Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-09-29

made run for the canon, which was
about quarter Of mile on the other
side. When we reached 1t the Indians
who had been lying in ambush, gave q
yell and let us have 1t. Some Of them
had rifles and the others had bows and
arrows. The way the bullets and ar
rows whistled around us made us get
to cover. I had been in the Indian
country too long to stand up, and get
shot, just for the sake Of saying I was
not afraid. At the very first whoop ell
Of us burrowed In the snow and got
behind trees and rocks and fought the,
Indians in their own fashion.
"Then followed another fight that
would do your heart good to see. There
was not man in the bunch, but that
could draw bead fine enough to knock
the eye out Of squirreP100 feet away,
and every time an Indian showed his
head he was bowled over with a bullet
through his skull. No one fired till he
saw his man, and very frequently
quietus would be put to redshin by
two O., the boys who happened to see
him at the same time. There was no
ceremony about the encounter. didn't
give three orders during the whole
hour. didn't have a sword. It would
have been as useless as q lady's fan.
But used rifle and the Colt "A that I
had carried through the Mexican war,
till the barrels were as hot as II they
had been put in q furnace.
"Not q man was killed by the In
dians. The cavalry kept firing from
the other side of the river. and had to
send a man to tell them. to stop It.
Their bullets kept pattering among us
till 1t looked as though they were more
anxious to wipe US out than to whip
the Indians. .a,y.ys
The boys had gradually ranged
themselves over the. whole canon, 30
there was no chance for them to get
out and we started to drive them down
the gulch TO where 1t turned to; Bear
river. The, only way for them to es-
cape was to climb out or swim the riy-
er. When we had them going once, the
slaughter was something terrible. They
hoped around and got behind rocks
and trees; but they couldn't dodge the
fire Of those iron-neryed, keen-eyed
frontiersmen. AS we swept them down
the canon we came across dead body
every few yards, and nearly every one
Of them had been shot through the
head. Consequently there was not
enough wounded to have filed ward
in q private hospital. 4
:"The canon had small branch that
led away from the river, and a few Of
the Indians escaped by dashing into It.;
but we headed or the main body and
drove them into the river. When we
got them into the Icy stream we dyed
the water red with blood. They dropped
their guns and ammunition in their ef-
forts to get across. Finally the only
Indians In sight were dead ones, with
the exception Of q few who wriggled
their blood stained painted bodies I'm
the snow. Not one Of my boys had been
klIled, and only four Of them had been
wounded, as I recollect.
II went back to the colonel and told
him the Indians were gone, expecting
to have him thank me, at least. He
looked at me very cody and said:
(" Captain Hoyt, am sorry that g.
man Of whose courage had always
had such high opinion, should prove
guilty Of such paltry cowardice.
"tHow is that. SIR? replied, stunned
at the accusation.
9 "'When you went into the canon
where the Indians were, you and your
whole company threw yourselves on
the ground, to escape the fire OF the
enemy
4 "I only did it to fight them in their
own way. We killed our share and did
not lose man.
"'It looked to me as II you would let
them all escape he said. TN go with
you and see how many you have killed
I'VE went through the canon .togeth--
er, and wnen the colonel passed along
the whole course Of the running fight
anu counted 1873 Indians. he looked at
me in surprise and said:
"'You did better than thought you
did, captain
"It took him long time to get over
the way we had lodged among the
rocks and trees, and don't believe he
ever did give me or my men credit for
the courage we showed. Washington
poof