Birmingham age-herald., 1895-07-22
SHY'S INDIAN FIGHT.
NE STOOD OFF SEVENTEEN APAcHES
 WITH HIS RIFLE.

He was standing on the station platform at Las Vegas waiting to take tho south ward bound train-a quiet, businesslike man, evidently a ranehman or miner. A resident of the town called the attention of tourist to him and said:
 s-t' That's John Shy. Never heard of himP John T. Shy of Deming manager of the Missouri Florida Cattle company Talk about your long haired Indian fighters They ain't in it with him. That man sin gle handed fought and stood off IT Apaches all one afternoon. It was ten years ago when Chief Geronimo was on the warpath and was making things warm for ranch men and prospeetors in southern New Mexico and Arizona. John Shy at that time, the same as now, was tho manager of the cattle company, whose range lies about the Florida mountains, 20 miles south of Deming. With his wife and little son he resided upon the ranch in neat frame house. In cottage close by lived MT. and Mrs. Yeager from Missouri Mir. Yeager was one of the owners of the cattle outfit.
 --.ts0n a bright autumn morning in 1885 Mr and Mrs. Yeager drove to Deming in their carriage. There they made some pur- chases, called on friends in town, and in the afternoon started for home. It was the last time they were seen alive by their friends. Meantime at the ranch John Shy, --I'o had been hunting strayed stock out ,n the range, came back to his house at noon, played with his boy while dinner was preparing and then the family sat down at tho table.
 "Something darkened tho window, and Mrs. Shy screamed. An Apache stood just outside in the act of aiming a gun at her husband. As John Shy sprang for his rifle the Indian fired, missing him. The yells of band of Indians and the tram bling of hoofs outside came simultaneous ly with the bursting upward of flames and smoke, showing that the house had been fred Back of the house was n hillside thickly wooded with low growth of pinon and scrub oak. Out through the back door the inmates broke for tho hillside, tho husband covering their retreat with his rife. Before they could gain place of shelter an Apache bullet wounded the boy Dropping behind n bowlder, John Shy told his wife and boy to secrete themselves in the thicket in the rear and then gave bat tic to the Indians.
 1t was mounted band of F Apaches that he had to deal with While some of them fired upon him from q distance, others dismounted and crept as near him as they dared, taking advantage of every object and inequality of ground to shelter their approach. They were well armed and every time he showed his head it brought a rain of bullets about him. While the h. dians nearest him kept up their firing to compel him to remain closely under cover, the mounted ones suddenly charged upon l.. I,aI, i,,I eI,A rock, John Shy saw ten Apaches riding at top speed toward him. not 100 yards away. Without needing the bullets from the en- emies in concealment about him, he rose on one knee, and, steadying his elbow upon the bowlder, worked his repeating rife with the skill that comes from cool ness and lifetime practice His first shot dropped one of the ponies flat. at his seo- ond warrior rolled to tho ground under his horse's belly, and at his fourth or fifth shot another warrior dropped his gun and clutched at his elbow. That was enough for the red riders, who came no farther, but picking up the fallen Indian from the ground circled back and got away out of range as fast as they could.
 "Presently the Indians charged again, but this timo they had learned to respect John Shy's rife and did not venture so near as before. They circled back, and, after that, few of them remained with the, ponies while tho others dismounted and joined those who were attacking him from concealment. All the characteristic skulking and stratagems of the Apaches were employed in the attempt to kill this lone white man. Some of the warriors crept round to tho hillside so as to attack him on the flank and rear, which com pefled him to leave the bowlder and crawl back into the thicket behind him. Here the Indians were lnath to follow him, not liking the notion of coming to close quar- ters with man who had shown such nerve and readiness in the use of his rifle. Some where among tho scrub oak and pinon he knew his wife and boy were hiding, but he did not dare call to them, as every sound or movement made in the thicket brought 0 volley from the Indians aimed at the spot.
 "A cowboy riding by at q distance saw the burning house and heard the sound of firing at the Missouri Florida ranch. He set spurs to his horse and rode into Deming. A volunteer party was quickly mustered. Half way to the ranch they came upon the first evidences of the Apaohcs' work. The carriage of the Yeagers, who had left Dem- ing that afternoon, lay overturned beside the trail, and near it was stretched MT. Yeager, shot to death and mutilated. Far ther along they found the body of Mrs. Yeager.
 "Hastening on through tho gathering darkness the rescuing party drew near tho ranch. A frightened, disheveled woman came hurrying along the trail to meet thein It was Mrs. Shy, who, the sound of the firing having long since died away, had crept from the thicket, laid her wounded boy near the embers of the house, thrown over him her calico dress to shield him from the frosty air and now was on her way to Deming for help. For dread thatIndlans might still be lurking near she Iads not dared call out for her hus- banda~who she feared was killed. She turned and went back to the ranch with the rescuers, who with calls and signal shotsset out to find John Shy. At last their voices reached him and were urder- stood. He appeared from the bushes at the head of the crest, deeply anxious as to the fate of his wife and boy
 "The house burned by the Apaches has neSar been rebuilt, and the family now livc-en q ranch several miles away. Las Vegas Cor. New York Sun.
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