The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-08

there came the sound of heavy blows,
as if one had been struck by a rattan.
Not a word was spoken. / sprang from
my chair, threw open the hall door in
time TO see a very tall, powerful,
/ beardless man about to open it him
! self, and back of him Frederick Seward,
covered with blood from wounds on his
head.
The stranger jumped through the
door at me. 1 saw knife fash in the
feeble gas light. He dealt me an awful
blow on the scalp and forehead. fell
backward while blood started down my
face and beard. The stranger, wearing
a long light cOlored overcoat, a SLOUGH
hat and cavalry boots, gave Miss Sc
ward (Who had taken alarm and started
TO call for help thrust that threw her
aside. He bounced upon the bedside.
The ASSASSIN had his now broken navy
pistol in his left hand a long, heavy
knife in his right. He leaned over and
across the bed, and, placing his pistol
on Secretary Stewards chest, struck
madly and frantically al the head and
neck. l saw, a thousand times quicker
than il takes to tell il, the assassin
strike at the secretary's head, and lay
open a cash in his right cheek and in
the side of his neck 1 leaped upon the
bed beside the stranger from the rear,
caught his arm as his right hand
gripped the knife for surer and more
powerful stroke, and thus diverted the
blade. The knife went into the Secre-,
tary's neck on the side nearest to us
as pulled him from the bed.
Then began terrific hand-to-h hand
grapple. The assassin gave me deep
cut in the right shoulder as 1 pulled
him backward from the bed. A second
ter he gave me another cut. In
twinkling he turned on me with the
ferOcity of an enraged tiger, while
Secretary Seward rolled of the further
side of the bed. The assassin struck
at me several times, once giving me
slash in the left shoulder. / ciinched
my arms about him with my utmost
strength, while ne was trying TO roce
me away so that he could use his arms
either TO thrust his bloody knife into
me or TO beat me into insensibility by
blows with his big pistol. Meanwhile
Miss Seward had pushed up the
window in the sick room and had
screamed 'Murderi Murderp Although
weak from my hospital experience and
nv use of crutcheS for six months
previous I was naturally strong
young man at the time.
My antagonist vainly tried to raise
his hands TO beat or stab me- he sud
denly dropped his pistol and tried to
push me from him or to throw me. l
CiuiS ~ lAC man Yin ~ . -
tensity All / saw was my desperate
big antagonist and that knife blade.
1 grasped the assassin'S right wrist He
ceased for a brief second his stabbing
tactics and tried TO throw me. Then,
summoning all my strength, 1 tried TO
throw him. My wounded leg gave way
and partially staggered. The assassin
made a vain snatch at my throat
The despair of the moment brought
hack NV fulI strength and l tripped
the villain somewhat off his feet. While
l had him in that position l urged him
a few feet across the room toward the
hall door When we were about half
way across the room and in fierce
grapple 1 felt someone taking hold of
me from behind. 1t flashed into my
mind that here was an aceomel.ce of
the murderer. Then l saw in the dim
light that it was Major A. H. Seward.