St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-02-16
JOE LoosToN's BEST FIGHT.
A Rand-t0.Hand Battle for Life with .
Naked Giant Indian.

JOE lOGSTON'S BEST tiGHI.
A Rand-t0.Hand Battle for Life with .
Naked Giant indian.
One of the noted characters Of pio-
neer days was Joe Logston. a gigantic
Kentuckian, who settled on the banks
OF the Ohio river, not many miles be-
low Cincinnati. He was a powerful
fellow, six feet four inches in his moe
casins, and proportionately stout and
muscular, with the agility of a 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
q great hunter, but had achieved some
distinction as an Indian fighter. and
often boasted that it gave him more
pleasure to pursue the red man than 1t
did 70 follow the trail of the wild game
that infested the almost unbrOkcn will
derneSs.
On one occasion the intrepid hunter
was carelessly riding along an estab-
lishcd trail through the dense woods
on the back Of fine horse that he had
captured from an Indian chief when
the unexpected crack of a couple oi
rifles reused him to a realization OF
danger One of the bullets scraped his
breastbone. making slight flesh
wound. The other ball struck his
horse in the loins. and It
sank to the ground with its
rider. As he struggled to release
himself from the fioundering beast two
Indians rushed from their concealment
and dashed toward him with uplifted
tomahawks and exultant shouts. But.
although pinioned to the ground. with
one leg beneath the dying horse. he
managed to bring his trusty ride to
bear upon the approaching savages.
and they. we'll knowing its unerring
aim, halted, and then sought safety be-
hind adjacent trees. One of the In
dams, however. was not quick enough
to place himself entirely behind the
protecting tree before the bullet Of the
expert white man had pierced his back.
and he fell with fractured spine. Dis
engaging himself from his horse the
wary white man regained his feet, and
seeing the other savaye reloading his
rifle, sprang toward him with his gan
raised to strike. The Indian dropped
his ramrod in his excitement, but grasp
ing his tomahawk he hurled it with
ferocious force at his enemy. Log
ston lodged the flying weapon, and,
dashing forward with uplifted rifle,
struck at his foe. The Indian leaped
aside, and the gun struck a sapling
and was shivered to pieces. The dis.
appointed white man then clinched
with his adversary, who was his equal
in size and strength, but his inferior IN
the science of wrestling, and this en-.
abled the hunter to throw his antag-
onist to the ground. But the Indian
being naked, with his body well oiled,
was able to slip from the clutches OF
the exasperated white man and regain
his feet. For nearly an hour these two
giants-each Goliah--fought like
gladiators in the desperate struggle to
conquer or die.
The terrific contest caused an in
creased flow Of blood from the wound
in the breast of the white man made
by the bullet of the Indian, and he be.
gan to feel that his strength was Civ.
ing out. But he determined to end the
combat, if possible. before his antago-
mist should secure a greater advantage
over him. And when the Indian had
again crawled from his grasp, after be.
ing flung to the ground, he jumped to
his feet. and as his assailant arose he
dealt him blow that would have done
credit to a Corbett. The surprised saw
age fell. and as he staggered to his feet
he received second blow from the
strong arm of the pugiiistic pioneeI
that stretched him half unconscious on
the ground. Before he could rise Log.
ston leaped upon his PROSTATE form
with both feet and attempted to stamp
the breath from his body. The Indian
caught him BY the legs and trippcd
him to the ground. and again the com
batants engaged in q terrible tussle for
victory. The red man was almost ex'
hausted from the blows and stamping
he had been subjected to, and his ad-
vcrsary succeeded in seizing him by
the throat with q clutch that closed his
breathing and rendered his resistance
weaker and weaker until he lapsed into
uncOnsciousness. As soon as the In.
dian became insensible, Logston re
leased his hold upon his throat, and
running to where the tomahawk lay,
he picked it up and returning to the
side of the savage. who had partly
regained his senses. he Glove his skull
with the weapon, then turned his at
tention to the crippled warrior, whose
cry of despair as he witnessed the
death of his companion had reached
the ear of the victorious hunter and re-
called his presence.
The unfortunate savage had crawled
to a log. against which he had rested
and reloaded his gun. but his broken
back would not permit him to rise. and
as he 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 it Seeing
that the wounded savage was almost
helpless and unable to escape, and not
caring to run any risk of being shot by
q cripple. the wearie1 hunter FASTENED
back to the fort and told his story.
Covered with blood and dirt, his ap-
pearance gave some indication of the
severe contest he had passed through.
The following morning posse OF men
from the fort were piloted by the un-
fortunate hunter to the scene of his
battle The corpse of the Indian giant
Law where he had succumbed to his
fate. But the crippled Indian was no
where to bc seen. A trail was dis
covered made by the broken-backetl
savage. who had dragged himself some
distance through the woods, and. fol-
lowing its course. the white men came
to where he lay dead, with his knife
sticking up to his hilt in the breast.
The unfortunate warrior. finding
that the nature of his wound rendered
it impossible for him TO reach his own
people, had. after enduring untold
agony in crawling several miles
over a rough and uneven route. con-
cluded to end his misery by plung-
ing his knife into his own heart
lie had first cut with its keen point
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