Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1886-03-11
SHY'S WONDERFUL FIGHT.
Single-handed Repulsing Band Of
Hostile Apaches, and Saving
his. Wife.
lFrom the Albuquerque Democrat.

| Mr.. Shy is sturdy, pldin-spoken,
intelligent man, and apparently una
ware that he has achieved feat unex-
celed 10y any Of the knights or romance.
He was just sitting down to his dinner
with his wife and boy, and had one arm
in Il sling because of some recent injury
to the haod. He heard some slight
noise in the yard, and, glancing
through the window just in his rear, he
was hOrrilied to see Il painted Apach e
stealthly creeping up. Quick as
thought he tore the bandages from his
arm, sprang to the corner Of his room
where his Winchester WAS resting, and
seized 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 mo-
ment. And the Indians, seeing that
they had q brave man to fight, placed
themselves out of view of the window
and opened a rattling fire upon the
house from all sides 1t was a flimSy
frame structure, a bullet would go
through the walls as though they we're
pasteboard. 1t was terrible time for
about an hour inside Of that little
house, with the pale, terror-stricken
wife and boy crOuching in the loft and
the desperate ranchman crOuching in
the room below, firing only when he
could see an Indian through the win
dow, listening to the angry zip of the
bullets as they tore through the thin
walls and whistled about his head.
After awhile there was lull in the
firing. A few yards distant from Mr..
Shy'S house was the house Of Mr.. a. }.
Yeater, his part ner in IL cattle ranch,
and who was at that time being BUTCH
cred i'll company with his wife, four
miles away. The lull in the firing was
caused by the fact that the sayages had
broken open Mr.. Yeater's resi- dence
and were making themselves merry eat
ing and drinking and breaking up the
furniture. After getting through with
this they fired the house, which in a
few minutes was mass of flames. Mr..
Say saw that his own house would be
on fire in few minutes, and for a mo-
ment was well-nigh paralyzed with des-
pair. lie glanced atfhis wife and boy,
and knew from the ominous signs with
out that the Indians were only waiting
for the flames to drive them out. In a
moment his house was on fire, and tell
ing his wife and boy to come down
from the loft. he prepared to open the
door and make a rush for safety for
some large rocks near by. Opening the
door he threw his body half way out
and fired full at group of savageS ; at
the same instant he sprang back with
in the house. The next moment at
least d0zon bullets were buried in the
door facing. The flames were getting
too hot, however, to remain in doors,
and Mr.. Shy telling his wife and boy TO
follow him, sprang outside and made
rush for large rock near by. When
he got within about twelve feet Of it,
five saydges jumped up from behind it
and fired right in his face. BY Won
derful providence not bullet struck
him. and he instantly started for anoth
er large rock, from whichanother group
of red skins fired "A volley in his face.
4 storm OF bullets were whistling a
round him from all sides. but he SEEM
ed to bear a charmed life, and not one
of them touched him. He had the
presence of mind before leaving the
house to fill his pockets with cartridges,
and he kept popping away at the say
ages
Out in the open and knowing that he
could no longer be tortured to death
like a rat in hole, all sense of fear left
him, and he actually assumed the ag-
gressive and ran the SavAgeS in body
some distance away, where they secret
ed themselves behind some large rocks.
He also placed himself behind a rock,
and in this position whenever he could
see the body of an Indian exposed he
fired at it. Meanwhile his little boy
had been shot down, and Shy had kept
the Indians so busy by his own deter
mined work that Mrs. Shy had an OPP
portunity to get up the gulch. The
wounded boy had crawed into thick
ct where his father had directed him to
go, but not before his devoted mother,
tearlessly exposing herself to the firing
had taken off one of her skirts and
wrapped it around the little fellow.
There are numberlesS details connected
with the fight which l have no space
for. but it is sufficient that this heroic
ranchman kept back the savages until
dusk, when they retired. Meanwhile
Mrs. Shy had made detour and stalt-
ed on trip for Deming, twenty miles
away. hoping to get assistance for her
husband. The poor lady was found in