The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-25
A HANDTOHAND CONFLICT.
How the Sioux and the PaWnee Forced Each Other
to Commit Suicide.

perate faces of the savages. 1t was a
new and novel sight to me, for 1 did
not peiong at the front | had ONLY
arrived the day before with a train
iodo OF material and had persuaded
the captain, whom / knew very well.
10 allow me to remain near him during
the exercises, never dreaming that I
might be called upon to fight for my
me- L did not rush franticalIy into
the fiercest of the fight, nor did 1 run
away 1 had asked to be allowed To
take part and so stood my ground and
oid what L could But now, after the
chill or the first fight had passed away.
L began to study the faces of these
desperate red men who, having ceased
yelllng, were working with wonderful
cOoineSS TO wipe each other from the
race of the earth. Despite the fact that
IL was awfully interesting, there was
something touchingly sad in the spec
tacle OF these red desperadoes, who
were born brothers, and who ought TO
nave been fighting shoulder to shout
der, II there was fighting to do, closing
III upon one another in n desperate
struggle that could end only in death
AS L stood watching a big Sioux
VINO was fighting three scouts single
handed. and who, UP to this point
seemed not only to hold his own, but
who had killed one of his assailants. I
observed a Pawnee dart past me. Turn
Inc to look where he ran, 1 saw that he
was engaging a Sioux who must have
Deen stealing up behind me- AS the
men came together they appeared, by
mutual agreement, to drop their guns
and pistols and agree upon knives as
the proper weapons with which to set
tie their differences. They came at each
other half crouching. but when NOT
more than six feet separated them they
paused and glared at each other like
wild beasts Then they flew at each
other. their knives clashed and each
bounded back as though they had been
rutoer balls. Without taking time to
breathe they were at it again, and
mixed up so that I could not saw
which was which. Very naturally 1
wanted to help the Pawnee, who, by
his bravery, had saved my life, but 1
dared not fire. or even strike with nv
cluIDed rifle for fear of hitting the
scout. Perhaps the most 1 had ever
done for him was to give him a cigar,
or some very bad tobacco. but he had
heroically taken my place in a hot en-
gagement. in which | would not have
lasted longer than a snowflake would
last in the firebox of the 40. When these
savage souls had been leaping and
SlaShing at each other for 40 or so
seconds, they were both covered with
blood, but, so far as fierceness went
they were still undaunted. The last of
the invading army had been driven
back to the river. The scouts were run
ming along the bank firing at the dark
forms of the Sioux who were swimming
down stream to set out of range of the
deadly rifles of the Pawnees. =
Don't stand so close" said a voice
from behind me, and at the same time
the captain took hold of my arm and
pulled me back A half dozen scouts
now Joined US, but no one offered to
help the Pawnee, whose face and arms
were reeking with blood. AS they
fought the men kept working away
from the river and toward the round
house. 1t seemed to me that the Sioux
had the best OF the fight, and l said so
to the captain, but he refused to in
terfere, or to believe tn any living
Indian could kill this Pawnee in a
sin~le-handed engagement.
How men could lose so much blood
and still fight so fiercely was mys-
terry TO me, for they seemed to grow
stronger rather than weaker as the
battle progressed.
Without noticing where l went. L
had been walking backward since the
fight began. and of a sudden, finding it
necessary to step quickly to keep clear
of the knives, my back struck against
the cottonwood tree. Before I had time
to slip away the Sioux, TO escape the
Pawnee, leaped back against me. The
moment he felt himself come in contact
with me he dug back with his bloody
knife, which passed between my right
arm and my body and stuck fast in
the tree. The Pawnee was quick 70
take advantage of the situation, and