The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-12-28
a DESPERATE FIGHT.
A HAND TO HAND BATTLE WITH 4
T NAKED GIANT INDIAN. 7

Joe Logston'a Close Call When He Was
Saved Only by His Almost superhu1nan
Prowess-- Death by His Own Hand Rather
Than Surrender to q Hated Enemy.
One Of the noted characters of pioneer
days was Joe Logston, gigantic KEN
tuckian who settled on the banks Of the
Ohio river not many miles below Cincin-
natl. He was powerful fellow, Q feet 4
inches in his moccasins and proportion
ately stout and muscular, with the agili-
ty Of cat and the courage Of lion. He
excelled In many OF the feats Of strength
and skill that made men conspicuous In
those days, when such accomplishments
were requisite and necessity In the fierce
struggle for supremacy over savage man
and snarling beast. Logston was great
hunter, but had achieved somo distinction
as an Indian fighter and often boasted
that It gave him more pleasure to pursue
the red men than 1t did to follow the trail
of wild game.
On one occasion the intrepid hunter was
carelessly riding along an established trail
through the dense woods on the back Of d
fine horse that he had captured from an
Indian chief when the unexpected crack
Of couple Of rifles reused him to reali-
cation of danger. One of the bullets scrap
ed his breast bone, making slight flesh
wound. Tho other ball struck his horse
In the loins, and 1t sank to the ground
with it's rider. As he struggled to release
himself from the f1oundering beast two
Indians rushed from their concealment
and dashed toward him with uplifted
tomahawks and exultant shouts. But, al
though pinioned to the ground, with one
leg beneath the dying horse, he managed
to bring his trusty rife to bear upon the
approaching savages, and they, well
knowing its unerring aim, halted and
then sought safety behind adjacent trees.
One of the Indians, however, was not
quick enough to place himself entirely be-
hind. the protecting tree before the bullet
of the expert white man had pierced his
back, and he FELL with fractured spine.
Disengaging himself from his horse, the
wary white man regained his feet, and
seeing the other savage reloading his rife
sprang toward him, with his gun raised
70 strike. The Indian dropped his ramrod
in his excitement, but grasping his toma-
hawk he hurled it with ferocious force at
his enemy. Iiogston lodged the flying
weapon, and dashing forward with nplift-
ed rifle struck at his foe. The Indian
leaped aside and tho gun struck n sapling
and was shivcrcd to pieces. The disap-
pointed white man then olinched with his
adversary, who was his equal in size and
strength, but his inferior in the science of
wrestling, and this enabled the hunter to
throw his antagonist to the ground. But
tho Indian, being naked, with his body
well oiled, was able to slip from the
clutches of the exaspernted white man and
regain his feet. For nearly an hour these
two giants, each GoIiah, fought like
gladiators in the desperate struggle to
conquer or die.
The terrific contest caused an Increased
flow of blood from the wound In the breast
of the white man made by the bullet of
the Indian, and he began to feel that his
strength was giving out But he deter
mined to end tho combat II possible before
his antagonist could secure u greater I'D
vantage over him, and when the Indian
had again crawled from his grasp after
being flung to the ground he jumped to
his feet and as his assailant rose up he
dealt him n blow with his fist that would
have done credit to Corbett. The sur
prised savage fell, and as he staggered to
his feet he received a second blow from
the strong arm of the pugilistic pioneer
that stretched him half unconscious on
Ii ground. Before he could rise Logston
leaped upon his PROSTATE form with both
feet and attempted to stamp the breath
by the legs and tripped him to the ground,
and again tho combatants engaged in
terrible tusslc for victory. The red man
was almost exhausted from the blows and
stamping he had BEEN subjected to, and
his adversary succeeded In Geizing him by
the throat with clutch that closed. his
breathing and rendered his resistance
weaker and weaker until he lapsed into
Inconsistencies.
AS soon us tho Indian became insensi-
BILE Logston released his hold upon his
throat, and running to where the toma-
hawk lay he picked it up, and returning
to the side of the savage, who had partly
rcgained his senses, he Glove his skull
with the weapon, then turned his atten-
tion to the crippled warrior, whose cry of
despair as he witnessed tho death of his
companion had reached the car of the vic.
torious hunter and recalled his presence.
The unfortunate savage had crawled to
log, against which he had rested and
reloaded his gun, but his broken back
would not permit him to rise, and as no
would raise his weapon to shoot he would
topple forward on his face and could only
raise himself again by pushing the gun to
the ground and pressing himself against
1t. Seeing that the wounded savage was
almost helpless and unable to escape and
not caring to run any risk of being shot
by a cripple, the wearied hunter FASTENED
buck to the fort and told his story. Gov
cred with blood and dirt, his appearance
gave some indication of the severe contest
he had passed through. The following
morning a posse of men from the fort
were piloted by the unfortunate hunter to
the scene of his battle The corpse of the
Indian giant lay where he had succumbed
to his fate. But the crippled Indian was
nowhere to be seen. A trail was discoy-
cred made by tho broken backed savage,
who had dragged himself some distance
through the woods, and following its
course tho white men came to where he
lay ad, with his knife sticking up to
the hilt in his breast.
He had first cut with its keen point into
tho bark of the tree, beneath which no
had determined to die, in rude characters
the story of his fate, SO as to inform pass
ing members of his tribe that he had taxi
en- his own lifo in preference to surrender
ing it to the hated enemy. The tree WAS