The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-29

guarded about tho Tahlequah country at that
Time. The wagon csme down 70 within fifty
the brush. Neither of them had ever seen
Cuniuss, but when they hey got a good look at the
man. They recognized him by a rough. ivid
scar OF a wound made by. a bowie knife that
stretched from his right forehead, to his chin
had often been told Of this scar.
"Nowi whispered Field to Cumso, and both
men rose noiselessly to their feet, with a gun in
"""Cunias, called out Field in n strong voice,
'I'yo got a dead line on your pipe; make a move
"Ficld told us that he couldn't see that tho
outlaw was reaching for gun at all before he
S SfHsr ris IaH breast TSSSt' p no t vent t@ Go Sai. B sGiHdk id anFH iSsS
consciousness, so that he saw the rest OF 1t.
when he fired his shot, Cpnius dropped
man going off a precipice, and Cumso made q
lightning drop Into tho brush. Then there was
fdirsata. He rose slowly to his feet, and. clespinE
his guns. walked straight to the middle OF the
trail and stood with squared shoulders in the
moonlight fifty feet from the deapcrado's wagon.
"'Cunius' he called out-and Field told us
| the black mans voice was like a trumpet-'Im
m asE'i my niger asin. your i InljEn until 'hcil
freezes over solid. H. nin't a hotter niger
than you are an lnjun; ~ cat your mules. I'm
and fight like a man and like the Irish that's In
you, YOU damned skulking sQuaw man, for I'm
"CInius answered tho challenge with q shot,
and II was a shot from the open. lie wasn't n
seward by a whole hogsS fnIi, and the black
wanted them to ''hsyeIsc, ,CgniEs'se irish
to boiling. Cumso hadn't finished speaking be.
fore tho desperate jumped from behind his
wagon. clutching his two guns. and made his
first pop at tho black M9rshai; ~.
night was rs clear MS day, and the men were
only fifty feet apart. They fired ut each other
with both hands without advancing. and both
mon were expert marksmen. Field told us that
as he lay beside the trail watching the fight 1t
set him, crazy wondering why one or both OF the
men didn't go down; The tn balls in the four six
When his guns were both unloadcd Cunius dis.
appeared behind his ,T wagon and the click
s seiSsdin assA and |" Field nd said sPHiN lie I NEVER a' saw ms a
nis life s'n fhG !" Mpr n,EE Of had S" ms sooner SO spefiS ammd IN
the last cartridge into his second gun than Gu.
MUS reappcarcd from behind his wagon and tho
battle was on again without another word.
When each man had shot away. his twelve
cartridges without going down, Field figured 1t
black Marshal and the desperate Ind somehow
or another got hold OF blank cartridges. When
the same reloading and tiring, performance was
sotiSed, that at tho finish Of this third round
which he jammed into his right.hand gun,
throwing the other one into the brush. When
Gunins appeared for the fourth whirl tield saw
came out that BY a coincidence each man had
exactly thirty cartridges in his belt when the
fight began. and this was TO be the finish round,
as far ms the gun play went.
,"'lnjun's shy a gun, too, see mnttered the
black man. and at |, they went again, both firing
five shots almost simultaneously. When, after
this. Field saw them standing in their tracks. he
said to himself. I'm in = pipe dazs., and shnt
sixth and last shot in the gun. and II failed tC
go off,. Cumso's quick eye caught this. He still
had a ball left in his gun. and the situation was
his. He dropped his gun, and again and again
Cunius snapped the trigger on his bad cartridge
r 81 mns Of and mo u slcwl !! H MSpt daiibesr 9 tel; r rns nff ri:
gun on a direct line with the desperados heart
That's your finish. Cunius,' said he. Hands
"Cunius saw the force OF the remark. and hi,
"CHmso walked over to where Field was lying
Keep a line on him until get The niIpeF,
Field. weak from the loss of blood. kept the out
law covered, Cumso walked around him an'
from his rear slipped a pair OF handouts owe
Cunius hands.
Keep him covered until I get the shnckles.
said !Cumso to Field: Don't move. Cunius.
The black man walked over to the prairi,
the shackles, and in less than a minute the DIES
perado was chained hand and foot.
"As the two men who had been blazing ava!
Mt each other stood together while this was go
ing on. Field got q good look, at them. ,Thei
their boot legs. were ike s!eves from tho bullets
Their clothes looked as II they had been fringct
at the sides to get a fancy GTeaser effect;
looked as II every one of the eighty-two bullet
fired by the two men had passed through eact
others wearing apparel. Yet neither OF then
was even grazcd; and IL that wasn't miraculous
when both men were shooting to kill. I've neveI
heard OF any miracle.
"Cumso brought his prisoner and his woundc
partner. Field. back to Fort Smith within lively
days after the capture. He had nurscd Ficl
the best he knew how with the medicines the
carried in the schooner and with the cXpericuc
he had gathered in the army. but blood poison
ing set in. ana Field was dead n week after h.
had been brought back TO Fort Smith. Cuniu
was strung up in the Fort Smith prison wit
three other desperadoes n few months later
CumsO. the ncrvy black Marshal. is running
big farm OF his own in Oklahoma and IL wealthy
Maybe I'd still be a United States Dcput
Marshal, with headquarters at Fort Smith,
concluded Mr.. Wilkinson, III n little thing tina
happened a short time after the Cunius bushes
hadn't sourei me on the job. Three Unite
States Marshals from Texas went into the II
dian Territory after "a Cherokee murderer. The
got him. took him to their camp. tied him NJ
and went 10 sleep for the night in a bunch. I'll
Indian chewed his fnstcnings loose during, tn
night and cut the heads Of the three Marshal
off with a bunting knife. When | heard OF hi
! decided to try q peaceful vocation for a whil'
and ] didn't hold any more peace prcscrvin
offices until struck Creole and had the Sheriff
billet given to me, when not a great many wer
after it,"