Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-15
THE APACHEs, MERCY.
The Thrilling Story of John T. shy's De-
Tense OF HEs Wife and Child.
FROM an A I5u0uerq1e ", n. Letter.

Tense OF His Wife and Child.
From an Albuquerque ~, II. y letter.
John T. Shy, the hero of an experience
as startling and extraordinary as any
creature Of romance, and his wife, pale
faced, fragile lady, from whose fine blue
eyes the look OF horror has hardly yet de-
parted, has endured things the past few
days that parallel the experience OF our
great-grandmothers in the early colonial
days, when the Atlantic states were
BWarming with hostile saYa9es
At the hour when MIR. aud Mrs. Ieater
were being murdered and mutilated by
the Apaches, Mr.. Shy was, single-handed
and alone, only about four miles distant,
fighting fifteen Indians, with his residence
In flames a few feet away, his terror
stricken wife crawling through the brush
within a stones throw. and his bright 1T
tie boy about 10 years old within his view
and wrilbing in the agOnics of terrible
wound through his hip and groin. 1t is
impossible to give within any reasonable
limits a full account OF this extraordinary
encounter between one man and fifteen
Apaches.
Nj Shy was Just sitting down to his
dinner with his wife and boy and had one
arm in q sling because of some recent in
jury TO the hand. He heard some slight
noise in the ward and glancing through
she window, just in his rear, was horrihed
to see painted Apache stealthily creep
ing up aud with his gun sighted full upon
the ranchman. Quick as thought he tore
the bandages from his arm, sprang to the
corner of his room, where his Winchester
was resting, and Selling it wheeled
around Just in time to receive the fire OF
the savage, which he instantly returned.
Mrs. Shy closed and locked the door at the
same moment, and the Indians, seeing
that they had brave man TO fight, placed
themselves out of view OF the Win
dow, and opened a rafting fire up
on the house from all sides. 1t was a
flimsy frame structure, and bullet would
60 through the walls like it would paste
board.
1t was terrible time for at least half
an hour inside Of the little house, with
the pale, terror-stTicken wife and boy
crouching in the lott and the desperate
ranchman crOuching in the room below,
nrlng only when he could see an Indian
through the window, listening TO the an
CRY zip of the bullets as they tore through
the thin walls and whstled about his
head. A few yards distant from Mr.. Shy's
house was the residence of Mr.. A. j.
1eater, his partner in cattle ranch, and
who was at that time being butchered in
company with his wife, four miles away.
The lull In the firing was caused by the
Mr.. 1eater's residence. and were making
themselves merry eating and drinking
and breaking up the furniture. After get
ting through with this they fred the
house, which in a few minutes was
mass OF flames. Mr.. Shy saw that his
own house would be on fire in few mo-
ments, and for a moment was well-nigh
paralyZed with despair. He glanced at
his wife and boy, and knew from the omi-
nous silence without that the Indians
were only waiting Tor the flames to drive
them out.
In moment his house was on FIRE, and
telling his wife and boy to come down
from the loft, he prepared TO open the
door and make rush for safety tor some
Aarge rocks near by. Opening the door,
he threw his body hall way out and fired
1uil at group of sayages. At the same in
slant he sprang back within the house.
The next moment at least a dozen bullets
were buried in the door-facing. The flames
were getting too hot, however, to remain
indoors, and Mr.. Shy, telling his wife and
boy TO follow him, sprang outside and
made rush for a large rock near by.
When he got within about twelve feet of
It five sayages jumped up from behind it
and fired right in his face. BY wonder
Iul providence not bullet struck him,
and he instantly started for another large
rock, from which another group OF red
skins fired a vOlley in2his face. A storm
OF bullets were whistling around him
from all sides, but he seemed to bear a
charmed life, and not one ofthem touched
him. He had the presence Of mind be-
fore leaving the house TO fill his pockets
with cartridges, and he kept popping
away at the savages every instant. Out
In the open air, and knowing that he
could no longer be tortured TO death like
rat IN hole, all sense Of fear left him,
and he actually assumed the aggressive
and ran the saVages some distance away,
where they secreted themselves behind
some large rocks. He also placed him
self behind rock, and in this position
wherever he could see the body of an In.
dian exposed he fired at it. Meanwhile
his little boy had been shot down and
Shy had kept the Indians so busy by his
own determined work that Mrs. Shy had
an opportunity to get up the gulch. The
wounded boy crawled into a thicket to
which his father had directed him to 20.
but not before his devoted mother, fear
lessly exposing herself to the firing, had
taken of one OF her skirts and wrapped it
around the little fellow.
The heroic ranchman kept back the
sayages until dusk, when they retired
but meanwhile Mrs. Shy had made a de-
tour ana started on trip for Deming,
twenty miles away, hoping to get assis-
tance for her husband. The poor lady
was found in an exhausted condition, late
at night. struggling along the road about
ten miles from Deming. She was picked
up by relief party of men who had been
notified by couple Of cowboys that Shy
was surrounded by a large party Of hos
tiles. This is enough TO say OF one of the
most extraordinary fights and escapes in
the annals Of our Indian warfare. One
fact In connection with this to which |
desire to call especial attention is thar a
party Of soldiers, five or six in number.
were notified by these cowboys Of Mr..
bhy's peril, and, although they were but
a few miles away, they declined to 20 TO
hfa oil