, 1889-01-22
HENNESSY'S LAST FIGHT.
ONE MANS BATTLE AGAINST 800
FlENDlSH REDSKINS.

@J
out-A Boston Tenderfoot Who Had
Grit Mt the Pinch.
Quite direct runs the old trail SOUTH
ward from Arkansas City, Kan, to Okla-
homa City. Along this trail the travel
er's eager eye beholds a monument
erected out OF native stone. Here lies
the body of brave Pat Hennessy, who
was murdered by the Cheyenne Indians
In 1876. Many are the tales told of Pat
and his many narrow escapes from the
red devils of the plain. OF these It is not
the purpose to speak at present, but to
record his last great fight, where Pat
proved himself a very Calling gun of
death to his implacable foes Pat is well
remembered ms an old time Fort Sill
freighter, and at the time of his tragical
death was on his way from Caldwell,
Kan, to the fort with six wagons and
three trail wagons. With him were
three men. One of these, a passenger,
q tenderfoot from Boston, had a great
desire to kill an Indian. John Korison
was his name He little knew how soon
he would get more killing than he want
cd and undergo an experience seldom
equaled in border tragedies.
THE BosroNIAN's UNERRING FIRE.
Ono afternoon, shortly after they had
gone into camp, they were attacked by a
DtAlu vi " vi fOO SDcYenn brave with
all the suddenness and terrible ferocity
peculiar to Indian warfare. Hennessy
saw them coming and instantly ordered
the men to run for a canyon Just west of
the trail. They misunderstood the direc-
ton, and instead of west took the trail
north. The mistake hastened their doom.
With wild yells of savage delight the
Indians circled around the three men.
Korison was left behind in the race. He
saw Indians on every side. No chance
of escape, death certain. His alarm was
over. The tenderfoot was a a With
a rapidity that indicated a previous train
ing, he raised his Winchester and fired
into the Indians with shots SO quick thew
almost seemed one. Deadly shooting,
too, for five painted warriors had gone
down, their death cry ringing out and
mtngling with the dog like snarls of
several who wero wounded. The In
dams returned the fire and the three
white men fell.
Old Pat saw the fight from his retreat
in the rocks. His mind had undergone
a great change in regard to the man from
Boston, and us the savages rushed in to
scalpthe three fallen men his own deadly
Winchester came to his shoulder, the
sights caught the dusky form of a big
Indian just in the acto scalping Korison.
The rifle belched forth its messenger of
death, and a red lend sprang high into
the air, then a down, still and dead.
1t was not that tiend of the plains, Black
Scar, but another redskin, who, rushing
forward to try for the scalp of Korison,
met his own well deserved fate from the
sure aim of Pat. With yells of fury. the
Indians left the three PROSTATE forms to
attack their more formidable enemy, and
from the belts of three bucks there
dangled the scalps of three whites.
Hennessy was well prepared for de-
fonse, an immense rock behind, rocks al
the side and in front also, which was the
only point ut which an attack could be
made, and there over the rock cleaned
with deadly menace his 16-shot Win
chester. Swift now and hot the fight.
over 800 against one, but that one cool,
determined and desperate, a host In him
self. Into the advancing horde go rifle
balls on errands of death, killing and
wounding as they tear through the red
ranks. With insane courage the savages
rush up within ten yards of the rock.
Pat no longer sighted his gun; he rests
it on a rock, cocks it with hand and pulls
the lever and trigger with the other, and
point blank into the red devils he sends
an almost continuous stream of lcaden
balls. They waver, break, retreat, but
only for q moment.
HIS FIRING CEASED.
The chief has been killed, but Black
Scar takes command, waves aloft the
scalp of Korison, points to the dead
braves, calls for vengeance and orders
the fight to be renewed. This time the
attack Is madei in front and at both sides.
If they can scale the rocks at the sides.
Fat Will be Mt their mercy. From the
death dealing point In front the good old
winchester again pours forth its terrible
destruction, and at the loud command of
Black Scar they surge round in front,
face to face with their desperate foe.
Pats revolver, n self cocker, does deadly
work, fired into the yelling mass ten feet
away the last load gone, and again the
inches at close range covers the
ground with dead and dying. The red
monsters are forced back from that death
vomiting rock, back from a single gun,
back from N man, back from brave
Pat H~ennessy.
In a few moments tho whole band
would have fed, when suddenly the fir
ing ceased. Pats gun had become SO
dirty and hot by such constant firing
that, horrible to relate, while attempting
to put in a cartridge 1t stuck fast and could
not be forced either in or out. The In
dams supposed he was out of ammuni-
ton and with savage yells rushed In to
secure their prize. Pat met them with
dubbed gun, and broken heads and bones
were plenty as they came within sweep
of his strong arms in the death struggle;
but those behind still pressed on and he
was o overpowered and secured. In
furiated ut the loss of SO many of their
Number, they took poor Pat, tore his
scalp from his head, bound him to one
OF his own wagon wheels, emptied sacks
of oats round him and set them on fire.
Just as they commenced their devilish
torture and dance around their victim
they heard a shot echo from the dis
TANGO. h alarm was raised that the
soldiers were coming and the stampede
at once began. Picking up the wounded
and some of the dead, the Indians
mounted their horses and scampered off.
The evening shades gathered darkly
and all was still as the fire burned, and
the spirit of brave Pat passed away and
found rest in the land OF the hereafter.
There he was buried the next day by
some other freighters. The bodies OF
thirty dead Indians were also found and
We're afterward removed by their red
brothers. Pat was known as n brave
man. His friends have erected n head
stone, simply inscribed with his name
md HnfA ~ L. III