Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-02-07
WITH HIS BOOTS ON.
How Scar Faced Joe Made Ills Last Fight
 With the Indians.

With the Indiana
 One day fin July word came to the fort that Joe Hitler was lying out" on Death creek, and a corporal was sent out, with three men, to capture, kill or drive him out of the country. The man was called Joe Hitler only in an official way. Out side of official reports he was always re- ferred to as Scar Faced Joe. He was teamster in the employ of government freighter and appeared at tta fort four or five times n year. When not under the in- Auence of drink, he was n mild tempered, good natured man. When he gave him self up to spree, he was the ugliest man on the plains One day, after he had kill ed man in u row in the ttnster's camp, a sergeant was sent cut tu rest him. He shot the sergeant dead, luz not until n bullet had plowed his cheek and given bim terrible scar for life. The man es- capped, but swore to down. the colonel for ordering his arrest For two years he hung about the fort waiting his oppor tunity. He killed another sergeant, wounded Q captain and fired upon other officers. One day when the colonel was out with a hunting party Joe fired at him from the scrub and sent bullet through his hat. He was pursued time and again, but always managed to escape.
 And now came word, just as the hostile Indians had appeared and every man was needed to put the fort in state of defense, that Scar Faced Joe had been seen again He had not been heard of for three months, and it was hoped the Indians had wiped him out. He ran q terrible risk in hang ing about, but his thirst for revenge was so great that he dared everything. It was only two mils5 to Death creek, and his camp there had been discovered by nccl- f. fhnnUhf drive him out without having any trouble with the Indians, but If attacked they were to give the signal, and 50 horses would stand ready to be mounted by us many troopers and gallop to the rescue. We rode to come down on the camp from the west, and for once we took the outlaw by surprise. He was cooking breakfast ns we dashed at him. but luck was with him. He picked up his winchester and dasht I away to the north, shouting defiance Ls he ran, and In three minutes was lost to sight in the scrub,
 We stopped just long enough to burn | the camp and secure the outlaws horse and then pursued. We believed he would make for the open country to the north, as by crossing ba ron stretch n mile in | width he could get better cover. Our de- I lay at the camp was not above five min utes, but the man ran like deer and was almost half way across the open when we reached Its edge. We were ready for the dash at him when he suddenly stop: i, and at the same instant we heard the yclls of Indians.
 We pulled up to see what was happen ing, and as we sat our horses in the shel- | ter of the woods 10 mounted Indians ap- | pearcd in sight. They had been concealed in some cove or gulch on the northern l pdUa 0f tho ourU and their was so sudden and they were so near when discovered that Joe would have | been shot down before he could have run 40 rods. He did not attempt to run. He simply walked to :le crest of a slight rise, | whercon grew stunted bush beside a bowlder, and lying down he began to fire | upon the Indians. They were us surprised as he was for the moment, but soon real izing that he was alono they began to cir cle and pour in their fire.
 That's the end of Scar Faced Joe, ' whispered the corporal as we drew back [ little and dismountcd.
 His first bullet killed pony; his second tumblcd a warrior out of his saddle; hi: third got two ponies in range and disabled both; his fourth sent another Indian out of the circle We had come out hoping tC kill the man ourselves. but when we wit messed his cool nerve we could not hell
 but applaud him. The shelter he had Ua
 so slight that it availcd him little. Alon, and single handed, no matter how man! spare cartridges he had he must soon b, wiped out. We had no thought of CUn! to his rescue. Not only were tn" odds tu, great for us Ia show ourselves, Eut th
 outlaw would probably have tired upon u
 had we been struni; enough tu Erlp hi:n-
 It's his last light, an! lA .,.', ! l.lt,
 his blood is not on our hand >,siI l.. corporal We saw Joe roll ">,r ,h:i Hey that he was woundCd.
 The outlaw tumblud over aUutAvI war
 rior and wounded another pony. Then h
 fired wild. and we knew he was disabled The Indians knew it too. At sigma
 from their chief the circling cC&$cd, Gn every warrior charged at tho bush an
 the rock with wild ycl!S and fired bullet
 and arrows as they charged. For a mo ment they gathered in n bunch, like bug
 zards about a dead sheep, and then the
 scattered, with whoops and yclls, and on
 of them waved bloody scalp in tho ai
 above his head
 Wiped out, and that's the end of Sea Faced Joe" said tho corporal, and W knew that our implacablc enemy woul
 never annoy us again.
 We told tho story nj the fort. The colo
 mel looked at the bullet hole in his hat an , replied that the wolves might feast on tn , body. We told him that even in the las rush the crippled and dying man ha brought down another warrior, and aftc & moments thought he said:
 Well, he was a game man. (iu haC
 and give tho body burial"
 M A