The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-06-30
RECALLS ADOBE
WALLS BATTLE
Flftleth Anniversary of Historic
Contest Next Year.
HELD 700 INDIANS At BAY

in Preside stories, few tales are tolC
that carry such a thrilling portraya
Of the early days as that of the Adobe
Walls fight. In the later days of the
West when man who had taken part
In that terribly one-sided struggle ap
peHred In community he was singled
out as a hero and all honor done to
him.
Now the Adobe Walls fight is to be
wildly recalled before the whole coun
try, for next year will be the fiftieth
anniversary Of the historic conflict. A
movement is already on foot in Okla
homa and Kansas to convert the scene
Of the encounter into public park and
memorial, says the New York Times.
The fight at Adobe Walls-or 'Dobe
! Walls, as the natives call franks
with Forsyth's battle with the Chey-
ennes and Brule Sioux at Beecher's Is
land, where Colorado and Kansas have
| Joined in putting up monument, and
with the Wagon Box fight near Fort
Fetterman in Montana. All those en-
gagements represent the successful de-
Tense Of few white men against the
surprise attacks Of apparently over
whelming numbers Of Indians.
Bat MastersOn, later a we1l-known
frontier figure and in quite recent
years, up to the very time of his death,
a few months ago, deputy United
States marshal in New York city, was
in the 'Dobe Walls fight. At that time
Bat was slip of boy, engaged in
the dangerous business of hunting buff
falo for a living. Nearly all those
with him at the time Of the Indian at
tack were fellow hide hunters. All
were skilled users of firearms.
A woman, Mrs. William Olds, who
had come with her husband from
Dodge City to open a restaurant at
Adobe Walls, went through the siege
behind the sun-baked walls of the lit
tie settlement Two of the defenders
of the settlement are still livlng-Andy
Johnson of Dodge City and Fred Leon
ard of Utah. Twenty-eight white men
took part In the fight, among them be-
Ing BILLY" Dixon, a celebrated marks
man.
Adobe Walls is on the Canadian
river in northwestern Oklahoma, about
so miles southeast of Guymon. The
settlement took its name from adobe
walls which were standing in the ear
lier pioneer days.
Adobe Walls as Shield.
The hide hunters of the seventies hit
on the old site as likely place for a
settlement. In 1874, the year of the
Indian fight, there was q lively from
tier settlement there. There was a
stockade around the little group Of
buildings, all of which were Of adobe
very fortunate for those present, as
was soon to be demonstrated. All the
buildings faced to the east, the main
ones in row. There was the store of
Rath & Wright at the south end, with |
a big pile Of buffalo hides at the rear
Of the building. Then came Hanna |
hans saloon, and so yards north of |
that was Leonard & Meyers store, |
forming a corner of the stOckade. A
mess house stood at another corner |
Of the picket stockade and near |
that was a well. The mud walls
Of the buildings were two feet thick.
This form Of construction afforded
warmth In winter and GOODNESS in sum-
mer. Around the settlement were low
sandhills. About 1,20O yards away
was a buttelike hill, of considerable
height, where Dixon, the marksman.
brought down an Indian and was cred
tied with the best ong-distance shot
of the day.
Indian depredations were common
in the spring and early summer of
ng, always dangerous at its best, had
become unusually hazardous. But the
hide hunters were not men to be de-
erred by such frontier dangers. A
arge party gathered at the Walls to
start out on June 27. Twenty of
hose at the settlement on the day Of
he fight were buffalo hunters. The
,thers were merchants and their
Jerks. The men sat up late on the
light Of the Goth. The weather was
;ultry, and the doors of the stores and
,ther buildings were open.
The talk ran to the killing of four
tide hunters by Indians in the vicinity
# the Walls only few days before.
But nobody gave any indication Of In
ending to abandon the projected hunt.
BY one o'clock in the morning all were
sleep, blankets being spread on the
oors in the various buildings.
About two O'Clock in the morning Oc-
urred an incident which had an inn
ertant bearing on the outcome. The
idge pole in Hanrahan's saloon broke
18th report which aroused the entire
cttlement. The roof did not give way
ntirely, but was sagging in a threat
ming manner, so every one turned out
. help repair the damage. BY the
me repairs on the roof were finished
wss dawn. Dixon went down to the
eek nearby to get his saddle pony,
hirh had been staked there. AS he
prron ched the creek he saw what
peHred to be an army Of Indians, in
lhouette against the red sunrise. The S
ldlans were Kiowas, Cheyennes and h
Their war bonnets were $