The Elk Mountain pilot., 1881-09-15
CONASCHE BILL.
less-Ralrtd Party Who Claims to be
Gen. Terry's Private Scout

VIM. Porter; known far and wide
by the appellation of Comanche Bill,
has been for some time with Gen.
Reynolds, at Fl. Reno, and is now on
his way to join Gen. Terry's COM
mand at Parton; D. T. He came d.
rect from the Ponca country here,
riding horseback the entire district,
and, indeed, from Reno. He put up
his horse at a livery stable and at
once started out to see the town.
From here he will have his mustang
shipped to Omaha, were he will
again take saddle and proceed on his
way to Parton. Comanche disdains
all such modern conveniences as rail-
road cars, and it is only when pressed
for time that he will use them at all.
Comanche Bill is ~ years of age, but
looks much younger. No one would
take him to be over 80. He wears the
proverbial long hair, cropped closer
behind than those who affect this
style, and heavy mustache, which is
allowed to run far down on the side of
his face. He is not over five feet, ten
inches in height, with a broad chest
and brawny arms and an iron frame,
which fatigue cannot qsrcome or ex-
ertion subdue. He has a slightly
aqul'ine nose, piercing gray or dark
blue eye, and is in all respects the
typical scout and frontiersman of fact
and fiction. He is taciturn almost to
a fault and 10th to speak of himself:
In the far west his reputation as scout
guide and interpreter is great, and he
looks with scorn on such lesser lumin-
ariesas Buffalo Bill and other would
sbe heroes. When seen by the report
er Hill had already moulted his buck
skin suit and assumed sotpething ~
the, garb of ciylliza6on1 11f;;
wore Els riding boots sSnis, =
dark blue flannel shirt, ana the indie
scribable heavy felt kat, wkha depth
and curvature Of brim which would
have made quaker or stage scout
turn green With envy and die Of jaun-
dice the same night VIM. Porter
was born OF Scotch parents in Mime
sofa, 10 miles north above New Ulm,
agd lived there until the troublesome
ltimes of 1862, when the whole family
were massacred.
Haven't you sister living yet in
Minnesota" asked the reporter.
"Thar ANITA drop of my blood
flowin in the veins of any livin' hu-
man bein'," " was the sad response.
To every question as to when they
died Bill answered bluntly, "18th of
August, 1862" He then told the
story OF the massacre Of his mother
and sister, and the eyes of the sturdy
plainsmen were suffused with some
thing that looked like tears.
81 tell you it's enough to make a
man a Demon" he said; "father.
mother, sister, two cousins, an uncle,
aunt and wife, killed-killed at one
blow. l remember that little mother ;
she want no bigger'n your fist, and
she loved me like Scotch mother
can love. She used to say to father ::
Williams getting to big for you to
handle now, but she could do any
thing with me. remember she came
to me and said: well, there's a kiss
from your mither, lad and when
came back she lay across the floor with
a hole in her skull, killed by them red
devils. Father. mother; sister. two
cousins, an uncle, aunt and wife killed
at one blow. (Bill had a fancy for
repeating this phrase In his distracted
moments.) l tell you, boys, it made
a demon out of me-" and the strong
man pressed his hrnds to his head,
and threw back his long hair with a
wild gesture in the agony Of the awful
revelation.
''Who killed your mother, Bill7'
" 1t was one of Cut-nose's band. "
Is he alive yet p
Wa'al, I guess HEN never scalp
any more women"
/" Did they kill your wife, too?'
eyes; they tortured her to death.
Oh, I've had a scalp for every drop Of
blood they spilled that day." he con-