Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1889-01-17
way and found rest in the land OF the

hereafter
There he was buried the next day by
| some other fighters. The bodies of
thirty dead Indians were also found
and were afterwards removed BY their
red brothers. Pat was known as a
brave man. His friends have erected
a headstone, simply inscribed with
his name and date of his death. And
thus is marked the grave of hero
and the spot on which occurred the
most remarkable fight of one man
against so many recorded in border
annals.
And now comes, perhaps. the most
wonderful part OF this thrilling drama
in real life Although John Korison
4 had been shot and scalped he still lived.
When fired at by the Indians he was
hit in the left shoulder, "a severe but not
extremely dangerous wound, and MS
| the Indians rushed forward he simu-
/ lated death so we'll that they believed
him TO be actually dead. Even when
/ the keen-edged knife cut round the
crown Of his head and savage hands
tore of the bleeding scalp he neither
moved nor spoke. He became uncon-
scious, but only for "a moment, and al
though suffering the extreme OF agony
himself the terrible fight between Pat
and the Indians was stamped upon his
mind so vividly as never to be erased
during life Not until the savages had
been frightened away by the report Of
the gun did he again became uncon-
scious.
Through the silent night, upon the
matted grass, under the merciful dews
Of heaven, John Korison lowered on
the border between life and death. A
burning, scorching fever ran through
body, vein and artery like molten fire,
blotting out mind and reason, while
ever before his Imagination danced
the horrible figure of painted
savage, As the earth rolled down
from the morning sun Korison had
sunk into stupor which was very
close TO the sleep Of death. II was
only a short time later that he was
| discovered by the freighters, and their
establishment can not be described when
they found indications of life in the
blood-stiffened body. They had heard
Of men being scalped who had sur
vived the terrible ordeal, but never
had believed it.
They set to work vigorously to re-
vive and call back the fleeing spirit of
Korison. They dressed the wound in
the shoulder, washed his head and
bound it up, forced some strong
whisky down his throat, gave his body
a good rubbing, and in short time
had the satisfaction OF seeing Korson
open his eyes and stare wildly about.
But to their questions he replied not.
The mind still slept. He saw without
seeing; he heard without hearing. The
dreadful nightmare of the past was
visiOned in those staring eyeballs, and
as the men looked they were chilled TO
the bone With the gentle touch OF
woman these rough but kind-hearted
men placed Korison in one of tho
wagons on a bed of soft hay and set
out for Fort Sill, where they arrived
with their patient Korison was at
once placed in charge Of the old
army surgeon at the fort, who was
much surprised that man was shot
and scalped and still lived twas the
opinion OF the surgeon that Korison
would die.
The freighters returned TO the State,
reported the whole matter, and it was
generally understood that the four UNI
lucky men were all dead. But lobe
| Turney, an old hunter of the Territory,
who made his headquarters at Fort
Sill, and many others, say that Kori-
son finally recovered.
Korison gained strength slowly, but
was still mere shadow of his former
splendid physique. The gloom OF hope
less old age settled down upon him.
A head through which you could see
the throbbing brain would never be
able to hold its own in the fierce
battles of life. He remained at the
fort during the winter and spring and
only once, to a group of soldiers and
in the presence of lobe, the hunter,
did he relate the particulars OF the
terrible fight on the old trail. He fire.
quently mounted horse, and with his
gun on his shoulder rode over the coun-
try, and, although game was plenty, he
never shot any One day he rode
away and never returned. The horse
was returned to the fort from Arkan-
sas City, and the rider presented to a
Captain, the owner of the horse, the
following letter:
DEAR CAPTAlG-l am on my way home. l
shall ever remember your kindness with graft
tudc. saw Black Scar, and my mission S end-
cd Goodbye. JOHN KORls0N
A few days after this the chief OF the
Cheyenne Indians appeared at the fort,
obtained hearing from the COM
mander and stated that the great In
dian brave, Black Scar. had been
killed and scalped while away on a
hunt. The chief wanted the soldiers
to help catch the "bad man., TO which
request the commander promised
ready compliance. The soldiers be-
heved they knew pretty well who had
killed Black Scar, and understanding
the case as they did, were not likely
to exert themselves very much in tho
matter John Korison has never been
heard from, but the man who was
scalped and lived TO tell the story
win never he forgotten 81. Louis Re-
lUUbiic