The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-09-12
A Fight for Life.

A Fight for Life.
An Arizona correspondent Of the
Boston Advertiser, writing about the
Hualapais Indians tells this story of q
Mr.. Spencer who has lived with them
many years:
Il was carrying the mail between the
forts ut that time" he said, "and was
ambushed by the Indians in .
canon about twenty-five miles south Of
here. One of my two companions was
Killed and the other wounded and I
only escaped because the shot hit my
pistol and glanced aside. The wounded
fellow tried to escape, and while the
Indians were drawn off in pursuit of him
l slipped off my horse into the bush.
MY rifle clogged in throwing up o shell,
and had to take the magazine out and
reload it, while expecting them on me
OF any moment. After 1 had nv rifle
ready I looked about and saw that nv
only chance "a to reach the edge of q
small canon, where I should have Q
o IN front, and would not be attack
ed from behind. I started to run up
Q little arroyo, but they saw me and
fired on me, n shot passing through
my leg at the hip and one in my breast.
AS l fell they gave a shout and pushed
on me, but l managed to raise myself
and shoot down the first two, and they
fell back. Then 1 managed to draw
myself to the position I had chosen.
They had meanwhile caught the wound
ed fellow, and for two hours they
tortured him. Finally they cut off his
hands and head. While t had to lie
listening to this and their fedish
yells, l had found my pistol was clog
ged with the lerd of The bullet from
which it saved me. I took it all to
pieces and reloaded and put it together
again. determined to sell my life as
dearly as [ could. but if there were no
hope, to blow my own brains out with
my last two charges rather than fall in
to their hands. When they had finish
ed my companion / heard them con-
sulting and arranging to attack me from
three sides. My leg was entirely dead
by this time. and | was very weak from
loss of blood, but I managed to kill the
leaders of each band, and they fell
back. I heard them decide that it was
not worth while wasting o number of
Indians on n white man, and they
were sure of me as soon as night fell.
ALI was quiet for a time. and then I
heard n Indian, who knew o little
English, call, No hurt Spencer. Go
home I knew this was only O trap to
get me out, and, Us he kept on repeat
ing this, thought 1 would try to see
him without exposing myself. I had
heard of people aiming by sound,
though I had 9 tried it. I listened
intently and kept bringing my rife up
and aiming toward the ound. I fred,
and there was a greatcommotion. I
learned afterward-for I am friends with
MI these Indians now-that the bullet
just grazed his arm, aid the start it
gave him threw him from o point of
rock he was standing upon, and bruised
him badly. After this all was so quiet
1 began to suspect something, and
raising my head very slowly and cau-
tiously above the rock behind me, it
received two shots, showing they had
managed to creep up there. I raised
myself quickly, threw my arm over the
rock, and fred two or three shots from
my pistol in quick succession. That
cleaned ont that nest. Over at the
fort they had heard the firing in the
morning, but paid no attention to it.
But when it continued, they concluded
the Indians had got hold of me and
sent out squad to the rescue. They
came on the hands of my companion,
lying in the road where they had been
dropped, and were frightened and went
back. Meanwhile I had determined
not to wait for the Indians, but, rs soon
as it was dusk, to drag myself off and
see if I could get away. However, the
soldiers came back, and just at dusk
found me. But 1t was q close shave.
At the last moment I could not make
them hear me. and they we're about to
turn back, thinking I was gone up;
but [ attracted their attention before it
was too late. That was as long q day
as lever spent, gentlemen"
II am surprised" said I. II thought
the Huaiapais claimed they had bern
always friends of the whites" $50
they were, but about q month before
this some men wereout on a raid and
caught fourteen young children. They
saw no other Indians, and they had
these children in an ambulance. They
did not wish to be ridiculed for bring
ing home children, so they consulted
what to do, and decided the only thing
was to kill them. They pulled them
out by the hair, al a time, and blow
ing their brains out threw them on the
road. The Indians strongest instinct
is love of his children, and, coming on
the trail and finding these, they vowed
to torture the first n of those fellows
they caught" "Ah, l see, it was like
all other horrible Indian outrages-the
white mans first and the Indian fol-
lows" chats about the length Of it. -