The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-11-10
THE elAYER OF TEcUAsEA.
Gel Richard IL Johnson Undoubtedly
the OF the Fight.


the han-DetAIl. OF the Fight.
Col Richard VI. johnson had Tecun-
sch for his combatant With a force
three times his number. AS was their
custom, the Indians were concealed
from view by lying in the grass and
bushes and trees. Col Johnson selected
twenty men. with whom he advanced a
few rods in front Of the main body 70
bring Ga the battle without exposing the
whole TO the first Are Of the Indiana
While thus advancing they were fired
on and nineteen III tire twenty fell. Ths
sho. brought the Indians from their am
bush, when Col. johnson Immediately
ordered his men 70 ~dispoun: and ad-
vance 70 combat, : dreadful conflict
ensued. The colonel alone remained,
and moving forward amid the Indians
he observed one who was evidently q
commander Of no common order. he
did not know him, but saw it was neces-
nary TO dispatch him 70 secure the VIC
tory.
The colonel had already received four
wounds and was greatly weakened by
the loss Of blood. His horse, also go
vereiy wounded, was unable TO move
faster than a walk. He could not ap-
prosch the chief in a right line, on sc-
Of the trunk Of a large tree, and
turning directly toward the chief, adj
vanced upon him. At the distance OF a
few yards his horse stumbled, but for
tunately did not fall This gave the
Indian the flrst notice Of his approach,
when he instantly levcled his rife at tho
colonel and gave him another wound,
b severest he had recei we'd in the bat
tie. he did, not, however, fall. but
continued his movement toward the
Indian till he came 50 near that the
Indian was raising his totnahA~k to
strike him down. The colonel had a pis-
tol in his right hand, charged with a
q and three buckshot which he held
against his thigh, 80 that the Indian had
not discovered it.
At this IN the colonel raised his
pistol and, dischargin2 its contents into
the breast Of the Indian chief, laid him
dead upon the spot. The Indians near
him, seeing their commander fall, gave
a horrible yell and instantly fed. The
colonel. covered with wounds, twenty
five balls, it was said, having been shot
into him, his clothes, and his horss, was
SohfCJo1 lEoan the RTCunu ldHt ana
almost hfelesa- Although, probably
from political considerations, doubt was
at one time raised as TO whether or NOT
Col johnson killed Tecumseh there ap-
pears to be no good ground for such
doubt. Both the American and Cana
dian historians agree that the account
here given is substantially correct. Mr..
Coffin says that, after being taken from
the field, Col. johnson was told that he
had killed Tecumseh and that he Col.
Johnson) always afterward gave his
story simply and not boastfully, but
Others scrambled for credit where 8
brave man found cause for pain. There
10 every reason to believe that Johnson
did slay Tecumseh. On his body was
found the marks Of four buckshot and a
bullet. These wounds had caused his
death. From their direction, they must
have been inflicted from above az from
a man on horseback. Johnson Was the
only mar on horseback in that part Of
the feld.-Ex-Postmaster General Hora-
ito King in Boston Herald.