M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1858-06-17

the sleeping Sioux, and scalp them
when unprepared for battle, but the
boats were on the south side of the riv-
er. The Chippewas then divided into
three parties-one party concealed
themselves in the bushes for a mile
along the bank Of the river, and the
other party in a ravine on the side OF
the bluff about three quarters Of mile
from the river. Both parties of Chip
pewas were so concealed that they
could see all the lodges oftheir enemy,
and every movement aoOut them, the
furthest being less than mile from
the sleeping Sioux.
THE BATTLE.
Thus the parties remained until
daylight. About sunrise two young
Sioux went down to the river to catch
some fish for breakfast. One crossed
over in canoe. AS soon as he touch
ed the land on the other side he was
shot dead by the concealed Chippewas
and scalped. This took place within
thirty rods of Major Murphy's house.
The Cbippewas are armed with rifles;
the Sioux use only muskets and shot;
guns. The sleeping Sioux being
awakened by Il volley of rifle shots,
raised the war-whoop and shouted
"Chippewas," and caught their guns
and ran to the river, singing the war.
whoop and shouting "Chippewas." p
At the river they met about ten Chip
pewas on the opposite side ready to
receive them, the other Chippewas
being still concealed. The Sioux
warriors run to the ferry to cross over;
but a few whites who had reached the
ferry at first refused to let them cross.
The Sioux chief interiered, ard said
the Chippewas had rifles and could
shoot his warriors across the river,
while his men had only muskets and
shot-guns, and could not shoot across
the river. This settled the dispute,
and the boat now LETT in the posses
sion of the Sioux warriors. Thirty
two Sioux braves ferried themselves
aeross-their whole available force
AS soon as they reached the other bank
the ten Chippewas broke and retreat
ed, without firing, followed hotly by
the Sioux, who were thus decoyed
into the midst Of the concealed Chip
pewas along the river. This hidden
band, consisting of about seventy-fve
men. jumped to their feet and fired
into the unsuspecting Sioux, killing
one dead and mortally wounding two,
and several Others severely. The 81.
oux halted and returned the fire with
telling effect on the Chippewas.
In few minutes the firing became
general on both sides. The Sioux
warriors fought desperately and brave
ly, and stubbornly contested each inch
of ground. At this juncture the other
party Of Ohippewas, concealed in the
ravine, came down upon the Sioux, who
gradually retired backwards across
the neck Of a small prairie to the
bushes on the bank Of the river,
keeping up a continual firing into
the Chippewas. During this re-
treat occurred a desperate struggle
over the dead body Of the Sioux chief,
which tho Chippewas proceeded to
scalp. To be killed in an Indian bat
tie is an honor, or at most only mis-
fortune, but to suffer the enemy to take
the scalp off the slain is a disgrace
upon the whole tribe. Three brothers
of the slain Sioux rushed to the rescue
through shower ofriAe bullets. They
reached the dead body Of their broth
er just as five Chippewas had drawn
their knives to cut off the scalps. The
three brothers, though wounded by
rifle shots before they reached the
body of the slain, fought like mad
dened tigers with theirtomahawks and
scalping- g-knives-killed two Of the
Chippewa braves, wounded the other
three and drove them from the field.
They rescued the body of their slain
brother and saved his scalp, cut off the
heads Of the two Chippewas they had
killed, raised the dead body Of their
brother, took the two Chippewa
heads and carried them, limping
and bleeding from their own wounds,
triumphantly to their own camp
One of the brothers was woun-
ded with side shot in the head, an
other was badly wounded in the thigh
and had one toe shot of, and the other
had a bullet put through the feshy
part of his leg. Two of the brothers
returned to the battlefield again,
which rallied the retreating Sioux
They ran upon tho advancing Chippe-
was, reserving their own fire until
near enough to take deadly aim,
when they halted and fired. The
Chippewas broke and retreated across
the neck OF the prairie to the bushes,
carrying several killed and wounded
with them, but leaving two of their
slain and the battlefield in the pos
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