The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-12-09
A FIGHT TO THE DEATH
A FIERCE AND BLOODY KNIFE DUEL
IN A MOUNTAIN TOWN.

H was tne OuImlnation OF Long Stand
ing Feud, and Was Precipitatcd by
Cur Dog-Sanguinary Results of On
bridled Ferocity.
1t was Saturday and sstrading day.
and the little mountain town was filled
with scores Of both white and colorel
people from up and down the valley
There was considerable drinking, bu
everybody seemed good natured to me
could not see the slightest sign of IN
easiness, but by and by the captain came
to me as l stood in front of the postofice
and said:
Looks mighty like thar was gwine
to be bloodshed yerer
'Why, everybody seems peaceful and
serene, so far as can see."
"YO' dOan' know these folks. See that
yere gatherin over by the harness shop:
That's the jackson crowd. See that
other gatherin over by the drug store?
That's the Berry crowd. They're list
eyin each other like two bulldogs, and q
leetle mo- whisky'll bring on a fout."
SIS there any feeling between the two
crowds" | asked.
Powerful bad. dun goes cl'ar back
to the wah The Jacksons was Union
and the Berry's was Confed. Thar was
houseburnin and Robin and shootin,
and they doan forget It's the fust time
the two crowds hev bin in town together
fur more'n var, and l doan like the
looks of things"
Cant the officers of the law keep
them quiet?"
Officers of the law! Why, man, if
them crowds were to break loose fifty
officers of the law couldn't prevent blood
she'd"
The leaders of the respective factions
were men who must have been mere bows
when the war broke out. Each had
about a dozen adherents, who were all
more or less closely related.
HOW THE FIGHT STARTED.
They did not seem at all anxious for a
conflict and might have gone their WAYS
without blow but for the action of a
dog. He was mean looking cur anil
belonged to the Jacksons. In wander
ing around he got into the Berry crowd
and one of the men sliced about six
inches of his tail off. The dog rushed
back to his master, while the Berry
crowd Knocked his yelps of pain and
fright.
All of sudden Steve Jackson stepped
to the middle of the street, flung down
his hat and shouted:
''Tom Berry, eff yo' hain't a coward,
come out yere and fight mel"
The challenge was instantly accepted
and within sixty seconds a ring was
formed and 800 people were looking on.
The men were pretty evenly matched as
20 height and weight and age. 1t was
1ot to be battle with fists, but with
ong, keen hunting knives, and you could
ell at glance that it was to be fight
20 the death. At first there was much
ostling and moving about, accompanied
~ shouts of encouragement to the men,
'ut after a few moments it was quiet
quiet. | think there were at
east thirty women among the onlookers
md fully that number of boys and girls
rom ten to eighteen years of age.
BOTH DUELISTS KILLED.
1t was the first and only time 1 ever
aw men fight with knives, and it was a
lorrible thing to see. As soon as their
riends fell back they rushed upon each
Their with the greatest fury. Each
ripped the other with his left hand and
tabled and thrust, and each was
four or five times before they
roke loose. Not person in the crowd
poke above whisper. Every eye fol-
owed the men as they tented and
edged like prize fighters, and men and
7omen shivered and gasped for breath
S one or the other of the knives drank
lood.
The road was dry, but without dust
resently it was dyed with blood. The :
len slipped little now and then as
1ey lodged about. Blood ran off their !
niger tips, down their legs. ] trembled /
Ike leaf. [ felt horrible disgust, and
ct l could not move away. 1 felt |
lust see the end.
When the fight had lasted a quarter of
hour, and one man had eight stabs ,
al the other nine they suddenly s
inched each other, as at first. Neither I
TERED cheer, curse or groan.
They stood square up to each other,
Id hacked and cut ard thrust until .
9TH sank down from sheer weakness. /.
ickson died within ten minutes; Berry =
we'd about thirty. The one had thirty G
rec wounds, the other twenty-eight. S
S they We're picked up by their friends t
I'd carried into the drug store to breathe r
elr last, the hogs running about the I
llage came and disputed with the
zen dogs over possession of the blood
Free Press.
Boarding School Supper. G.