The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-27
TWO DESPERATE DUELS
SEEN FROM THE DECK OF a sTEAss-
BOAT ON THE MISSOURI.
One Was Fought Between Brothers
and the Other Was an Encounter ON
the TrestIe of High Bridge.



days in steamboating along the river.
They differed considerably from the or
binary affair of honor in the manner in
which they were fought. and in the fur
Their fact that both Of them were fatal. and
10 both contestants In each instance One
OF them was fought with rifles from oppo-
site ends of big cottonwood log, probably
thirty feet in length, and the other took
place on the trestle of the big Missouri river
bridge when it was in course of erection.
] was an eyewitness of each of the en-
counters, both of which were seen by a
large number of people.
Near Chamberlain, S. D., a good many
years ago there lived two brothers, jim
and Lafayette Sunderland. They were
typical bad men of the frontier and dan
gerous characters in an encounter Tall
lean, active. sdre-sighted and quick of aim
they were ugly customers. Their reputa-
ton was general along the Missouri river.
Each of them had one or more notches on
the handle of his revolver, indicating that
some human being had fallen to his aim.
No man cared to offend either of them I'M
less he was looking for trouble and prepared
for battle, as trouble was sure to follow
when either Of them felt that his dignity
had suffered insult. 1t was peculiarly APP
propriate that these two bad characters
should have seen fit to rid the world of
each other, which they did effectually in
consequence of a quarrel between them.
When steamboating was in its glory along
the Missouri, the owner of a wood yard
along the stream drove a profitable business
in supplying the passing boats with fuel
There We're established yards along the
river al Such z distance apart as was most
convenient for the boats, and they ran into
shore at these yards whenever their supply
ply always to be found on hand. A heavily
loaded boat making a trip up stream con-
sumed good many cords of wood. and the
Prices ranged from So to S. a cord, and
when the owner Of az yard sold a supply TO
daR MoE o9 and ne aad done Vera fair
income The wood was always paid for in
cash by the clerk of the boat, and the
patronage of the boats was much sought
after by the owners of the yards along the
BOTH DESPERATE MEN.
1.-THE Sunderland brothers varied their
careers as bad men by wood chopping, and
they had established yard about ten or
twelve miles from the present site of Cham
berlain. The yard was partnership
Germ, the brothers being supposed to divide
the proceeds of whatever sales were made.
But, as usual with such characters, there
was not even common honesty between
them, and if either man was able to make
a sale without the knowledge of the other
he deemed it the part of wisdom and good
finance to pocket the entire proceeds and
say nothing.
I'VE were making trip up the river late
IN the season with a heavy load of freight
ana put IN at the Sunderland wood yard to
replenish our stock of fuel, which had been
heavily drawn upon by our blowing against
the swift current of the river. One of the
owners, Jim Sunderland was present at the
yard, and we made known our needs and
sent ROSTERS ashore to carry the wood
upon the deck. We bought about ten cords
of wood and the clerk paid Sunderland ten
crisp hve-dollar bills in settlement of the
up the gangplank and push out into the
stream again Lafayette Sunderland made
his appearance from neighboring copse of
the wood that had been taken. BY this
time We had swung out into the stream
and the clerk called across the
he had paid jim for the wood.
From the deck of the boat we could dis
Germ heated controversy between the
brothers. The reputation of the two men
was such as to create a general interest
on board the boat as to the outcome of the
the tragic denouement. After, perhaps five
minutes of alteration. we saw Jim sud-
denly spring to the end of a huge cotton
wood log which lay near and seize rifle
which rested upon the end of the log. But
quick as he was, the other man was even
quicker, and although Jim was the first
to move, Lafayette sprang to the other end
of the log where his rifle rested, and had
seized 1t before Jim could take aim. Two
slight puffs Of smoke from the barrels of
the weapons, two short sharp reports,
and the two men fell almost Simultaneous
ing step. Each of the men was a dead
shot, and there could be but one result TO
such a duel. The brothers were stone dead,
each killed by the other, and over the d-
vision of $50. Homicide was not uncommon
brother by brother in a duel of this de-
scription was little out of the ordinary.
A FATAL WRESTLING MATCH.
1.-THE other duel took place on the trestle
of the big Missouri bridge. between Bis
marck and Mandan, in 1881. Several of us
were sitting on the upper deck of steam
boat at the Bismarck landing, when our at
tention was attracted by the confusion
among the workmen on the trestle, which
was on the opposite side of the river, per-
haps half mile away We watched the
men for a few minutes, and soon we saw
some dark object fail from the trestle to
the rocks, seventy feet below. Investiga-
ton disclosed that two of the carpenters.
who had been at work, had become en-
gagged in an alteration, and hard words
were followed by blows, until one of them
attacked the other with a hammer, and
the other defended himself with q Ratchet
1t was an extremely periIous place for an
encounter of the description which fol-
lowed. The trestle was seventy feet high
and Just wide enough to admit of the lay
ing or the rails, with space of foot
each side. There were no guard rails, and
below the trestle the ground was strewn
with huge powders. A fall from the treStle
was certainly fatal The workmen saw the
impending struggle with apprehension, but
dared not interfere, lest they should be cast
from the trestle
The two belligerent wcrkmen grappled
with each other and swayed from side to
side of the trestle Backward and forward
they reeled and struggled, each seeking to
overcome the other and cast him from the
dizzy height. Finally, they battled to the
very edge of the trestle, and one of them
lost his balance and swung out over the
edge. Realizing that he was doomed he
chung to the other with the frenzy of de-
spalr. and, unable to loose himself from
the grasp of the falling man. the second
OF the men slipped. swayed and fell over
the edge, and, with a wild cry both men
were precipitated to the rocks below. The
rest OF the woTkmen were horror-stricken
and peered over the edge to see the two
unfortunates lying prone on the rocks be-
low. still clasped each in the viselike grip
or the other. and stone dead. Hardly a
bone in the body of either but was broken.