Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-12-02

| subject of discussion was a bear or a
deer. Williams took with him a rife
a revolver, a knife, fifty extra car
tridges, and some bread and meat.
: When ready to go he shook hands
with the two white men OF his party
nodded to the others and to us. and
said to Johnson:
In an hour l shall reach the far
| side and be ready to turn back. Sorry
| the earth isn't big enough for both of
us, but we happen to be built that way.
It's a fair show for both, and therell
| be nothing to kick over"
During the hour allowed him John
son cleaned his firearms. overhauled
his pack, and gave some instructions
as to what should be done with certain
interests in case he did not return.
| When the hour was up he shook hands
all around, had word with the men
OF the other camp, and he was whistI-
Ing as he disappeared from view. It
was at once agreed between the two
camps that there should be peace, and
each man found something at which
10 busy himself. The general idea
was that the affair in the basin would
| De over before noon, but those who
| argued thus made a mistake. While
both men meant to kill, neither pro-
posed to take any chance. Life was
the stake to be played for, and the
! game was to be drawn out
When Williams had crossed the
basin he turned and headed back to
the south, but not ON the trail. He
knew Johnson too we'll to suppose that
he would make his way to the center
OF the basin on the trail. He entered
the woods on his right, and made his
way along through the tangle and
over the boulders with the stealth of
an IndiaDN AS our leader entered the
basin he also entered the woods to his
right. The two men thus made a half
circle, and were as far away from each
other as the limits allowed. The basin
contained about 500 acres of land, and
was walled in on every side. The
trees were not large, but the under
growth was very thick, and there
were also many great powders lying
about.
AS Williams circled to the south
and Johnson to the north, each made
a half circle before finding the others
trail. The distance covered by this
half circle was about two miles, and
such was the caution with which the
men moved that it was afternoon be-
fore they came upon signs" Each
mans plan was now plain to the
other and both at once changed.
That is, each turned over his own
trail, or within reaching distance of
it. This change simply prevented a
meeting. When one had reached the
north end of the trail the other was
back at the south end, and it was 4
o'clock in the afternoon. Then each
took the trail and held it to point
within 200 feet of the center, and
Williams left it for the woods to his
left and Johnson for the woods to his
right Without suspecting each
others presence they crept carefully
forward until only fifty feet separated
them. Then a wolf dashing out from
the space between them gave both
men the cue, and each began to work
for a shot. Johnson had before him
three or four vine-covered powders,
and he crept under the vines and was
so we'll hidden that even the eyes Of
fox could not have made him out.
IoIf rNoucnH onH If
ing dark in the forest, when Williams
rose up alongside a tree and began
peering about. His uprising was like
that of shadow, and for ten minutes
he did not expose finger as a target
Then he became impatient or figured
that Johnson was not at hand, and his
head left the shelter of the tree to get
better look. 1t was too dark for
Johnson to take accurate aim, and the
bullet meant for Williams eye passed
through and knocked the cap off his
head. In a second Williams had fired
in return, taking a snap shot at the
flash, and his bullet tore through the
cloth of JohnsOn's shoulder
Those were the first and best shots
fired. Each man drew away after
firing, and they were probably a mile
and half apart as they made camp
for the night. Had they been Indians
they might have hunted each other in
the darkness, but each Icy down to
sleep feeling as safe as in camp. AS
the sun came up the hunt was on
again. They were now east and west
of the trail and more than a mile
apart They seemed to locate each
other by intuition, and one moved to
the right and the other to the left to
make a rear approach. At 9 O'Clock
in the morning they had simply
changed places. 1t was then that
each threw away a portion Of his
woodcraft and began a holder advance.
At II o'clock, as Johnson crept for
ward ON his hands and knees and
started to lift himself up beside a
! tree, he came face to face with Will
! liams, who was about to do the same
| thing from the opposite direction.
Both sprang up and began firing. The
range was too close, and the sudden
| encounter had also upset Thorn. Each
man fired five or six bullets, each had
his clothes perforated, and then each
retreated. Taking the tree as a COM
mon center they began circling
around it and must have passed each
other at least twice. Then the circle
was broadened until the tree was half
| mile from it's outer edge, and it took