The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-09-02
An Indian Killer Interyiewed-A
Talk With Camanche Bill.


There has been stopping in this city
for a couple Of days past one Of those
characters who have made Tor them
selves celebrity for their courage and
daring on the plains of the far West,
among the Indians and the buffalo, in
recounting whose deeds, hair-breadth
escapes and peculiar life, the pages OF
romance are filled. The person to
whom we refer is no less a character
than "Camanche Bill, who is reputed to
be the slayer of no less than 1873 In
dams. He has been nine years on the
plains, part Of which time he has been
in the employ Of the government as
scout. He has hunted and killed In
dams for the pleasures Of revenge, and
and hunted and trapped OF necessity.
He is now on his return to his old Lille in
the West, having been on visit to his
early home in Minnesota. He is about
twenty-eight years of age, Of slender
build, sandy complexion, with pro-
fusion OF hair that he wears long on his
neck. His dress is a pair of buckskin
pants, ornamented from the outer seams
with row Of steel buttons, coarse
shirt, an old coat, and a broad-brimmed
hat. His eye is piercing keen, and he
has grip like dozen blacksmiths.
In response to our questions he said:
My name is George w. Porter. l
have been on the plains since go. |
was in the Minnesota massacre, near
New Elm, the 18th of August Of that
year. All my folks we're killed, ex-
cept me and my little sister three years
old, whom they took prisoner"
Where was you ??
81 was away at the military station
on business; went the day before. The
first / knew OF the massacre, l was
coming along the road on my way home,
when saw little way ahead o: me a
wagon filled with women and children
that the settlers had sent to the station
for protection. Just then | saw the
Indians pounce upon them, and | lodged
into woods. / could hear the hatchets
crushing into their heads. They killed
EN- all-every one.
What did you do?"
'"They scalped 'em, and when the
coast was clear | got out, and pretty
soon along came company OF cavalry,
and we buried them"
why didn't you follow after the In
dians?"
Il had no horse, and the captain
didn't want his men to 60. You see
that was in '62, and everything was
topsy-turvy."
did YOU visit the scene Of the massa-
ere at New Elm p
Eyes. / went there the next day,
and saw my father and mother all
scalped and cut up, and my sister was
gone. l swore by the eternal God l
would never rest until had revenge
bloody revenge.
Did you get any traces Of your
sister,"
why, yes; they was the Yankon,
Shawnee and Sioux Indians, and l
knowed them pretty well. | learned
that they had her. | knowed what
they do with her."
You have not been successful in
your efforts to secure herr
mo; Won see, single-handed and
alone, man don't stand much chance.
That's what l had been doing all the
time. Once, in Arizona, was right in
sight of her. The way l knowed it was
her was, | had been on the trail Of the
band of Sioux that had her long time,
and she was the only white person they
had. This was in '65, and then she
looked Just like mother. | waited and
watched and watched, and picked an
Indian off every little while, when he'd
get mile or too from camp, but twas
no use. They kept too good watch over
her"
"Were You ever captured 2
"Yes. The Blackfoots captured. me
and jim Braden in Ct, when we were
out hunting. They came on us with
rush, but they didn't get us though
until l had killed one young buck"
What did they do with your
"They marched about twenty-five
miles to their camp, and there they
stripped us of everything we had, and
tied us to a stake and let the women
pound us with clubs. They did this
every day for eight days. We were
tied with buckskin thongs, and one
night it rained and we slipped out OF
them when they got wet Jim got
away all right, but just as | was gett'n
my things on an old squaw woke up
and gave the alarm. There was but
four Indians in the camp. The rest
had gone on hunt. l run, with only
nv knife. Thev came up to me, and l
had desperate fight One shot had
hit me in the left arm" exhibiting the
scar) al cut and .slashed the buck
that had got hold OF me, and finally
gave him one under the ribs, so he
Won't tie any more thongs. And he
cut me here, too, here, and here, (show-
ing scars on his arm, neck and breast')
"The other bucks never come near, Tor
I'd got this bucks gun afore he'd reach
ed US" MN,
The rest of "Camanche Bills story
how he followed his sister among the
Camanches, and had a fight with the
white chief of that nation, and other
equally interesting accounts, we shall
have to omit. But if our readers wish
to to- see a genuine frontiersman, they
should call upon the Indian hghter