Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1903-10-23

Po@u, NC IL wen unuerSCOOQ, by
the yells of spectators whose savage
blood was fairly boiling with excite.
ment. The shrieks of the squaws held
a peculiarly appalling note, and high
above the unmusical clamor could be
heard the long continued scream of the
bone OF cOntention-the wife Shaver.
Head had stolen from his opponent
She was easily the prima donna of
this opera Of discords, and dominated
the savage chorus.
HIS LAST SHOT.
Crooked-Neck now had but one shot
left. If he missed he was at the mercy
of his antagonist, and mercy strained
or unstrained, had no part in Shayen-
Heads makeup. The shotgun fighter
seemed to redouble his activity, and be-
yOnd question made Of himself an eX-
ceedingly difficult target. Three times
the Winchester spoke apparently with
out effect, although later it was discoy
cred that one bullet had gone through
the upper muscles of CroOked-Neck's
left leg. OF course, Shaven-H Head was
doing some ground and lofty steps on
his own account, thus disarranging his
aim.
The end came suddenly. Shaven-
Head pretended to stumble and fell
partially forward. Instantly Crooked
Neck fired his remaining barrel, but
fred it at the air. The Uncapapa had
side-stepped in a fashion that would
have made Corbett green with envy.
Seeing that he had missed, Crooked
Neck turned to run, but after him III
long leaps came his foe. Two shots
in quick succession and Crooked-Neci1
was on the ground q corpse. The fatal
bullet went through his brain, and he
was shot from the rear--a detail, by
the way, which gave his friends little
concern.
If these duellists had been white the
spectacular part of the affair would
have ended with the death of one or
other of the contestants. Not so with
the savage Sioux. Before any one
|
reached the body, placed his foot there
on, and struck it with the barrel Of his
rifle.
This wps the "coup," or final blow,
that completed Shaven-Head's triumph
and made him truly conqueror.
Probably with fore-knowledge Of
| what was coming, the spectators
ceased their yells as soon as Crooked.
Neck fell, and after delivering the
coup Shaven-Head set up his chant
Of victory. The agent could not un-
derstand it, but Waldorf commented:
"Seems to be stuck on himself
whole lot. 1t was purity good fight
and will be sung about at all the INCA
papa dances until some warrior steals
COW or murders a baby. They don't
seem to have much sense of proper
ton, these fellows don't. I'm everlast-
ing glad" continued Waldorf, that
Shaven-Head won. He has seven
brothers, and If he'd q been killed
beastly row would have been pretty
sure to "a transpired. Crooked-Neck
don't amount to much, and, anyhow,
most of his relatives is squaws."
No notice was taken Of the affair
either by the military or the civil au-
thorities. What would have been the
use? We have always treated the In
dian as beyond the pale, and could not
possibly have convinced the savage
mind that any other climax than that
reached was to be considered possible.
Years afterward the agent started on
hunting expedition with Shayeu-
Head as q guide. When two miles
from the agency he was astOnished at
seeing the Indian spur his pony to-
ward Il grave on a nearby hillside and,
with yells of defiance, fire dozen
shots through the pole-supported and
sun-Gried corpse.
NAMES THAT MEAN LITTLE.
Your plains Indian, especially if he
be Of the Sioux variety, has a mighty
long memory and would have been.
dearly loved by the great Johnson be-
cause Of his capacity for hating.
1t may be worth while to say that
the names ''touchin' on and appertnin-
in to" an Indian, in nine cases out OF
ten, fail to find any warrant i'll the
personal appearance OF the orc desig-
mated The Uncapapa did not have Il
shaved head nor the Blackfoot q
crooked neck.
Years before the fight, when the con-
testants were youngsters. some one
had thrown" to the man in Il dance
the name that chung in the after years.
What wild fancy may have originated
the cognOmen, whether bestowed in
admiration or dislike, no one could tell.
The famous Sitting Bull was known
among the Indians as 'The-Bull-That-
Sits Down" II was asserted that
when yOungster he carried Il bison
calf he had shot MANY miles into camp
and fell, exhausted, ut the door Of his
fathers tepec, the head and fOrelegs
of the calf protruding over his own
head and shoulders.
Sitting Bull profeSsed not to have
any recollection of the occurrence, but
that does not count for much, because
an Indian considers it bad medicine
to talk about his name, and if you
want to maKe him do penance to lis
gods ald PIT him in terrible funk all
round ask him the name of his mother
in-law.-E. r. l., in New York CONNER
sial Advertiser.
Insanity in the Farmhouse.
ctatictins 90 70 chow thnt SnYnntN.