St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1857-10-08

their balls. He now fell and rose
third time and the Indians, throwing
away their guns, advanced upon hin
with spears and knives. As he pre-
scntcd his gun at one or the other
each fell back. At last, the largcs
Indian, supposinG his gun to be empty
from his fire having been thus rcscrv
cd, advanced boldly to the charge
Higgins then fired, and the largcs
savage fell. ..
lie had now four bullets in his bod,
An empty gun in his Eand--tw,
Indians unharmcd, as yet, before him
and a whole tribe but few yards
distant. Any other man would have
dcspaircd. Not so with him. He hat
slain the most dangerous of the three
and having little to fcarfrom the others
began to load his rifle. They raised &
savage whoop, and rushed to the en-
counter. A bloody conflict now en-
sued. The Indians stabbed him il
several places. Their spears, how
ever, were but thin poles, hastily pre-
pared, and bent whenever they strucl
Il rib or a muscle The wounds they
made were not, therefore, deep, though
numerous. ....... ...f ........s..y
At last one of them threw his toma.
hawk. 1t struck him upon the check
severed his ear, laid bare his skull to
the back Of his head, and stretched
him upon the prairie The Indians
again rushed on but Higgins, rccov,
ering his self.posscssion, kept them of
with his feet and hands. Grasping, at
length, one Of their spears, the Indian,
in attempting to pull it from him,
raised Higgins up; who, taking his
rifle, dashed out the brains of the
nearest savage. Indoing so, however,
it broke-thc barrel only remaining in
his hand The other Indian, who had,
heretofore, fought with caution, came
now mantully to the battle His
character as a warrior was in ieop-
ardy. To have fled from man thus
wounded and disarmcd, or to have
suffered his victim to escape, would
have tarnishcd his fame forever. Ut
tcring, therefore, terrific yell, he
rushed on, and attempted to stab the
exhausted ranger; but the latter
! wardcd oil his blow with one hand
and brandshcd his rife barrel with tn,
other. The Indian was, as yet, mn
harmed, and under existing circum
stances, by far the most powerful man
Higgins courage, however, was un-
exhausted and incXhaustiblc. The
savage, at last, began to retreat from
the glare of his uutamcd eye, to the
spot where lie dropped his rifle Iig-
gins knew that if he recovered that,
his own case was desperate throw
ing, therefore, his rlle-barrcl aside,
and drawing his hunting-kniit, he
rushed upon his foe. \ desperate
strife cnsucd-dccp Gashcs were in
fictcd on both sides. Higgins, IA
tigucd, and exhausted by the loss of
blood, was no longer a match for the
savage. The latter succeeded in throw.
ing his adversary from him, and went
Immediately in pursuit of his rifle
Higgins, at the same time, rose and
sought for the gun of the other Indian
Both, therefore, bleeding and ont of
breath were in search of arms to re-
new the combat.
The smoke had now passed away
and large number of Indians were IN
view. Nothing, it would seem, could
now save the gallant ranger. There
was however, an eye to pity, and ar
arm to savc-and that arm was a
woman's The little garrison had
witnessed the whole combat. 1t con
sisted of but six men and one woman
that woman, however, was Il host
Il Mrs. Purslcy. When she saw lIig,
gins contending single-handcd with
the savages, she urged the rangers to
attempt his rescue. The rangers object
cd, as the Indians were ten to one
/. Mrs. Purslcy, therefore, snatchcd a
rifle from her husbands hand, and de-
claring that SO fine fellow lis Tom
Higgins should not be lost for want OF
help mounted a horse, and sailed
forth to his rescue. The men, unwil.
ling to be outdonc by woman, fol
lowed at full gallop-rcachcd the
spot, where Higgins tainted and fell
before the Indians came up; and
while the savage with whom he had
been engaged, was looking for his
rifle, his friends lifted the wounded
ranger mp, and throwing him across Il
horse before one Of the party, reached
the fort in safety.
Higgins was inscnsiblc for several
days, and his life was preserved by
continual care. His friends extracted
two of the balls from his thigh; two
however, yet rcmaincd-onc of whicl
gave him Il good deal of pain. Hear
ing, alterward, that a physician hat
settled within a days ride of him, he
determined to 90 and see him. tn,
physician asked him fifty dollars fol
the operation. This Higgins llatly re
fused, saying it was more than hal
, years pension. On reaching home, h,
found the exercise of riding had mad,
the ball disccrniblc; he requested hi'
wife, therefore, to hand him his razor
With her assistance he laid open his
/ thiSH uiah INC S"SS VI t"o i"t.o
) touched the bullet then inserting hi
A two thumbs into the cash, "he ilirtc,
, it out" as hc used to say, "withou
! costing him II cent" The other bal
1 YET remained; it gave him, however
4 but little pain. and he carried it wit
0 him TO his grave. Higgins died i
d Fayette County, Illinois, few year
@ since lie was the most periec
/, specimen Of "a frontier man in his da,
!. and was once assistant door-kccpcr {
a the House of Representatives,, in Iii
# nois. The facts above stated, are I;
|, miliar to many, to whom Higgins wa
c. personally known, and there Is
: doubt OF their correctness.