The Portland daily press., 1875-11-10
The 'Bill'' Heroes, Including Our Friends
"Buifalo'' and sEWiId.o

The most astonishing crop the plains ever
produced was the one of "Bill" heroes. IL an
ambitious frontiersman named William chanc.
ed to see an Indian or kill few bison. he at
once took unto his name an addition. and be-
came a character. 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 160 PAGES. And yet without any
provocation whatever, he seized upon the word
California and wore it, although that wonder
tul state had never, 10 my certain knowledge.
been favored with his presence. This man had
not been cut out for hero. His becoming one
was direct violation of Datures's laws He
was fat, short OF wind, red-faced, and timid as
hare. As the frontiersmen expressed it, hav-
ing never lost any Indians, he could not be in
duced by any consideration to find one How
ever, by lying in wait for tourists and CORE
spondents, he often managed to get business
as guide He had donDed suit Of buckskin
made in st, Louis, and would state to the gap
ing stranger, "My names California BIZ here;
over thar it's 'Pache, on count of my fghtn'
the tribe" He could not have told one of the
latter from Digger; yet soon The eastern pa.
peis came back with thrilling descriptions of this
noted scout and Indian slayer. 'Iron muscles
"i"pESo III uuChShiuJ plcICluS eyes, ~ ucdu
shot at redskins, and so forth. And yet |
have known this dead shot TO miss, four times
in succession, bison at fifty yards; and on one
occasion, having mistaken q Mexican herder for
an Indan,h fled so fast and far that he lost hat
and pistol and ruined his horse After this he
was tain to go East and perambulate Broadway
| in long hair and dirty buckskin, and be herald
| ed by open mouthed newsboys as "Forpy Bill.
| the feler what chaws up the Ipun nation"
| These specimens are also apt TO fall upon some
| cheap story writer, who embams them as
heroes, and gives them the entire of saloons and
hotels But wren forced back by want to the
| haunts of the frontier, the breeehes 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, lions skin does not change the char
| acfer OF the animal borrowing it, Buffalo Bill
and Wild Bill, whom met often on the plans,
much more fairly deserved their names. The
former l knew first as teamster, then bar-tend-
| er, and finally scout. He certainly knew more
| about the plains than any one ever met Wild
| Bill, during the year was cognizant Of his
actions, filled at intervals the position of scout
saloon keeper, refugee. and sheriff The num-
| Der of persons knew him to kill was five, three
| at Hays and two at Abilene. 1t seems as IT
| such men as Bill were designed by Providence
| to act as sort of carnivora for keeping down
the increase of their species. In all of my resi-
| dence upon the frontier, during which time 81
| graves were filled by violence, in no case was
l the murder other than benefit to society,"
| w. e. w. in Harpers for November