Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-08-27
WILD WEST IN EARNEST.
Story OF Circus Fcud Between Indian,
and COWBOYS,

ana Cowboys,
1t Is only few years since the sue
cess OF the Wild West show of the we'll
known Buffalo Bill, an aggregation
whose talented acts were hardly more
familiar to the democratic populace of
America than to the tottering crowned
heads of Europe, had raised at home a
score OF imitators. Every county fair
which was n fair followed up it's boss
racing snaps by terrific discharge of
blank cartridges in which the pursuing
red devils of the untamed prairies, the
fleeing emigrant outfit, and the rescu-
ers scouts or cowboys infested the
smoke of battle. Every circus which
was circus rounded up it's entertain
ment with similar exhibition. Public
taste clamored for these excitations.
Among others who thought they
knew their business as men whose
trade it was to note the general pulse
and prescribe accordingly were the
brothers Sells. Three years ago they
had an Indian and cowboy outfit which
protested to take water from no oppo-
sition. Their Indians were the genuine
Indian article and their COWBOYS had
been specially imported from lands
where cowboys are epidemic. Their
stock OF blank cartridges was immense,
and the amount of noise and smoke
they could create when an appreciative
audience looked on in wonder was
something quite out of sight Wherever
they went they conquered.
The summer drifted in, and one night
in midheat weather found the Sells
Bros, and their circus, their cowboys,
md their Indians in the little city of
Clinton, la. Twelve thousand people
turned out that night to see the circus
md witness the heroic cowboy scouts
rescue the emigrant maiden from the
clutches of the savage.
Your Indian is man of serious
views. Your cowboy isn't. The latter
has notions which are mixed up with
practical jokes and bursts of sardonic
humor. Some of this sort of thing is
too high for the Indian mentally The
Indian does not wholly grasp it, and
when he does he fails to like it.
In the Sells Bros show of three
years ago the rampant cowboy spirit
had risen to the fact that the Indian
was fair game for it's exuberance.
When an Indian became owner of a
cigar or plug of tobacco upon the
rialto of life within the ring, cowboy
fingers snapped it from his possession.
When an Indian presumed to take the
air on horseback, cowboy lariats were
apt to play him tricks. The cowboys
revilcd his blanket costumes. The COW.
boy made light of many of his uncivil
lied peculiarities. Bad blood thickened
apace. Some Indian ears had beer
pirched and some Indian faces had beer
ostentatiously slapped by the truculent
ex-herders.
There were mutterings abrew wher
the show reached Clinton, One wore
that ranked in the Indian bosom wa!
mined to vindicate its intrepidity Very
quietly the Indians loaded their Win
chesters with real instead of mock car
tridges and at quietly sent word to thei
hereditary foes that the battle of thu
afternoon would not be a sham one
This pleased the plainsmen. There
was no soul among them with sense o
grace enough TO deny the challenge o
inform the management that Their
awaited it the most singular and foolisl
and criminal duel ever fought at the ex
pense of innocent blood. They loade'
their own repeating rifles with ball a
we'll as powder and cody waited.
When the bell tapped for the vii,
West scene then began the most extra
ordinary conflict witnessed since Ner
looked upon the gladiatorial Steel TIL
seats were packed with eager specta
tors. All the country side had com
out to see. In the usual fashion tn
mimic chase occurred. The captur
followed. After that the rescue. Whe
the cowboys charged, the Indians free
But real bullets flew. Hanging npo
their horses TANKS, with only one han
and thigh exposed the combatants Gil
cled round the chariot way exchangin
deadly volumes. Suddenly PAM
seized the great audience. Here ina
fell dead, pierced by ball. There al
other bled, and here again another fe
and vet another still; until the grea
tent became mass of terrified h,
manity, struggling for escape, scare
knowing what had occurred, unthinl
ing, desperate for exit.
The audience poured out as it migf
into the exterior darkness. The rifle
had been emptied, and the din of e.
ploding powder no longer aided conf
sion to the tumultuous cries of the hur
Manager Barrett, alert and eager in il
uuiry, learned almost before the La
echo of Winchester found his ears {
what had taken place. No paraphe
MALTA of any show on earth ever disal
peared as did that one of Sells Bro
Before the excited citizens of Clinic
really knew what had occurred tt
whole circus had been bundled upo
the waiting and adjacent train, an
was speeding fast for the borders {
the state, with orders not to stop unit
the frontier had been crossed. Barre
himself alone remained behind, an
with him he had $40, 900 in cash.
Four persons in that audience we
killed outright by this folly. Two
them were women, and the body of OF
of these was found beneath the sea
with baby still clinging to pulsele
breast. There were eleven wound'
ones among the spectators. A dozen
the combatants were shot in the thil
or arm. One Indian lost an ear and oil
cowboy received bullet in the jaw.
Barrett's keenness and his ten tho
sand dollars stood Sells Bros in gree
stead. He talked mysteriously, bluffe
bought, paid indemnities and final
hushed up the truth. When he w
through his money was all gone, b
the facts were hidden. No one kne
that a terrible accident for which
one was morally responsible had TAXI
Mace. Few know it to-day. The tru
.oo,,rad publication and the pre-