.”

“I presume that you have no intentions of having the end product of this research published?”

“Well our teacher said that the person with the best essay might get their work printed in our local Bridgeport newspaper.”

“Well, I am saying this on my own authority, and this was not directed to me by Mr. Bennett, but I think when you finish your report, I would like to see it - even before you give it to your teacher. And if I think it has merit, and is, as I said, in compliance regarding your use of our resources, I will agree to publish it, under your by-line in our newspaper. That will allow that we get the credit for having it first, should you win the competition and have it published by the other newspaper. Does that suit you?”

I couldn’t believe my ears. My work, if I did a good job, was going to be published in the New York Herald, and under my name. “Oh, how wonderful. Of course, I agree to those terms. Thank you so much, Mr. Hudson.”

“Well, you had better get to work. It is just after 10 now, and I will instruct my secretary to bring you a cup of coffee at 11.15. Then my wife will be here somewhere around 1.30 to pick you up for a quick lunch before for your theatre visit. I know she is greatly looking forward to the play. The reviews have been very promising. Did you know that this is the first time that a Gilbert and Sullivan play has actually been first seen in America, rather than England?”

“Oh, we are too very much looking forward to is. And we will work faithfully for as long as you allow us now, and thank you again.”

So he left us, and we both decided to forego the articles about the battle itself. We could get copies of those elsewhere and in books. What we wanted were the Indian interviews.

The first one I took out was from Curley, who I knew was one of the scouts that travelled with General Custer and Pa on that last journey. Cora Sue took the next one in the file which was for White Cow Bull. There were perhaps 20 in all, so we had our work cut out to get notes made on all of them before 1.30.

Curley's Story of the Battle

A Crow scout's account of the Battle of the Little Bighorn from the Helena Daily Herald, Saturday July 15th, 1876.

Lieutenant JAS. H. Bradley, of the 7th infantry, who commanded the scouts under Gibbon on the recent march from the Yellowstone very kindly gave us a description of the account of Custer's battle and massacre, which has not heretofore been published.

Custer's Battlefield

About 9 o'clock, a scout reported to Lieut. Bradley that he saw an object which looked like a dead horse. The Lieutenant found it to be a dead cavalry horse, and, going a few yards further on, to the brow of a hill, looking into the valley below, a terrible scene was presented to view. It was literally strewn with the dead of the gallant Seventh Cavalry.

Lieut. Bradley rode hurriedly over the field, and in a few minutes time counted one hundred and ninety-seven dead bodies. Custer fell upon the highest point of the field; and around him, within a space of five rods square, lay forty-two men and thirty-one horses. The dead soldiers all lay within a circle embracing only a few hundred yards square. The Lieutenant immediately reported to Gibbon, which was the first intelligence of the battle received. A few moments later a scout arrived from Reno's command, asking for assistance, and Terry and Gibbon pushed forward to the rescue.

"Curley"

Not a single survivor of Custer's command was found, and when the command returned to the Yellowstone they found there a Crow scout named "Curley," who, as verified by Major Reno, rode out with Custer on that fatal day. He alone escaped, and his account of the battle we give below. It is interesting, as being the only story of the fight ever to be looked for from one who was an actual participant on Custer's side. Curley being, in all human probability the only survivor of his command.

Custer, with his five companies, after separating from Reno and his seven companies, moved to the right around the base of a high hill overlooking the valley of the Little Horn through a ravine just wide enough to admit his column of fours. There were no signs of the presence of Indians in the hills on that side (the right bank) of the Little Horn, and the column moved steadily on until it rounded the hill and came in sight of the village lying in the valley below them. Custer appeared very much elated, and ordered the bugles to sound a charge, and moved on at the head of his column, waving his hat to encourage his men.

When they neared the river, the Indians, concealed in the undergrowth on the opposite side of the river, opened fire on the troops, which checked the advance. Here a portion of the command were dismounted and thrown forward to the river, and returned the fire of the Indians. During this time the warriors were seen riding out of the village by hundreds, and deploying across his front to his left, as if with the intention of crossing the stream on his right, while the women and children were seen hastening out of the village in large numbers in the opposite direction.

During the fight at this point Curley saw two of Custer's men killed who fell into the stream. After fighting a few moments here, Custer seemed to be convinced that it was impracticable to cross, as it only could be done in column of fours, exposed during the movement to a heavy fire from the front and both flanks. He, therefore, ordered the head of the column to the right, and bore diagonally into the hills, down stream, his men on foot, leading their horses. In the meantime the Indians had crossed the river (below) in immense numbers, and began to appear on his right flank and in his rear; and he had proceeded but a few hundred yards in the new direction the column had taken, when it became necessary to renew the fight with the Indians who had crossed the stream.

At first the command remained together, but after some minutes fighting it was divided, a portion deploying circularly to the left, and the remainder similarly to the right, so that when the line was formed it bore a rude resemblance to a circle, advantage being taken as far as possible of the protection afforded by the ground. The horses were in the rear, the men on the line being dismounted, fighting on foot on other parts of the field than his own. Curley is not well informed, as he was himself concealed in a deep ravine, from which but a small part of the field was visible.

The fight appears to have begun, from Curley's description of the situation of the sun, about 2:30 or 3 o'clock p. m., and continued without intermission until nearly sunset. The Indians had completely surrounded the command, leaving their horses in ravines well to the rear, themselves pressing forward to attack on foot. Confident in the great superiority of their numbers, they made several charges on all points of Custer's line; but the troops held their position firmly, and delivered a heavy fire, and every time drove them back. Curley says the firing was more rapid than anything he had ever conceived of, being a continuous roll, like (as he expressed it), thunder.

The troops expended all the ammunition in their belts, and then sought their horses for the reserve ammunition carried in their saddle pockets. As long as their ammunition held out, the troops, though losing considerably in the fight, maintained their position in spite of all the efforts of the Sioux. Curley says that Custer remained alive through the greater part of the engagement, animating his men to determined resistance; but about an hour before the close of the fight received a mortal wound.

Curley says the field was thickly strewn with the dead bodies of the Sioux who fell in the attack -- their number considerably more than the force of soldiers engaged. He is satisfied that their loss will exceed 300 killed, beside an immense number wounded. Curley accomplished his escape by drawing his blanket about him in the manner of the Sioux, and passing through an interval which had been made in their line as they scattered over the field in their final charge. He says they must have seen him, as he was in plain view, but was probably mistaken by the Sioux for one of their own number or one of their allied Arapahoes or Cheyennes.
 
In most particulars the account given by Curley of the fight is confirmed by the position of the trail made by Custer in his movements, and the general evidence of the battlefield. Only one discrepancy is noted, which relates to the time when the fight came to an end.

Officers of Reno's command, who late in the afternoon, from high points surveyed the country in anxious expectation of Custer's appearance, and commanded a view of the field where he had fought, say that no fighting was going on at that time -- between five and six o'clock. It is evident, therefore, that the last of Custer's command was destroyed at an earlier hour in the day than Curley relates.

Nineteen year-old Crow scout Curley was one of 40-plus Crow, Arikara, Sioux and half-breed scouts who accompanied Custer to the Little Bighorn.

He achieved wide notoriety among white Americans for flagging down the river boat Far West at the mouth of the Little Bighorn River on June 28, 1876 with the first report of Custer's annihilation.

Curley also slipped the Americans the cold, hard truth: that Custer was mortally wounded "an hour before the end of the fight." What Curley actually said was that Custer died at the outset of the Custer fight, about the time Custer charged across the Little Bighorn and White Cow Bull shot an officer.