The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-01-06
sny's Wonderful Fight.

intelligent man, and apparently un.
aware that he has achieved feat
unexcelIed by any of the knights Of
romance. He was Just sitting down
to bis dinner with his wife and boy
had one arm in a sling because Of
some recent injury TO the hand. He
heard some slight noise in the yard,
and glancing through the window
Just in his rear, he was mortified to
see a painted Apache stealilthy
creeping up. Quick as thought he
tore the bandage from his arm,
sprang TO the corner of his room
where his Winchester was resting,
and seizing it wheeled around just
in time to receive the fire of the saw
age, which he instantly returned.
Mrs. Shy closed and locked the door
at the same moment, and the In
dians seeing that they had brave
man to fight placed themselves out
of view OF the window and opened
a rafting fire upon the house from
all sides. 1t was a himsy frame
structure, and a bullet would go
through the walls as though they
were pasteboard. 1t was a terrible
time for about an hour inside of
that little house, while the pale. ter
ror stricken wife and boy crouched
In the loft and the desperate ranch
man crouching in the room below,
firing only when he could see an In
dian through the window, listening
to the angry zip of the bullets as
they tore through the tin walls and
whistled about his head.
After awhile there wasa lull in the
firing. A few yards distant from
Mr.. Shy's house was the house of
Mr.. A. J. Yeater, his partner in q
cattle ranch,and who was at the time
being butchered in company with
his wife, four miles away. The lull
in the firing was caused by the fact
that the savages had broken open
MIR. Yeater's residence and where
making themselves merry eating
and drinking and breaking up the
furniture. After getting through
with this they fired the hOuse,whieh
IN a few minutes was a mass Of
flames. Mr.. Shy saw that his own
house would be on fire in a few
minutes, and for a moment he was
well nigh paralyzed with despair.
He glanced at his wife and boy, and
knew from the ominous signs with
out that the Indians were only wait
ing for the flames to drive them out.
In a moment his house was on fire,
and telling his wife and boy to come
down from the loft, ne prepared to
open the door and make a rush for
safety for some large rock near by.
the door he threw his body
half way out and fired full at a group
of sayages az the same instant he
sprang back within the house. The
next moment at least dozen bullets
were buried in the door facing. The
flames were getting too hot, however.
to remain indoors, and Mr.. Shy, tel
ling his wife and boy to follow him,
spraug outside and made for a large
rock near by. When he got within
about twelve feet of it, five savages
jumped UP irom behind it and fired
right in his face. By wonderful
providence not a bullet struck him.
and be instantly started for another
large rock. from which another
group of redskins fired a volley in
his face. a storm of bullets were
around him from all sides,
but he seemed to bear 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 savages.
Oat in the opening and knowing
that ne could no lorger be tortured
to death like a rat in hole, all sense
of fear left hIm, and he actually as
sumed the aggressive and ran the
savages in a body some distance
away. where they secreted themsel-
YES behind some large rocks. He
also placed himself behind a rock,
and in this position whenever he
could see the body of an Indian ex-
posed he fired at 1t. Meanwhile his
little boy had been shot down, and
Shy bad kept the Indians so busy
by his own determined work that
Mrs. Shy had an opportunity to get
up the guleb. The wounded boy
had crawled into a thicket where
his father had directed him to GO,
but not before his devoted mother,
fearlessly exposed herself to the fir
ing, had taken off one Of her skirts
and wrapped it around the little fel-
low There are numberless details
connected with the fight which
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 a detour and started on
trip for Deming, twenty miles away,
hoping to get assistance for her hus-
band. 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 a relief party Of men who had
been notified By cowboys that Shy
was surrounded by large party of
hostiles.