Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1892-06-10
AN INDIANS REVENGE.
4 Tragedy In Two Acts, Which II
Twenty Years Apart

Burrough Valley. a locality among the
foothills of the Sierra Nevada, which
resulted in the death Of Indian Maze,
a Digger about forty years old. This
in itself would not be remarkable,
says the San Francisco Chronical,
were 1t not that 1t is the consumma-
tion of fcud Of nearly twenty years
standing, and the working out of re.
venge by an Indian who all this time
had been supposed dead by the mem.
bers OF his tribe and had been almost
forgotten by his people. There is a
piece Of savage romance connected
with it that would figure well in the
novel Of the border.
The story as told here this morning
lis that some twenty years ago, OF
nearly that long, two Indians, at
that time savages, named Maze and
Purrit, were smittcn with the charms
,of dusky maiden of their own
tribe, and, inasmWh as they were
unable to settle the matter in the
iordinary ways OF courtship, they de-
cided to settle it in combat. With.
iout any seconds or witnesses to take
mote of the affray they met one day
lin Sycamore Valley, "A small canyon,
which Is still unsettled bv white
men. The weapons were clubs and
the fight was to finish, and at its
close Indian Purrit lay like one dead
and his antagonist went away yicto.
rious from the scene of the conflict.
He supposed he had killed his foe,
but the PROSTATE Indian was not in
the spirit land, but only stunned by
the blows of the club. Whether In.
dian Maze won the hand of the dusky
maiden who was the cause of the bat.
tie is not stated in the information.
1t is not essential to the story, but it
may be supposed that he did, and that
for the succeeding years she was the
'quecn of his lovely wigwam. Purrit,
the defeated Indian, was not dead,
and after he rcgaincd CONSCIOUSNESS
he made off, no one knows where. His
antagonist spread the report that
Purrit was sleeping with his fathers,
and it was SO believed. That ended
the first chapter OF the story. Nearly
twenty years elapsed before anything
Nclsc was heard Of the affair
The other day some cattlemcn who
were passing through Sycamore
Canyon were horritlcd to find the dead
body Of old Indian Maze tied hand
and foot to log. His death was due
to Il very small wound in the jugulat
vain made by the point Of a knife,
or rs there is reason to believe, by a
horseshoe nail ground down to a
sharp point. The surroundings
showed that a terrible struggle had
taken place, and it was evident that
rold Maze had been ovcrpowercd, tied
firmly to the log, and then the
ssharpened nail driven into the vein
of his neck and he allowed to bleed
slowly to death. The decd had cvi-
identity been done that day. 1t was a
mystery, and one very peculiar, and
the cattle hcrdcrS spread the report.
The Indians, and there are many OF
them in that locality, gathered from
all sides and set up their dismal
hoWls and horrible lamentations pre-.
paratory to burying the dead brother.
Gradually the affair began to re-
ccive light from the combined mem.
ories Of the old sachems Of the Dig
gers. Additional light was thrown
on the matter by some one, and then
another and another of the assembly,
recalling that strange Indian had
been several times seen of late skulk-
ing about the hills and hiding in the
thickets Of Manzanita The death of
old Maze and the strange appearance
of the skulking Indian began to be
associated, and when the former
tragedy was recalled, the fight be-
tween Maze and Purrit, the Indians
remembered that the stranger who
had been skulking about the hills and
hiding in the thickets was none
other than Purrit. They thought
he had come from the spirit world to
avengc him on his adversary, and well
had he done 1t, as the cold body OF
poor old Maze, lashcd to the log, was
ample evidence.
The defeated lover had planned
well that revenge which is sweet to
tho child of the forest. He had
waited long, and had nurscd his hate
through almost twenty years, bidinp
his time to strike the blow which
should balance accounts between him.
self and his mortal foe, according to
the Indian style of bookkeeping. by
what means he had decoycd old Maze
into that glen-to the very spot
where the duel of years before had
taken place-is not known. Probably
he lay in wait, and overpowered the
old man by sheer strength, bound him
fast, and then killed him. Neither
is 1t known where he had remained
ali the years. No tidings of him had
ever come back to his kindred, and
they had long ago given him up as
among the dead. But they did not
reckon rightly. No trace of Pnr-
rit has been found since. The In.
dians have searched for him through
all the thickets, but in vain. Per.
haps he has gone back to the land
where he had hidden and had found
a home during all the years in which
he had been nursing his revenge and
was waiting for the day when be
would settle scores with old Maze.
Why He Accepted salvation.