I could not but wonder what sort of fix I would be in if the horse under which I was lying happened to get shot and fell down on me. The Indians seemed determined to exterminate us if possible. I told him I was too good a runner for that. All urging on my part was useless. He was convicted for a jewelry robbery and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in 1953. This was actually an extremely BAD idea, but while they were cruising the banks of the river looking for a ford (see Peter Thompson Detail Map, #13), Thompson said he and Watson stumbled upon Custer and one of Custer's Crow scouts in the midst of some kinky business with a Sioux woman on a tether. See Who Killed Custer -- Part 11 "War Crime Time" for more info.]. I felt exceedingly thirsty and said to Watson that I proposed to have a drink. He manage to escape from Pretoria prison with five others in December 1997. After this, I began to feel very sick and looked around for a sheltered place to avoid the heat of the sun. Thompson was a genuine everyman sort of hero who was wounded in Benteen's desperate, do-or-die charge to clear the head of the ravine on the night of June 25, 1876. Benteen seemed to be aware of the impending danger, and was forming all the men he possibly could into line at the point where it was expected that the Indians would attack us. Marking: [label] "Peter Thomson, registered, Philadelphia" Exhibition History. As I went down the ravine, I found it got narrower and deeper, and became more lonesome and naturally more depressing. I now heard the clatter of hoofs behind me. So I commenced to search around for them. Our means of defense were very poor. He shook his head and said he did not know. Where we made our stand there was nothing but sand, gravel, and a little sagebrush. Major Reno moved to the left of the trail and went into a flat bottomed ravine. New York. He had left his own in its place, but it was practically useless, the breech being broken. In January 2001, three inmates escaped from Chicago State Penitentiary's H-Unit (Hi-Max). When I got close enough to Watson, I called to him in a guarded voice. By this time, the last of the companies had disappeared over the crest of the hill. I began to think they had seen me and crouched as close to the tree as possible. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Knipe added, "They all thought you was a gonner." I could see that the fight was well under way; hordes of savages had gained a footing on the right bank of the river and had driven the soldiers back a short distance. Had I been armed I would have been more at my ease. He answered, "To our scouts, of course." The Crow then left Custer and rode in a jog trot towards the river and disappeared. Wishing to have company, I was about to call for him to stop, but happily for me I did not, for I saw the reason why Watson, for such he proved to be, turned aside. "Well," said he, "Let us keep together." It does not take very long to expend that amount of ammunition especially when fighting against great odds. When he saw my maneauvers, he took aim at me and shot. When I thought it time for him to fire, I dropped to my left side, the bullet whistling over my head, buried itself in the bluff behind me. John Fitzgerald], Brennan [Pvt. We knew our duty, but to do it was beyond our power. I offered to divide the water of one canteen with some of the men of Company C. They refused my offer when I told them that my effort was made in behalf of the wounded members of our company. Originally reprinted in The Black Hills Trails, by Jesse Brown and A.M. Willard, Rapid City Journal Co., Rapid City, SD, 1924. Fortunately for me the soil was soft and loose to light upon. And now, he asked, "Are you ready?" The stench would become so great that it would drive us from our present position and where were we to go? On coming close, I saw they were our Ree scouts and two Crow Indians, one of whom was Half Yellow Face or Two Bloody Hands. The Indian threw up his hands and fell with his head between the legs of his pony. AMONG SURVIVORS of the Little Bighorn, a few veterans like William Slaper dismissed Thompson's story out-of-hand, while others -- such as John McGuire, Daniel Kanipe, Curley, Goes Ahead and an Anonymous Ree -- corroborated parts of what Thompson said. I asked Watson to hand me his hat and I would fill it with water for him and he did so. Sentenced to life imprisonment as a fourth time offender, he was transferred to the Philadelphia County Prison. I called for Watson to stop and told him that we had friends coming. New York. When one fell either dead or wounded he was carried from the field; but there remained plenty to take his place; but if a soldier fell there was no one to take his, and if wounded there was no one to bring him water to quench his thirst; if dying, no one to close his eyes. Cavalry men dismount and fight on foot except when a charge is made, but when a dismount is ordered, number four remains on his horse, numbers, one, two, and three dismount and hand their bridle reins to number four who holds the horses, while they deploy as skirmishers or as otherwise directed. He had begged in vain to have Reno advance to Custer's relief. 5. The noise gradually became louder and louder until it became indescribably and almost unbearable to the ears of civilized persons. In November 1987 Peter Thomson aged 19 at the time escaped from Winchester Prison. But beyond and on a higher elevation than on which I stood was a pillar of rocks, which I thought might afford me a means of defense. Just as I was thinking of getting up, I heard an order given by a Sioux chief. But in the meantime several accidents happened which helped to make it a serious matter for us. He said he was sick. Woodbridge owns 67% of Thomson Reuters, according to a February 2022 filing. Louis, MS. He told me he had gone to the river for water and when he was coming up from the bed of the river with two kettles filled with water, a volley had been fired at him, one of the bullets hitting him and breaking his leg below the knee, the others riddling his kettles. In addition to describing the valiant actions he participated in, Thompson's account contains a lot of significant detail, such as the fatigue of Custer's men and their horses as they rode into battle (Thompson got separated from Custer because his mount gave out). He was one of the most wanted criminals in the. I was anxious to save him and if I did I must act quickly. After getting everything in shape, I started on the run. However, there's also another, equally plausible but much, much darker read on the scene with Custer and the roped squaw, namely that Curley was Custer's procurer and they were both there to rape and murder the Sioux woman. Watson still being some distance ahead of me. When they had passed, we moved on our way. Or at least that's one plausible way to read the eye-witness record of the battle. Marshals 15 Most Wanted Fugitive's Skull Found by Family Dog", "Escapees in Canadian helicopter jailbreak captured", "Convicted killer T.J. Lane captured after escape", "Ohio town in shock after school shooter TJ Lane briefly escapes prison", "T.J. 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We followed the trail for several hundred feet, then forced our way through the brush and with our revolvers cocked, lying at our feet and our guns in our hands we waited and watched for their appearance. Is this "impossible"? Peter Thompson went on to be wounded in Frederick Benteen's desperate, do-or-die charge to clear the head of the ravine that night, and then the next morning, before he had his wounds bandaged, he went for water for a dying friend as part of the extremely dangerous water brigade. While I was making calculations as to leaving my horse and trying my luck on foot, I thought I was seeing something familiar in their appearance. I could see that his days were numbered. [Note: there is actually a fairly rational, fairly conceivable explanation for Billy Jackson's story. Let's look first at the incident Thompson observed on the banks of the Little Bighorn River, where he said a Crow scout appeared with a Sioux woman on a tether moments before Custer himself rode into sight and ordered the woman released. The questioner belonged to my own company and I naturally expected him to sympathize with me in my errand of mercy. Although the Indians denied it, there are several eye-witness accounts that suggest that there were one or more whites fighting on the Indians' side at the Little Bighorn, although not with the Sioux. The . I made up my mind to climb to the top of the bank and let drive at our painted friend. Custer was well versed in several Indian languages. There were others also in the same fix. Looking to my right, I saw a ravine and at the bottom of it a small clump of wild cherry bushes. "Get out of here," he cried, And do your duty!". So leaving the trail I ran down the hill at full speed and came to a place where there was a deep cut with steep sides that I would not have dared to face had I been able to check myself in time. After the disappearance of Custer and his men, I felt that I was in a terrible predicament to be left practically alone in an enemy's country, leading a horse practically useless. See Sioux and Cheyenne Military Tactics for more info.] After they had driven Major Reno across the river we noticed that the village was beginning to teem with life. Watson had evidently not made this discovery. We were repulsed at the ford; we were surrounded by Indians on the bluffs; we were without horses; and when we did make the attempt we did so at nearly the cost of our lives. Jumping to my feet I saw Capt. I knew I could travel with greater ease if I left the kettle behind, so I placed it between my knees and soon transferred the water from it to the canteens. Here is An Anonymous Ree's account of what he thought were Thompson's last mintues on this planet. When the Crow scout left him, he wheeled around and made for the same point in the river where we had first seen him. He said, "This is our only weak and unprotected point and should the Indians succeed in passing this in any force they would soon end the matter as far as we are concerned." While I was thus engaged and when Watson had forded to the middle of the stream, I heard the crack of three rifles which caused me to straighten up quickly and look around to see what the trouble was. But now they were beginning to recover themselves. But if we were not wounded in our bodies we were in our feelings. Select this result to view Peter Thomson's phone number, address, and more. Just then the order was given to retreat and Reno's command began to march slowly to the rear. Belts for carrying ammunition were, at this time, just coming into use, and a great many of us had nothing but a small cartridge box as means of carrying our ammunition when away from our horses. It is assumed that he used someone else's identity. The Indians let fly with their rifles with the usual result. "Ten dollars for a drink," said one. Both Brennan and Fitzgerald turned their horses toward the rear, when they had gone two miles beyond the lone teepee. He was attended by John Mahoney [Pvt. I had left nearly a hundred rounds in my saddle bags, but owing to the incomplete condition of my prairie belt I was unable to carry more with me. In that case, I told him, that he had better leave it as it would take us all our time to take care of ourselves. He asked, "What is the matter?" On March 17, 1995, in Sublette, Kansas Dawn Amos, Douglas Winter and David Spain escaped in the early morning hours after shooting Sheriff Deputy, Irvin Powell twice. The. But before we could reach it, they fired at us but as usual missed; but the twigs and leaves were cut by the bullets and we came to the conclusion that we were not to be killed by the Indians. What I discovered was several Indians peering at us over the edge of the bluff; in all I counted eight and concluded that they were too many for us, especially with an uphill pull on our side. "Of approximately 210 men," writes Bray, "only one would survive the next hour. On hearing me, he checked up his horse and looked around. In 1986, at age 19, Matt was convicted and sentenced to a year in jail. Share. "Sporting Life," July 12, 1972-February 1, 1973. It seemed to be the desire of each to utterly exterminate. It was our duty not to question, but to obey. This was good news to me. Although that company had entered the fight with General Custer, there were a few who had been detailed to the pack train. Drawing my revolver, I made ready to defend myself. There was a noise in the village which increased as night advanced. The forces under Major Reno, at the time we stepped into the trail, were six companies of the left wing and one company of the right, namely Company B under the command of Capt. We knew we were surrounded by Indians and we would be very fortunate if we escaped at all. 12 members of the Jewish underground groups, In 1971, a 45 meter long tunnel was dug and 111 political prisoners, including future, On 10 June 1977, the convicted murderer of, On 23 September 1977, a group of seven prisoners, including. I began to make tracks once more in a lively manner, and in a short time reached the point I had started for. According to White Man Runs Him, they all "went with Custer down a dry gulch to near the river.". McDougal [Capt. While making these observations, I also made a pleasant discovery. One young man had the courage of a lion. I then drew his attention to the orderly manner in which they moved, and the guidons they carried and told him that we better try to join them before they passed us. I was determined to make the eff ort nevertheless, and looked around for a canteen. Watson made no complaint, for like myself he knew it would do no good. I knew that if the cavalry drove the savages from their village, they would scatter in all directions, and if any of the straggling devils came across such an unfortunate as myself, I would stand a poor show. Peering through the brush I thought I recognized the horse which Billy Jackson, our guide, had ridden. Up until the destruction of Earth-38, he was serving a life sentence for two counts of murder. But as on the former occasion, when I came to the bend in the ravine I halted and looked carefully around the corner. While the hottest of the fight was going on and the tide of battle seemed to be against us, our doctor dropped his bandages, and grasping a gun started toward the skirmish line. However, Supergirl convinced Peter to help her foil Rick's plan. Only a few scattering shots now and then. Then Jackson informed him Custer had shot at him cutting away the strap that connected his stirrup to the saddle, and in order to save his life he had ridden away. Peter Thompson was an American who put his life on the line for his comrades and his country -- and received the Medal of Honor for his valor -- but that hasn't stopped America from turning him into non-person in order to preserve its cherished, comfortable self-deceptions. James Watson, was already dead by the time Thompson told his story), but actually Thompson's story had been circulating among the enlisted men (but not the officers) since 1876. I found in the center of our place of defense that we had a surgeon busily attending to the wounded and dying. Peter's a public radio "lifer" who first got hooked on radio journalism in high school, while listening to and then interning with Danny Schechter the News Dissector at Boston's legendary WBCN. The halt was but for a moment, for the Indians came rushing towards them in great numbers. He gave me a strange look and turned his horse around and rode towards the rear, leaving me to shift for myself. I wondered whether it would be safe to stop long enough to put the water into the canteens, as the fire of the Indians seemed to come from a bend in the bank, a short distance from the mouth of the ravine on this side of the river. Watson asked him what was the matter. 19h. I was astonished at seeing a soldier sitting on a bank of earth facing the river with his back towards me. Whether he had gone through the village or waded down the stream to reach his command is a question that cannot be answered; but as we had seen no signs of him crossing to the opposite side, we naturally thought that he had made his way down the stream. During a 2 hour window of opportunity, Peter Thomson broke out from the education wing onto the grounds and promptly made his way over the prison wall. After he joined me, we had a consultation as to the best course for us to pursue. The three men were arrested a couple of weeks later and returned to the same facility. I had made haste to fill the canteens and started on my way to camp bidding Mike Madden to be of good cheer and he made a cheerful reply. So it turns out that there's actually an abundance of reasonable suspects among Custer's Crow scouts! Detroit Institute of Arts. It was a grand sight to see those men charging down upon the village of their enemies, who outnumbered them many times. 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