The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-03-23
ONE AGAINST FORTY.
Brave DIR. Tichenour's Fight-An Encounter
Single Handed With Forty Indians.

Brave DIR. Tichenour's Fight-An Encounter
Single Handed With Forty Indians.
A correspondent OF the New York
World, writing from Leavenworth, gives
the particulars of desperate fight be-
tween doctor named Tichenour and q
band of Sioux Indians, numbering about
forty, mt what is known as the "Cone,"
at the mouth of Sand creek, sixty-five
miles west of Ness Postofiice, Ness
county, in the western portion OF Kan
sas. The doctor and companion named
Dickinson were out poisoning wolves,
and had built n temporary dug out" in.
which to store their skins and provisions.
A few days previous to the appearance.
of the redskins Dickinson had taken the
wagon and gone to the settlement after
provisions. The doctor was asleep in
the hut on the third morning after
Dickinson departure March A. when he
was awakened by slight noise Mt the
door. Thinking the intruder might be
some animal, he took his gun and went
to the door. Upon opening it he was
confronted by burly Sioux brave, but
it still being dark he could only dis
tinguish the outlines of the form He
demanded his business, when the brave
turned and fled; and as the doctor
stepped outside to get a shot at him he
was greeted with shower OF bullets
that drove him bcak into the hut. Bar
Reading the door with the best means at
his command he patiently awaited the
daylight. In the meantime the Indians,
about forty in number, as near as he
could tell, had moved further up the
creek, but just at daylight one of them,
who seemed to be in authority, and the
leader of the band, from the manner in
which he was dressed, came 10 the door
OF the dug-out, carrying a white flag of
truce, and, in broken English, demanded
his surrender. Tichenour replied that
there were three men in the hut, all well
armed, who would defend themselves to
the last The chief then began to
threaten, declaring that he would take
his scalp and all OF those with him, and
the DOCTOR taking this to be a declara-
ton of war, shot the red man dead in his
tracks as he stood. The entire band
then rushed toward the hut, but were
driven back by q few well-directed shots,
retiring in disorder The next ma
neuver of the Indians was an attempt
to smoke him out by burning buffalo
chips and the woodwork OF the dug ont,
ana from his position the doctor could
see some of the arrangements mado for
his destruction. He could not see the
Indian in charge, but he knew that the
work was going ON, and that in short
time he must yield Realizing this, he
made dash for the outside, kicking the
burning buffalo chips right and lett, end
exchanging shots with the head Indian
in charge OF the fire, killing him instant
ly, and receiving bullet himself through
the lower part of bis body. Then began
a long-range shooting match, during
which he saw three OF his assailonts fall.
This was kept up during the day. At
nightfan a terrible snow-storm arose
which drove the Indians soutnward. and
which showed the doctor Ii Hai it not
been for this storm the Indi-
ans would have captured him. as he was.
unable to move for three days. ~ the
end OF the sixteenth day the weather
moderated SO that he was abb 70 80 out,
and, seeing that the coast Was clear, he
Travelled on foot to the settlements. The
doctor received several bullets in his
clothing, but was wounded but once.