News Items from The Kansas City Journal ~ Old News That's New to You from Vintage Kansas City.com

November 8, 2025

SOLDIER WHO SHOUTED

"REMEMBER CUSTER"

IS DEAD.

Heart Disease Claims As a Victim

David H. Pingree at the

Age of 56.

You remember the story in the history books about the massacre of General Custer in the Bad Lands of South Dakota, do you not? Especially you remember the stirring incident of the time when the troops who had been sent to revenge the death of the gallant leader and capture the redskin chief, Sitting Bull, wavered and were about to retreat before the withering fire poured out upon them from ambush, a soldier rose in his saddle and cried aloud:

"Remember Custer."

Only two words, but they made history. The soldiers rallied, taking those words for their battlecry and charged, inflicting the most decisive defeat upon the Indian warriors ever suffered in the history of the race.

The man who spoke those words is dead. David H. Pingree, 56 years old, formerly member of the Seventh United States cavalry, dropped dead of heart trouble last Friday morning. He had been honorably discharged from the army with the mark of "excellent" in 1891, after a service of six years. He came to Kansas City, where he remained a short time, but soon went to Iola, Kas., where he went into the hotel business, but for the past two years has been living in this city. A wife, who lives in Rich Hill, Mo., survives.

Besides turning the tide of the battle by giving his comrades a slogan to fight for at the psychological moment Pingree contributed largely to the victory in another way. A party of Indians were hidden behind a tent close to the regiment and they were picking off a cavalryman at every opportunity. Pingree and another soldier loosened up a Hotchkiss gun and trained it on the tent. In a few moments there was no tent left and the Indians were forced to seek another cover.

Pingree was an Elk. The lodge will have charge of the funeral services at 2:30 this afternoon from Eylar Bros. chapel, Fourteenth and Main streets. Burial will be in Mount Washington cemetery.

Labels: Custer, death, Fourteenth street, history, Main street, military, Mt. Washington, Native Americans, undertakers, veterans

September 5, 2025

HELPED AVENGE CUSTER.

J. C. McLain, Retired Soldier, Dies

Suddenly in His Room.

J. C. McLain, 64 years old, who for thirty-four years was a soldier in the United States army, died yesterday afternoon at his room in the home of F. H. Hendricks, 725 Forest avenue.

McLain's life was lonely. He never married and had never seen a marriage solemnized in his life. Enlisting in the army at the close of the civil war, his years were passed in a monotonous routine, which was varied occasionally by active service. He had seen most parts of the United States, including the island possessions.

The first active service he saw was in the Sioux uprising, when he was within thirty miles of Custer when the latter was killed and came to the scene of the slaughter the next day and assisted in avenging his death. During the Spanish was he served in Cuba and also in the Philippines in a cavalry regiment and saw some lively fighting, being wounded several times. After the war he was stationed in various islands of the Pacific archipelago, helping to pacify them.

Five years ago he retired form the army on full pay and had been living in different parts of the country since. For the past ten months he had lived at the Forest avenue address, doing his own housekeeping. His erect, soldierly bearing remained with him to the last. He never spoke much about himself, but read a great deal.

His death was sudden. Yesterday morning he complained of pains in his stomach and went downtown and purchased a bottle which he said contained medicine. A few hours later he was found dead in his room. Coroner George B. Thompson was notified and viewed the body last night. He will make a thorough investigation this morning. The body is at Stine's undertaking rooms. The only surviving relatives that his is known to have are a brother in Iowa and a sister who lives somewhere in Missouri.

Labels: Coroner Thompson, Custer, death, Forest avenue, history, undertakers, veterans

May 11, 2025

THIS RUNNING HORSE WALKS.

Indian Chief Plodding From San

Francisco to New York and Back.

Across the continent on foot and back again in eight months for a purse of $2,000 is the work which has been chosen by Charles Moyer, an Indian of the Sioux nation. Moyer passed through Kanss City yesterday on his return trip to San Francisco. He left there October 29, 1907, and arrived in New York on January 23, 1908. He has until June 29 to complete his trip back to San Francisco.

Moyer's Indian name is Chief Running Horse, being a grandson of Chief Sitting Bull of Custer fame. One of Chief Running Horse's peculiar traits is that he carries no change of apparel, wearing the same suit until it becomes worn out. In case of a heavy rain, like the one in which he was caught four miles east of Independence yesterday morning, the walker keeps on plodding, never stopping to find shelter. He never takes off his garments to wring them out, after they have become water soaked, but allows them to dry on his body.

He carries no cane or weapon of any sort and had use for a weapon but once according to his own story. That was while he was walking through Kentucky and was given frequent trouble by the "night-riders" alleging that he was a spy sent out to report upon them.

Chief Running Horse carries a leather-bound notebook which bears the postmark of every town and city which he visited on his walk, and the signatures of the chiefs of police and the mayors of the towns. He expects to remain in Kansas City for two or three days and then continue his westward march. It is his belief that he will reach San Francisco two or three weeks ahead of his appointed time.

Labels: clothing, Custer, Native Americans, New York, visitors, weather

December 28, 2025

ESCAPED CUSTER SLAUGHTER.

Only to Fall Down Elevator Shaft to

Probable Death.

By a strange perversity of fate J. W. Turner, who lives at 1216 Locust street, escaped the Custer slaughter of 1876 and passed safely through the Spanish-American war, only to fall down an elevator shaft at the Avery Manufacturing Company's building, 1000 Santa Fe street, yesterday morning to almost certain death.

When Turner was 23 years old he enlisted in the famous Seventh cavalry which was annihilated by the Indians under Chief Sitting Bull at the massacre of the Little Big Horn. Turner himself did not participate in that battle. Three days before it came about he had received a two months' furlough in order to visit his family in Indianapolis, Ind., where he was born.

When he heard of the massacre he was but fifty miles from the battlefield. He turned back, scarcely believing the report that not a single one of his comrades had escaped slaughter, and proceeded to the battlefield where he readily saw that all he had been told was true. He has said over and over again that he would have given anything in the world which he possessed if he might have only been in that battle.

Turner is 54 years of age, and at the time of his accident he was employed by the Kansas City House and Window Cleaning Company, as foreman of the window cleaning gang at the Avery Manufacturing Company, 1000 Santa Fe street.

Yesterday morning he went into the office of the shipping clerk, and seeing the elevator boy, Sullivan Thomas, standing by the elevator shaft, he asked, "Are you going to take me up?"

"Sure," replied Thomas, as he got up from his chair and walked to the door of the shaft.

Thomas was familiar with the workings of the elevator and so opened the door himself, looking back at the boy as he did so. Still looking backward, he stepped through the door where the elevator should have been and fell to the basement. Turner was taken to the emergency hospital and afterwards removed to the general hospital. The hospital authorities said last night that there was a small chance of his surviving the night.

Labels: accident, Custer, elevators, emergency hospital, general hospital, Locust street, Native Americans, Santa Fe street, Spanish-American War, veterans