The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-07-13

pierced the side of the crater of an
| extinct volcano. The narrow hole
had TWO entrances, the principal one
| opening on a ledge of rock high up
in the steep slope Here the outlaws
gathered To make their last stand.
AS the soldiers came up, the scouts
located the party and the troops
worked their way around the place un'
! til it was entirely surrounded and
| there was no chance for escape.
Captain Geo. l.. Byram, of the Sixth
| Cavalry, who commanded the attack
ing force. then ordered white flag
displayed, and through his interpreter.
called upon Jil1iri to surrender. The
outlaw refused and declined also to
accept a safe conduct for the women
OF his party, who remained with the
band and bore their share OF the
fighting,
Captain Byram ordered up the guns
and q terrific shell fire was opened
on the cave. The missiles broke
above and around the opening, but
the ledge protected those inside from
the fire of the guns and little dam
age was inflicted.
Storming parties then worked their
way up the steep slope and gaining
footing on the ledge. attempted 10
rush the larger entrance to the cave.
The fighting for few minutes wns
desperate. but the outlaws drove their
asSailants back by a savage spear
charge The soldiers were not to be
completely routed. however. and TAX
ing up their posts at the ends Of the
ledge, poured a terrific rifle fire into
the mouth of the cave. the bullets
Slanclng from the rock walls and
throwing showers of sharp splinters
OF rock among the beseiged.
Accounts of the final encounter diff
fer. One dispatch says that the rifle
fire forced the outlaws out Of the
cave and that the band rushed from
the entrance to assault the beseigers,
and that all perished on the narrow
ledge fighting with barongs and
krisses against the bayonets and
dubbed rifles of the soldiers.
The other version of the struggle
describes the natives as coming from
the cave one by one to face the bull
lets of the soldiers. Both accounts
agree, however. that they died fight
ing TO the last.
Jikiri himself singled out Lieut. A
II Wilson, OF the Sixth Cavalry. who
commanded one section of the attack
ing party. Dashine from the cave
the outlaw flung himself upon the
American before Wilson could raise
his pistol With one hand gripping
the officers hair the bandit slashed
at his neck with the heavy native
knife he carried. endeavoring to he
head him Lieut. Joseph A. Baer, of
the sixth cavalry, saw his comrades
peril and dashed to his aid AS Jik-
iri swung back his knife to strike
again Baer shot him dead and Will
son dropped to the ground covered
with blood flowing from the gashes
in his throat 1t is feared that Will
son will be incapactated for further
service in the army as the muscles
and cords of his neck were severed
by the bandits knife
Writing Of the fight. American Of
ficers say that I'm the desperate hand
to-hand encounter on the narrow ledge
some OF the assailants may have been
wounded by their own fire. In their
anXiety to save each other. they were
forced 10 shoot quickly and high-power
rifles at close range are doubly dan
gerous. as the bullets viii plow
through several men.
Hundreds of friendly Moros watched
the fight ut close range. They perch
ed among the rocks where they could
see the ledge and not a movement of
the combatants escaped their eyes.
Many Of them believed that Jikiri
bore charmed life his skin i'm
pervious to knife and bullet They
would not be convinced that he was
dead until they saw and felt his
body.