Year: 1877

Detroit Free Press.l


That's the name he goes by in
the Black Hills. A boy Of sixteen,
lightly built, woman's face, and
one would pass him by as having
only a woman's courage. And yet
Buffalo Bill, Texas Jack, nor any
Of the other historic Indian fight
ers, ever displayed the cool courage
and steady nerve which that boy
from Wayne county exhibited ore
day last November as he Went out
from Deadwood City to visit Il
brother in camp seven or eight
miles away. He was called a boy
then, and now to tell you why they
changed his name to "the Man
from Michigan"


The boy, whose home name is
Willard King, was armed with a
Henry rifle, a revolver and a light
hatchet, and he set out to pursue
his journey on foot. There were
Indians above and below and
around Deadwood. They had killed
two men only the day before, and
were known to be lurking on the
paths and trails. Young King was
strongly advised against leaving
the town, but having heard that his
brother was very sick he determined
to go. He left Deadwood about
6 o'clock in the morning, there be-
ing three or four inches Of snow on
the ground.


cts like throwing that gun and
revolver into the sea, to say nothing
Of his being scalped," remarked
one of the miners as the boy set
out, and some of the men said it
was a shame for such good weapons
to be carried to the Indians.


The boy felt safe enough until a
mile or two out of DeadwOod, when
he grew more cautious. His route
lay over hills, through broken
ground and along valley, being
mapped by compass and nc trail to
follow. Three miles from Dead
wood he heard the neigh of horse,
and he at once hurried from the
open ground to the shelter of the
timber. Speeding along for half a
mile at a "dog trot," he became
certain that the Indians were on
his trail. He had seen no signs
and had heard nothing but the
neigh of the horse, but he had a
presentiment, us it We're, that the
red men had taken his broad trail
and were after him. King made
for higher ground and soon OBJ
tainel the shelter Of a mass of
rocks, which could not be handily
approached, except from one direc-
ton. He intended to secrete him
self until certain that his trail was
or was not followed, and he had
not long to wait. In the course of
seven or eight minutes nine In
dians, walking in single file, ap-
peared in view, following his steps
at a fast walk.


King could have retreated had
he SO desired, but the prospect of
a fight did not frighten him. The
odds were largely against him, but
the boy had nerve, a good position,
and he deliberately opened the bat
tie. The sayages did not know how
close they were to him until q bull
let from his rifle cut the iugular
vein of the first one and buried it.
self in the shoulder Of the next,
The first leaped from his feet and
fell back a corpse, while the second
went down, but scrambled up again
and took cover along with the
Others, so badly wounded that he
could take no part in the desperate
fighting which followed, The In
dams at first thought the boy had
Joined two or three hunters, but
after making circle around his
position they found he was entirely
alone, and they opened fire on him
from three different points. He
was safe enough in his retreat, and
waited to let them exhaust their
ammunition. AS their fire slack
ened he obtained sight of one oi
them and shot him through the
head.


The idea of a boy having killed