Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 April 1877 — “The Man from Michigan.” [ARTICLE]

“The Man from Michigan.”

That’s the name he -goes by in the Black Hills. A boy of sixteen, lightly built, a 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 fighters ever displayed the cool courage and steady nerve which that boy from Wayne Chanty exhibited one day last November as he went out from Dead wood City to visit a 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 alight hatchet, and be set out to pursue his journey on foot. There were Indians above and below and around

Dead wood. 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 was determined to go. He left Dead wood about nine o’clock in the morning, there being three or four Inches of show on the ground. "It’s 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 oat, 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 lulls through broken ground and along a valley, being mapped by compass and no trail to follow. Three miles from Deadwood be heard the neigh of a horse, and he at once hurried from the open ground to the shelter of 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, as it were, that the rad men had taken his broad trail and were after him. King made for higher ground and soon obtained the shelter of a mass of rocks, which could not be handily approached, except froth one direction. lie intended to secrete himself 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 Indians, walking in single file, appeared 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 battle. The savages did not know how close they were to him until a bullet from his rifle cut the jugular vein of the first one and buried itself 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 omens, so badly wounded that he could take no part in the desperate fighting which followed. The Indians at first thought the boy had ioined two or three hunters, but after making a 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 slackened he obtained sight of one of them and shot him through the head. The idea of a boy having killed two of theii number and wounded a third drove the remaining six savages to desperation, and they left the cover of their trees and charged on his position, yelling fiercely, as they advanced on a run. He had not expected such a maneuver, but was not taken altogether by surprise. He wounded one of them in the wrist by a shot from his rifle, and when they were upon him he threw down his gun and peppered away with bis revolver. “They ware right upon me, sad we were all blazing away at once,” he afterward explained, but the boy was too many for them. The cowardly reds retreated after a moment, having wounded King in the side, in the leg, and in the cheek. In return two of them carried away some of his lead, but were not too-badly wounded to use their rifles afterward. The gang hauled off for atime, and then one of them crawled as near as he could and shouted in broken .English: “White boy come out—me no hurt him!” '

BuJ, the white boy was going to stay right there for a while yet. He knew the treacherous nature of the savages around him, and he believed he could whip the whole crowd, wounded as he was. The Indian, finding that young King could not be enticed "from his position, returned and reported, and for an hour all was quiet. The boy was beginning to hope that they had withdrawn for good, when a savage appeared in view on the left and wanteerto hold a talk. He indulged in furious gestures, danced around and made every effort to attract King’s attention to him’and keep it there. “ White boy veiy brave—won’t hurt white boy—like to talk to brave white boy ?” he called out, as he danced around. Meanwhile the rest of the band were sneaking up from the other direction, calculating on shooting King in the back as he watched the single Indian. He suspected the trick, saw them coming, and, drawing a fair bead on the “ talker,” he dropped the fellow as dead as a crow-bar. Those skulking up numbered four, being all the Indians left alive and unwounded out of the nine first sighted. They did not rush, as the boy expected. On the contrary, they hurriedly retreated, and little time was lost by them in getttng out of the neighborhood. The boy waited till three o’cjock in the afternoon before leaving his retreat, and then, his clothing stiff with blood, lie pursued his journey, reaching his brother’s camp about dark in safety. The men would not credit his story, though his three wounds were plain proof of a Dloody contest. The next day a band of a dozen went over to the scene of the fight, and when they 4ad taken a survey they could no longer doubt the boy’s story. They found trails of »blood everywhere around his position, and trails in the snow where the dead Indiana aSE been dragged along, and the defense was voted one of the bravest ever made against the savages. A boy without sign of heard, and looked upon as hardly fit to carry a pistol around, had wounded or destroyed five out of nine redskins who had anticipated securing bis scalp without filing more than one shot. It wasn’t enough for the miners to pat the boy on the back and give him all due praise, but to further honor and distinguish him they called him “ The Man from Michigan.” There are other men from Michigan there, hut young King has the sole honor of being the man, and of being looked upon as the representative of the Wolverine State.— Detroit Free Free*.

Germany sends annually into the for market about 130,000 fox skins, of which 30,000 come from Bavaria and 22,000 from Prussia. Of other skins her average annual produce is 30,000 pine martens, 60,. 000 stone martens, 280,000 polecats, 8,000 otteia, 8,000 badgers and 600,000 hare skins, which last aroused by the felt hatmakers. Of rabbit skins the annual yield of Germany is only 800,000 to 6,000,000 in France . The skins of 400,000 domestic catsincomplete the list. It is reported that Genesee County, N. Y., the past year, sold $99,000 worth of apples, while $128,000 worth were kept for sale and for domestic use, making in all $334,000 worth of Apples. The apple crop of Orleans Countv was sold for $240,000 _ - r All potatoes should be planted early, whether an early or late variety.— l<nta State Register. '' v '