The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-28
Che aaleita Daily gaoe Sunday gornms january IS 900

ana TOT tnat reason ne declared that not
| ther tribe owned him The truth Is that
they would have been glad 10 have ais.
owned him. but for fear Of his abilities
as sharpshooter and a bushwhacker.
Lyons in his prime was picture of
physical perfection He stood a trifie over
six feet in his moecasions. had long black
hair. which hung gracefully over his
swarthy shoulders and two eyes ike
| those Of a serpent When he arrived at
the age OF a warrior. 50 an old legend
Gays, he took unto himself the name OF
Lion" which in his idea. represented
everything that was bold fierce. and saw
age. With the coming OF the missionaries
and first white traders this name of Lion
in some manner was converted into 'Ly-
onS." with the prefix of Tom" He
did not like 10 be thus dubbed. and it is
said that on one occasion he repriuanded
no less an important parsonage than Zeis-
berger for not leaving OF the Tom.
and calling him just Lion The shrewd
old missionary. who was a most observ-
ant student Of Indian trait and character.
pacified the ruffled Indian by explaining
TO him that Lyons" meant a whole
menagerie of wild beasts. 'and thereafter
he accepted the name with becoming dig
nifty
Tom was regarded as somewhat Of
cynic. He never married and made all
sorts of fun of his fellow redskins for be-
ing bothered with squaws and papooses.
1t is charged that he once fell violently
in love with "Ravenwlng, wanton
Creole beauty. alluded to both BY Zeis-
berger and Heckwelder as a woman who
gave the missionaries much trouble. and
demoralized the Indian youth about the
mission. The same account says that
''Ravenwing'' induced Lyons to think
that she cared for him. and that at last
, she threw him over. which may have &C
counted in part for the sourness of his
makeup
Lyons took pride in his strength and
provinces. On the days appointed by the
Indians for sport and games he was al
ways a prominent figure. In the pony
races he could not be beaten. and he rode
with ease in a variety OF pastures that
would have dyed a Buffalo Bill COW pun
cher green with envy
Tom once made wager that he could
run down and kill a full grown deer. pro
vided that there was enough snow by
which to track the animal This was
thought to be absurd and it was at once
decided to put him to the test and teach
his pride a lesson. After some difficulty
magnificent buck was captured alive
by some Of the Gnadenhutten Indians and
kept a captive until the first snowfall
The morning appointed for the race was
ha al Fr,y. h = ,r A.
dians from all the missions and settle
ments in the valley The starting point
was near the present site of Goshen I.y-
ons presented himself scantily clothed. al
though the weather was cold He wore
pair of good stout moccasins and thin
bucksllin stockings. His arms. thighs
and head were bare When the buck was
released it started to The north at the
speed of the wind Tom started on It's
trail at a leisurely dog trot and soon left
the gaping and incredulous crowd behind
him
The start was made al sunrise. and
Lyons promised that he would catch ana
kill the deer before the sun went down in
the west According to his own statement
it was high noon before he stopped for
food or drink, and then his repast con-
sisted Of a small quantity Of Indian meal
As the day waned he increased his speed
and It was evident that he was taxing
the bucks energies and strength 10 the
uttermost. The animal stopped often and
LEI him approach within a short distance.
when it would plunge forward again.
These stops became more frequent. and
the distance between the deer and the
Indian was shorter at each successive time
~ length as Tom came M the buck
squared of for a charge The spot was IN
a deep wood near. as can be reckoned
the present site Of Wooster Tom tanta-
LIED the animl and when It ran AT him
lodged dexteriously behind the trees He
held in his hand long. sharp knife,
waiting for an opportunity 70 close with
his adversary. These tactics were kept
10 until the buck almost run OF its legs
and exhausted. stumbled 70 its knees I'm
some underbrush This was the moment
the Indian had been waiting Tor. Spring
ing quickly 10 its side he thrust the knife
deep into fits heart. and the wager was
his.
Cutting or one ear through which a
hole had been cut before the start. /
10 mark the animal Tom started or his /
return Journey. and arrived az the mis- I
sion shortly after dark. This IS only one 4
IF the many wonderful exploits Of Tom
Lyons.
When the Moravlan mission a. Goshen /
waz abandoned in 1927 Rev. Abraham
Luckenbach was IN charge. with the /
abandonment Of tho Mission The Della !
wares migrated to Canada Slowly and I
9adly they LEFT their homes and Travelled 1
ifoot to north. At New Philadelphia they
,rossed the Tuscarawas River and trav-
led on TO Cleveland where they embark
n on a vessel for their ncw Canadian /
rome There was one Indian who dld not
% with them. That Indian was Tom Ly-
ms. It might have been that he felt thar
is red brethren dId not want him 70 ac-
ompany them Whatever the reason
vas. he remained behind. the only rep
ezentadve ~ Bis race IN whas al hls
lie had been his happy hunting ground
from that hour Toa Lyons seemed ~ BE-
changed mar. 80 had seen aiuoss sew
mtg summers and his years weighed
,eaviiv upon hir
After tho departure q hlv cor1-ader
Tom lived in the woods where he asheB I
united and trapped much a. he had done
% he Iffe. Occasionally m visited the
white seitiemeuts The children held
I'm IN terror. and we1 they might. Tor
r. never missed an opportunity 81 nearly
their wlts out - thern Thev