The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-24
KILLED TEN INDIANS
STORY Of AINDIAN MART'sv "a
NOUS FIGHT WITH REDSKINS.
"Reminiscences of Col. Scxton's Brave
Little Wife, Who Slew "Red Rock
and Nine BIoodthfrsty Warriors.

IN QlCu AGIC SCitA fAA-~
spected and made mich of by everybody,
she was always referred to as Indian
Mary" 1t was not because she had any
Indian blood in her veins, but because of the
adventure in which, single handed and
alone, she wiped out ten Indian warriors
in a fair fight. That fertile section of
central Idaho known as Kamas prairie
extends from the Esmeralda range of noun
tains to about thirty miles south OF the
Malade river, a total distance of ninety
miles, while the average breadth is about
seventy-hve. One of the first settlers on
the prairies was Colonel Sexton, whose wife
Mary was, they moving up from Nevada.
The Colonel could speak several Indian
dialects and had many times acted as in
terpreter when treaties were being made.
The red men knew him to be a fair man
and respected him accordingly.
When the Colonel took up his land on the
prairie he paid the Indians 800 over and
above what he paid to the government and
most of them were enthusiastic in his
praise. There was, however, a subchief
named Red Rock, who took a dislike to
the Colonel for some reason or other and
husband and wife had only got settled in
their cabin when they were warned to
look out for him. All the Indians about
were at peace with the whites just then
and so very little attention was paid to
the warnings. One September day in 1868
Red Rock called together nine young bucks
who had regulations of being headstrong
and ugly tempered and suggested that they
go and wipe out the Sexton family. 1t did
not require much urging to start them
off. The ten left camp under p~retense of
going on a hunt and then made a march
of ten miles to the Sexton claim. They
expected to find the Colonel working in
the field, but it so happened that he left
home early in the morning for a ride of
twenty miles on a matter of business.
When it was found mat the husband was
and burn the cabin.
NOT SO SMALL AS SHE LOOKED.
Mrs. Sexton had accidentally observed
the approach of the Indians and their de-
meanor aroused her suspicious. She was
q little woman, being scarce five feet high
and weighing only no pounds, and the red
men looked upon her as hardly more than
a child. The Colonel had left a Winches-
ter rifle and a revolver at home, and when
the Indians entered the cabin the woman
had these weapons at hand, though not
in sight. There were three rooms in the
eabin-sitting room, kitchen 9nd bedroom.
The Indians left their firearms outdoors
and entered the cabin, to find Mrs. Sexton
seated i'm the bedroom door with some work
in her hands. She greeted the callers
pleasantly. but Red Rock suikily demanded
WHISKY anu SOf1tt1l4s ~ Cdt. InAo wac
she would not give them whisky under any
f fbey mnst furnish sho their ef e ewm fo @ls on S1et top
of this she ordered them out of the house,
and added that the Colonel would report
their impudent conduct to the chief. Her
defiant attitude gave Red Rock the excuse
he wanted, and, drawing his hunting knife
from its sheath, he said:
the Colonel returns he will find you roast
ing in the ashes of the cabin. | hate al
xxrh;fo fo1l-c and will npx-Pr he friends with
a white man.
AS he ceased speaking Mrs. Sexton rose
standing just inside the door, and at once
opened fire on the crowd Her action was
SO quick and unlooked-for as to produce a
panic. Realizing that her life depended on
her own efforts, and that Red Rock was the
leader of the gang, she pulled down on
Before the others could get out of the house
she had dropped two more. The seven In
dams ran for their guns las as soon a. ahe o1th hiae
ing their rifles, and she followed them to-
the spot and knocked over her fourth
man before a weapon was raised against
her. The Indians were armed only with
muzzle-loadfng rifles, and as soon as they
| had the weapons in hand they opened nre
| in return.
THE FIFTH REDSKIN.
The woman replied, but at the same time
backed toward the door. In the course of
three minutes a dozen shots were fired,
but none of them took effect. She had but
one cartridge left in the gun when an In
| dian leaped forward, knife in hand. to seize
her. She shot him dead when only ten feet
| away, and then retreated into the house.
In a couple of minutes she had the rifle
| recharged.% and then looked out to see three
| of the five remaining Indians getting arm
| fuls of hay from the stack to pile against
| the cabin. The other two had their fnies
| leyeled on. the door and window on ina!
side Of the structure. There was a smai
| window ON the other side, and Mrs. sexton
ground. The first the Indians knew of hel
presence outside was when she shot down
the foremost of the trio CARRYING hay across
At first they ran awav but after leaving
the cabin a quarter of a mile behind then
they decided that the woman must be killet
turned. each by himself, hoping 10 suTprfst
house and on the alert. She managed t.
keep track of the movements OF three OF tn
Indians, but the. fourth erept up under cove
of a ditch and had a fair shot at her at :
distance of one hundred feet The bullet Gu
the waist of her dress under her left arm
as Mrs. sexton saw the smoke above thu
ditch She left the shelter Of the CABIN ans
tied the buck, who had not yet reloaded hi
rifle, and he rose up to run away; FROM
him over with a bullet in his back. He wa
mortally wounded and paralyzed from M
hips down. but lived about I'VE rsf nonrS heb I'm
the stable, which was about fifty yards
aWay. and the woman took up a position a
the- corner of the cabin. Ten or a dozei
shots were fired at her without effect, an
then one of the bucks careiessiy exposed
himself and was shot through the left luni
and died in ten minutes only TWO Wer'
now left out of the band of ten.
THE LAST TWO VICTIMS
They probably agreed that their bes
chance was to make a rush upon the wo
man, for that was the expedient adopted
They did a foolish thing, however, in firms
upon her before the rush, as they hat
only their knives to depend on when the,
left cover. She dropped one of them almos
as soon as he stepped out. The othe
turned to the west to run away, bu
tumble and fell, and as he got up he re
ceived a bullet in the back and pitched for
ward to die within five minutes A quartz
of. an hour later two white men and tire
Indians who had been attracted by tn
firing. rode up from the south. The womai
was found seated on the doorstep with tn
Winchester lying across her lap. She wa
pale and trembling, but by no means on tn
point of fainting away. The only redskll
left alive was the man she had shot II
the ditch, and he it was who gave tn
narficulars of the attack. The ten buck
had come there with the full determine
fion to kill and rob and burn, and his oni.
regret was that they had failed to carr.
olf their programme. He spoke in terms o
hirhest praise of the w0man'S bravery, blu
- <-o< that bic bullet had ra