The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-07-21
William King.

| ouS tAohA DSuo"oOo SlIJ W NlblG u DTOIuCT
J in camp seven or eight miles away. Hc
! was called boy then; and now III tell
you why they changed his name to "Thc
| Man from Michigan" Tho boy, whosc
home name is William King, was armed
with Henry rifle, a revolver and q light
hatchct, and he set out to pursue his Jour-
| ney on foot. There were Indians above
and below and around Dcadwood. They
had killed two men only the day before,
and were known to be lurking on tho paths
and trails. Young King was strongly ad
viscd against leaving the town, but having
hc rd that his brother was very sick, he
was determined to 60. lie left Deadwood
about n.nc o'clock in the morning, there
being three or four inches of snow on the
ground.
tits like throwing that gun and rcvol-
vers INTO the sea, to say nothing of being
scalped,' remarked the miners as the boy
set out, and some OF the men said it was
shame Tor such good weapons to be carried
| 10 the Indians.
The boy tolt safe enough until mile or
two out of Dcadwood, when he grew more
| cautious. His route lay over the hills.
through broken ground and along valley
being mapped by compass and no trail to
| follow. Three miles from Deadwood he
heard the neigh of horse, and he at once
| hurried from the open ground to the shelter
sf the timber. Speeding along for a half
mile at dog trot, he became certain that
Indians were Oh his trail. lie had seen no
signs and had heard nothing but the neigh
OF horse, but he had prescntimcnt as it
were, that the red men had taken his broad
trail and were after him. King made for
| higher ground, and soon obtained the shell
ter OF a mass of rocks which could not be
| hantily approached except from enc direc-
tion. lie intended to sccrcte himself until
certain that his trail was not followed, and
| he had not long to wait. In the course OF
| seven or eight minutes nino Indians walking
| i'll single file, appeared in view, following
| Ills footsteps at fast walk.
King could have rctrcatcd had he so de-
sired, but tho prospect of a fight did not
frightcn him. The odds were largely
against HIM, but the boy bad nerve, a good
position, and he deliberately opened the
! battle. The savagcs did not know how
| close they were to him until bullet from
his rifle cut the jugular vein of the first and
buried itself in the shoulder OF the next.
Inc tlrst leapcd from his feet and fell back
| corpse, while the second went down, but
| scrambled up again and took cover along
| with tho others. so badly wounded that he
| could take no part III the desperate fighting
which followed. The Indians at first
thought the boy had joined two or three
hunters, but after making circle around
his position they found him entirely alone
and they opened fire on him from three
different points. He was safo enough in
his retreat, aad waited to let them exhaust
their ammunition. AS their fire slackencd
no on."'nod sight OF ono Of them and shot
| '''--- -i''".'G,', III" hood .-.- -.I
| The icea Of aboy having killed two of
their number and wounded third, drove
the remaining six savagcs to desperation,
and they left the covor of their trees and
charged on his position, yelling acrcely rs
they advanced on run. lie had not ex-
pcctcd such maneuver. but was not
altogether taken by surprise. lie wounded
one OF them III the wrist by shot from his
rifle, and when they were upon hln throw
down his gun and pcppercd away with his
revolver.
"Ihcy were right upon me and wo were
all blazing away at once" he afterwards
explained, but the boy was too much fer
them. The cowardly re,ls rctrcatcd for Il
moment, having wounded King in the side,
in the leg and In tho check. in return two
Of them carried away some of his lead, but
were not too badly wounded to use their
rifles afterwards. The gang hauled off for
a time. and thon one of them crawlcd as
near as he could and shouted in broken
English:
white boy come out-nlc no hurt hlm"
| But the white boy was gong to stay
right there for while yet. He knew the
trcachcrous nature of the savagcs around
him, and he believed he could whip the
whole crowd, wounded as he was. Tho
Indian finding that King could not be on
ticcd from his position, returned and re-
| ported, and for On hour all was quiet. The
boy was beginning to hope that they had
withdrawn for good, when q savage ap-
pcared in view On the left and wanted to
hold talk. He indulgcd in furious gest-
ures, danced around, and made evcry effort
to attract Kings attention to him, and then
keep 1t there.
"Whltc boy very bravo-won't hurt
white boy-likc to talk with brave white
boyl" he called out as he danced around.
Meanwhile the rest of tho band were
sncaking up from the other direction, cal
culating On shooting King in the back as he
watched tho single Indian. lie suspected
the trick, saw them coming, and drawing
o fair bead on the talker, dropped him dead
as a crow-bar. Those skulking I'D num-
bcrcd four, being all the Indians left alive
and unwoundod out of the nine first sighted.
They did not rush as the boy expected.
On thco cntrary they hurrledly retrcatcd,
and but little time was lost by them in get.
ting out of the neighborhood. The boy
waited until three o'clock in tho afternoon,
before leaving his retreat, and then his
clothing stiff with blood, he pursued his
Journey, reaching his brothers. camp about
dark IN safety. The men would not credit
his story, though the three wounds were
PLAIN proof of the bloody contest. The
next day II band of a dozen went over to
the fight, and when they had taken survey
they could no longer doubt the boy's story.
They found trails Of blood everywhere
around tho position and trails in tho snow
where the dead Indians had been dragged
along, and the defense was voted one tho
bravest ever made against the ssvages. A
boy without signs Of a beard, and looked
upon as hardly fit to carry pistol around,
had wounded or DESTROYED five out of the