The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1870-07-02
A Fight with the Indians.


A Fight with the Indians.
Some of the frontier settlers are more
than match for any Indians like Coop
er,s Leather-stockings, who was always
sure to win in any deadly combat. Mr..
Mcclure, in his ssThree Thousand Miles
through the Rocky Mountains" gives
an account of one of these heroic men !:
The Indians had passed all the militia
ry on the route without losing a man,
had left no habitation or resident behind
them except the troops, until they en-
circled tho ranch of Hollen Godfry, a
native of Western New York, but an
old resident of the Indian country.
supped with him, and had the story
from himself He gave it with degree
of modesty and candor that stripped the
popular history of the affair of some of its
romance /; but that he gave it truthfully,
there could be no doubt.
He is an intlligent, keen-eyed and Draw
ny man of over fifty, and makes no pre-
tentions to the heroic; but he does
pretend to defend his little store of
whisky, tobacco, canned fruits, and his
wife and children ; and more than this,
he does it.
He has a sod fortifcation running
along the south and west side of his
ranch, and extending out some sixty
feet front and rear, so as to protect two
sides of the building, and command the
other two. His fort is sod wall, six
feet high, with loopholes, but it is an in
fnately better fortifcatien than the
scientific officers of Fort Sedgwick have
to protect that post.
bundra3 md sivfv Indians attack cd
the Godfry ranch, but, as it was, defend.
ed, they exhausted Indian strategy to
reduce it. There were but four men
and two women in the ranch, but they
had several guns each and plenty of
ammunition.
The Indians first formed circle about
the ranch, at distance of four hundred
yards, and endeavered to draw Godfrey s
fire, so as to get his range; but he never
pulled trigger till he had an Indian
within two hundred yards.
"My favorite double barrel amt sure
at over two hundred yards" he informed
me, 'sand had no ammunition to waste. J"
Judging that they could not accom-
plish anything without direct attack,
they selected thirty of their feetest ri
ders, and charged to within thirty yards
of the ranch, in single in single file, each
one firing, and wheeling at the nearest
point.
They made several such charges, each
time selecting different loopholes for
their fire; but they harmed no one, and
one or more of their charging party fell
at each attack.
Finally, they abandoned the direct
attack and fred the grass at various
points, hoping to set the ranch on fire,
/ At one time they had forced the fire close
to the stable Godfry could reach the
endangered corner under cover to ex-
tinguish the fire.
Sixty balls struck the corner of the
stable where he was working !; but he
managed to protect himself and escape
unharmed.
The seige was maintained with occa,
sional charges until night, when they
were glad to abandon the ranch, and
leave their dead behind them. Where
ever dead Indian lay, Godfrey kept
a special watch, knowing that they
make every effort to get their dead of
the field and shot several who attempted
to remove their fallen comrades until
finally they surrendered their dead
braves as trophies for the victer.
They gave Godfrey the euphonious
name Of ''Old Wicked" and since then
he is known only by that name.