Connecticut western news., 1875-11-19
THE BUFFALO BILL SCHOOL.

THE BUFFALO BILL SCHOOL.
 A Writer Tells us Something About Them
 and their Peculinritles.
 A writer in Harper's. describing the Western towns which spring up so sud- denly on lines of new roads, says: The most astonishing crop the plains ever produced was the one of "Bill heroes If an ambitious frontiersman named William chanced to see an Indian or kill few bison, he at once took unto his name an addition, and became & char acter. But let it not be supposed he was hero among his companions. To them he ever remained plain Bill, or, at the best, with Jones or Brown added, as the case might be-. remember one particular teamster whose name was William Hobbs. He could not have placed bullet from his carbine in barn door at one hundred paces. And yet, without any provocation whatever, he seized upon the word California and wore it, although that wonderful State had never, to my certain knowledge, been favored with his presence. This man had not been cut out for hero. His becoming one was in direct viola tioh of nature's laws. He was fat, short of wind, red-faced, and timid as a hare AS the frontiersmen expressed it, having never lost any Indians, he could not be induced by any consideration to find one. However, by lying in wait for tourists and correspondents, he often managed to get business as 8 guide. He had donned suit of buckskin made in St. Louis, and would state to the gaping stranger: "My name's California Bill here over thar it's 'Pache, on count of my fightin' the tribe." He could not have told one of the latter from Dig ger yet soon the Eastern papers came back with thrilling descriptions of this noted scout and Indian slayer. {" Iron muscles wrapped in buckskin, piercing eyes, dead shot at red skins," and so forth. And yet have known this dead shot to miss, four times in succession, @ bison at fifty yards and on one occa- sion, having mistaken Mexican herder for an Indian, he fed so fast and far that he lost hat and pistol and ruined his horse. After this he was fain to go East and perambulate New York in long hair and dirty buckskin, and be heralded by open-mouthed newsboys as Forny Bill, the feller what chaws up the Injun Hation." These specimens are also apt to fall upon some cheap story writer, who embalms them as heroes, and gives them the e,atree of saloons and hotels. But when forced back by want to the haunts of the frontier, the brooches of skin, broad hat, and swagger are put away, and the usual garments of the plain adopted. Out there, where the poverty of spirit lurking beneath is known, 8 lions skin does not change the character of the animal borrowing it.
 Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill, whom I met often on the plains, much mo, @ fairly deserved their names. The form CT I knew first as teamster, then bar tender, and finally scout. He certainly knew more about the plains than any one I ever met. Wild Bill, during the years that was cognizant of his actions, filled at intervals the positions of scout, number of persons knew him to kill Abilene. It seems as if such men as Bill were designed by Providence to act as port of carniYore for keeping down the increase of { cir species. In all of my residence up!.l the frontier, during which time sixty 70 graves were filled by violence, in no case was the murder otherwise than benefit to society. The dangerous class killed within it's own circle, but never courted justice by shedding better blood. Orderly people looked on with something like satisfac- tion, as at wolves rending each other. The snarl was the click of revolver, and the bite followed the bark. These -~1~ . out candle or life at thirty paces.
 remember one instance in which the power of mind over the brute force represented by these characters was odd, ly developed. The writer was one of a party which embraced Senator Ben Wade, and which had paused for a | nights rest at the new town. Retiring to our rooms in the hastily constructed hotel, we listened on the creaking beds | to the strange sounds around. The partitions between apartmeI ts were but six feet high, and sound flowed freely over the whole floor. Under the win dow was tumult of drunken Texans, and man in some far off room was having 8 desperate struggle with his boots. They were tight, and he was "tight;;" and after fruitless struggle we heard him crawling between the sheets with the remark If the land lord wants them boots off, let him come and take them off himself" We knew when anybody was turning over, ol when brush was laid down in any part of the house. Every creak and stamp and snore was reported faithfully to oul ears.
 Presently there arose an unusual brawl in the office below, and up the main stairs came stumbling drunken Texan
 He knew that Senator Wade was in town, but had no idea he was in this particular house. We could hear him all the way up anathematizing the Senator, and fate in wild freak plunged him into the room adjoining Wade's. Sprawling up on the bed, our Texan, in drunken ao cents, commenced informing the powers of the night that he wished the Indiau, would "scalp old Ben Wade," as he had no business "comin' into this yere country" Over and over again was the wish loudly expressed, to the annoyance of all on the floor, but none dared re monstrate. Soon the Senator's be6 creaked ominously. We wore alarmed
 Ohio wrath was evidently rising, anG l visions of bloody encounters with long