The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-10
IN THE INDIAN DAYS.
DAT MAsTERSON TELLS OF WARM
FIGHTING IN THE PANHANDLE.

Brings in Relief Party,
The luckiest thing that ever happened in
my expectancy said Bat Masterson one
day when tie professor had started to
work him into a storytelling mood, was
the breaking of a cottonwood log early
one morning, which let the roof the hut
in which we were sleeping fall down on a
lot of US. We didn't think it was lucky as
We scrambled out and went TO work to fix
things up, clad only in shirts or overalls,
as the case might be, but the accident saw
ed my life and those of over a score more
of white people"
You always were lucky fellow, or you
wouldn't be alive to-day, considering the
number of times you have been shot and
shot at" said the professor coaxingly.
Just tell us all about it. What as it. an
Indian story?"
Yes, 1t was at the time of the Dobey
Wall fight in 1874, when we civilized just
eighty of the red devils, according TO the
statement of some of the Indians captured
afterward. Whew! but that was hot old
scrap, I'll tell YOU
"Well,go on and tell it then; Wen believe
it, nagged the professor
You don't have to believe me-" said
Masterson, reaching the proper pitch.
There's enough of US left to corroborate
all say, and more, too. There's Frank
Smith, who was living at Middletown,
Conn, the last time / heard from him;
Jimmy Langton of Salt Lake, jim Hanra-
han of Boise City, who is now a member
of the Idaho legislature, and Oscar Shop
pard, who deals in Doc Browns gambling
saloon in Spokane-they were among those
who were there and the rest are dead or
scattered, l don't know where. Besides,
there must be some record of it at Wash
ington, for il was in connection with the
great Indian outbreak of that year, when
Gen. Nelson A Miles took charge of the
trsoops to suppress il. One fact in connec-
ton with it which attracted attention from
the military authorities and Indian fighters
at the time was the Length of the battle,
which lasted fifteen days, something pre-
viously unknown in Indian warfare as,
generally, if they can't kill quickly and
easily they will go away.
AT the time of this adventure / was a
buffalo hunter and was doing the killing
for Jim Hanrahans outfit at Adobe Walls
located on the north fork of the Canadian
river in the Panhandle of Texas. During
the early spring the Indians had commit
ted depredations and had murdered a num-
Der of buffalo hunters and others, whom
they had caught alone and off their guard
nut we did not foresee a general outbreak
and felt secure III our numbers. Dobey
Walls consisted of four buildings, about 50
yards apart. The end ones were trading
stores run by Bob Wright, now of Dodge
City, and Fred Leonard, respectively. Be"
tween were Jim Keefe's blacksmith shop
and Jim Hanrahan's saloon. The popu-
lation consisted of twenty-one men and
one woman. who did the cooking ana
mending. OF the men, fourteen were arm
ed. Ten of us, including myself, slept
on the floor of the saloon, and of this
number seven had guns. The rest slept
in the other buildings while two brothers
named Shadley slept in some wagons
which had arrived to carry off the stacks
of hides 10 Dodge.
an making a roof to the saloon a long
green cottonwood log or pole had been
used as a center stick, and against it and
top of the walls were laid smaller pieces
of wood. the whole being covered with dirt
for chinking. We went to sleep on tn.
night of June rs, 1874, totally unconscious
of the fact that there was a murderous
was and Comanches fully armed and on
the warpath, eamped in the timber within
half a mile of US, and only waiting for
their favorite hour just before daybreak
20 attack and massacre us as we slept
was in that timber looking for a stray
horse about dusk and never saw a sign
of an Indian, although l am satisfied,that
1 was surrounded by them. They could
easily have got my scalp, but they wanted
the whole lot, so l escaped from a dan
ger knew nothing of until afterward.
|. 1T appears that they were but one of
half a dozen similar parties which attack
ed Fort Sill, some 300 miles from Dobey
Walls Medicine Lodge creek in Kansas
about $50 miles away Crooked creek about
thirty-five miles south of Dodge, and 9TH
err places.
Just before dawn the following morn
ing, while we were sound asleep on the
floor, the green cottonwood roof log broke
with the noise like a report of gun, and
the dirt and sticks came down on us, pell-
nell. We scrambled lout helter-skleter
with plenty of cuss words and scant attire
for it was hot there at that time of year
and were all seasoned to sleep most any
where under all conditions of bed and raj
ment. There was but one thing to do
and that was to prop up the roof and mend
things as best we could. We had got the
job practically done, and had decided that
it was too late to go to sleep again. when
one of the fellows who had been sent after
the horses to have them ready for the
days work came flying in, yelling: In
dams! IndiansH for all he was worth.
ION they came, a solid mass yelling like
demons and firing their guns. We waited
bdhind the windows and doors with our
rifles poked out, and did not fire a shot
until they were within thirty yards of us.
when we'let go with our 50-caliber buffalo
guns, which would put a bullet through
a horse of two or three Indians. Down
tumbled some ponies, impeding the others
and the confusion with fusilade from our
six-shooters served to split the charge and
they rushed past the building in a mighty
mass We breathed easier then, l tell
you. Had number of them dismounted
and followed up the charge on foot they
would surely have ovefpowered US by
force of numbers. There were no door
or windows, only places cut for them. The
Indians could not very well ride in, and
those Of the plains are almost helpless on
foot, so The idea was not tried, even if it
was thought OF by them.
I'VE felt happy and elated, too, when
we heard shots ring OUT from the stores
and blacksmith shop, for it told US that
they had not been surprised and killed like
the two wagon men.
as IT,. .lafs 80