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Show NAjon ki no. Charging Coster's Slaughter to Kcao's C'owuriiice. New York, 17. Major Reno's con duct in the battle which resulted in thu massacre of Cutter's command, is severely criticised in view of Sitting Bull's corruburtitiun of suspicious is" cited by stories hn'tofore derived from scouts and fritndly Indians-THE Indians-THE HERALD saya that as soon as it became possible to construct from the excited stories of participants and wituesses a connected con-nected and logical chronicle of that bloody fight, it was seen tbat the conduot of Major Reno called for an explanation. Observations were made ai the time upon the circumstance that this officer, appointed to cooperate coop-erate in a combined advance upsn the Indian position, did not do hia whole duty under his advance altogether. alto-gether. On encountering some resistance re-sistance he permitted himself to be very easily whipped and withdrew his force to a comparative safe place and Baved his men within sound of the fire that annihilated annihi-lated the force with which be was to cooperate. Sitting Bull now tells the story of the battle, which implies that Major ileuo had so completely com-pletely withdrawn from the tight before be-fore Custer even eot into it. tbat the Indians thought thorn was only one I column, which had withdrawn from a , first point only to advance at another. 1 It was under the sense of encourage-meat encourage-meat given them by Reno's flight that the Indians assail d Custer's command with euch unusual vigor, and having destroyed it they would have destroyed Reno' also with equal thoroughness but for Terry's arrival. This new light on the battle, confirming confirm-ing so absolutely what was before thought, will give new occasion for regret that Major Reno is still an officer of the army, under a too lenient leni-ent remission of his sentence for another oflence. THE TRIBUNE aays: If Bitting Bull tells tho truth Reno's first attack was merely a light ikirmish, and hia force remained perched upon the heights and facing the squaws and superannuated war riors, when if he had renewed tho assault in accordance with Custer's plan be might have saved the lives of his gallant comrades. Reno has stated in bis official report that he knew nothing of Custer's engagement. Sitting Bull says that the Bquaws in front of Reno heard distinctly the sound of the' firing. Major Reno is not in a position to command public sympathy. He was condemned by a court martial last spring for insulting a lady and suspended from hii rank and pay for two years. |