The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1895-02-16
AN INDIAN DUEL.
II Was Fought with Rifles and Was to the
Death.


an old scout, between Scout Shave
Head and Chief Crooked Neck of the
Hunkpapa Sioux, was performance
that would have called for applause
from the most critical audience that
ever witnessed Spanish bull fight.
Shave Head, 1t will be remembered,
was one of the Indian police who was
killed while attempting the arrest Of
SittingsJBull in the fall of 1890. In
1875 ! was interpreter and chief of
scouts at Fort Yates. near Standing
Rock agency, where had thirty Sioux
Indian scouts under my command, who
were selected from the friendly bands
and quartered at the military post
with their families. The military au-
thorities issued rations only to the
scouts, while their families drew from
the Indian agent. The beef was
slaughtered on the east bank of the
river, the Indians crossing in boats.
usually accompanied the scouts
when they went for their beef. About
one hundred and fifty Texas steers
were killed every two weeks. These
were parceled out to the several bands,
beginning with the larger, who would
receive twelve or fifteen head as their
share, the next ten or twelve, and so
on to the smaller bands, who would
get two or three, according to their
number. Lastly, single families, not
members of bands, were given beef by
themselves, one steer to four families,
or a quarter to each. The scouts, half
breeds and squaw-men, were among
this number The trouble which ter
minated in the duel between Shave
Head and Crooked Neck began over the
issue of beef.
Shave Head, Crooked Neck, Charley
Pappan, a half-breed, and the Widow
mccarthy, squaw who had been mar
ried to white man, were given quar-
ter each in the last beef issued. Shave
Head, Pappan and the widow imme-
diately began skinning the beef, when
Crooked Neck approached the scout
and, placing his hand on his shoulder,
pushed him violently aside, saying:
"You belong to the soldiers; you have
no right here; go to the fort for your
beef"
stood not more than fifty feet away.
Shave Head cast one look of defiance at
his assailant, and then came to me and
said, pointing at Crooked Neck: THAT
man has driven me away from my beef.
If l was not under your command
would know what to do, but now 1
await your orders. If you leave me
free to act he is not man enough to
keep me away from my beef"
answered that since the agent had
given him a quarter of that beef that
it was, therefore, his, and he had a
perfect right to take it.
Then" said he, 'tell that man to
keep away from me-" answered that
Crooked Neck did not belong to my
company and l had no authority over
him.
Every well" said the scout, 81 shall
take my beef" and rejoining the others
he again offered to assist in dressing
the beef, only to be again thrust away
by Crooked Neck. This time he gave
utterance to that savage growl, which,
once heard, can never be forgotten,
and climbing out of the slaughter-pen
on the north side, and taking his
rifle from his wife, he turned
to the left, coming out on that
side of the corral facing the
river. Crooked Neck, Selling his rifle,
went out of the corral on the south
side, and, turning to the right, the two
combatants met face to face on the
west of the corral. Between them was
the agency wagon, which was backed
up to the fence to receive the beef. The
first shot was fred by Chief Crooked
Neck over the rear end of the wagon.
The driver, supposing that he was the
object of attack, frantically whipped
up his mules, leaving a clear field be-
tween the two enraged warriors, who
were not more than ten yards apart.
Talk about an Indian war dance! Here
was executed dance that surpassed
anything of the kind 1 ever saw. Shave
Head was the most agile of the two,
jumping from side to side, rearing high
in the, air, and again bending low down
to the ground, all the time keeping his
eye fixed on his foe and his gun ready
for use. The corral had been sur
rounded by not less than one thousand
Indians, men, women and children, but
when the firing began they had surged
to one side, leaving the space in the
rear of each combatant clear.
The second shot was again fred by
Crooked Neck, but he again missed his
mark, and during the instant required
to throw another cartridge in place,
Shave Head, who was still as statue,
took aim and fired. The ball struck
Crooked Neck in the hip, which Grip
pied him so that he HAD but one leg to
dance on. As soon as Shave Head fired
he resumed his dancing, keeping it up
until his antagonist fired again, when
he repeated his former tactics, pausing
in his dance while he took aim and
fred. This time he brought Crooked
Neck down with bullet through his
breast. He fell forward on his face,
his gun under him. His friends pressed
forward, holding up their hands and
calling upon the scout to desist-he
had killed his man.
But Shave Head was determined to
make it sure thing. First pointing
his gun toward the crowd to warn
them back, he advanced to the pros
trate Indian and, holding the muzzle
of his gun within two feet of his VIC