The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-12-25

F'sNCA CITY .- The battle of |
Adobe Walls, where a small party |
of scouts stood ofe an overwheim-
ing army of Indians under Lone |
Wolf, has ever been one of the |
outstanding marks in oklahoma |
history although truthfulfy the bat
tie occurred few miles west of the
old oklahoma territory line in the
Texas Panhandle country. And II
was during this battle that one of
the oldtime plainsmen, Billy Dixon,
fired the shot that has gone down
In history because 1t killed an In
dian medicine man at 1900 yards
This now famous battle occurred
on June 25, 1874, but 1t was all re-
called, the past week, when the
towns of extreme western Oklahoma
Joined with those OF the northern
panhandle to hold good road
meeting at Adobe Walls, the i'm
mediate purpose being an organi-
zation that will put across the
building Of bridge over the Cana.
dian river at that point The meet
ing was all the more important be-
cause the widow of Billy Dixon was
present and talked TO the good road
people whb had assembled.
The Adobe Walls was really one
OF the last fights staged by the re-
bellious Kiowa, Comanche and
Cheyenne Indians. II real leader
In the fight for the redskins was
Quanah Parker, later to become one
of the most insistent Indian advo-
Gates of peace with the whites, nj
though during the early '70s he was
under the influence and direction Of
Lone Wolf, Satank, Big Tree. Little
Raven. Satanta and others. II IS
believed now that Lone Wolf was
the real aggressor that brough,
about the Adobe Walls battle.
Numerous Ind an depredations
had followed the release from pris-
on in Texas of Big Tree and Satanta,
in the spring of "a. They were
known as two of the most blood
thirsty chiefs in southwestern
tribes history The depredat!ons
were committed principally by the
Indians of several tribes, acting un-
der the direction of Little Raven
and Lone Wolf, and 1t was in this
manner that Quanah, following n
conference OF the warriors. was di'
rected to pull off the attack on
Adobe Walls.
Thought IL Would Save Buffalo.
Adobe Walls is located now on
the Turkey Track cattle ranch, be-
| longing to Tom Coble, and during
the good road meeting there the
past week Mrs. Coble, one of the
long time residents of that section,
told the crowd Of a conversation she
had had. prior to the battle, with
Lone Wolf, the real leader. The
| Indian chieftain had told her that
4 the Indians planned the attack on
| the buffalo hunters at Adobe Walls,
| believing that II they exterminated
the hunters the buffalo would be
saved for Indians. 1t was their In
tention TO wipe out the entire band
OF men. of which Billy Dixon was
one.
As was their custom the Indians
had at this battle a head medi-
cine man who encouraged them 10
| great efforts, but after Quanah's
warriors had been repulsed several
times by the scouts. and were los
ing a man every time they got
| within range of the hunters old Sos
! which the frontiersmen were then
using, they decided to retreat TO the
protection of nearby cliff for con-
sultation and comforting with the
medicine man.
The latter told the warriors that
the Great Spirit had said that they
would be suocessful; that they
NpAiu hili the hhHANIS anu AtlhN wv
Indians would not die. And Il
make bis bluff or "medlc,ne" more
5 effective he announced that hC
would ride Immediately to the to-
of the cliff and there commune
with the Great Spirit. He did ride
to the top~ OF the hill but he never
came back. for it happened that
just then, Billy Dixon had stoler
out OF the sod hut, where the hunt
ers had assembled. to reconnoitre
He saw the medicine man on the
cliff, took deliberate aim and fired
) The Indian was killed at a distances
of 1900 yards.
Gave Great Spirit Credit.
{ The Indians, assembled below thu
: cliff, could not hear the report o
/ the buffalo gun but they did Sc
, the medicine man drop dead
1 Naturally they believed that tn
4 Great Spirit had decreed that tn
medicine man should die and that
= therefore, they should cease fight
! hing. THUS" Mrs. Coble told thu
= good road delegates recently, "tha
; one shot did more to stop the India'
troubles of that period in the south
> west than any other one inciden
Q of It's history"
/. The Adobe Walls battle-ground
: are to be donated TO the state o
Texas for state park. This an