The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-04-21
BUFFALO BILL.
'The Widest Man In Kentucky and the Shay
giest Man In America"


"The widest Man in Kentucky and the shag.
giest Man in America
As reporter of The Louisville Courier flour
nal stepped into the Jail in quest of news, he
was collared by Unified States off Ger, who put
to him, in tone of meaning, the question,
"Have you got the item about the capture Of
Buffalo Bill?" i.4-. '--
This was rather startling to the reporter, who
mad never thought of running on news item
Of such thrilling interest as the capture of the
for details. 81 don't mean the scout of the
plains, but the veritablc Buffalo Bill from the
mountains Of Kentucky" replied the officer, IN
answer to the question of the reporter as to the
identity of the person in hook
"The officers have been after him for q long
time" continued the officer, "but he was too
wary for them, and always avoided their
clutches until me and Bill (he's my partner)
nabbed him. He's wild as the untamed
deer, and has proven much harder to catch.
don't believe we could have taken him alive if
we hadn't surprised HIM. He lives in the woods
and was always armed He could bring fell
low down every pop at forty yards with that
old howitzer of his that he called cold Lon
doner."
ssWhen did you effect his capture and where?"
asked the reporter
ellis home Is in the mountains of Wayne
county, aud you see it is mighty dangerous to
tackle one of those raccoOns. Well, Bill and
me have been after him for a long time for re-
sisting warrant. 1t was about week ago
when we caught him. We took our positions
in a neck Of woods where we had full view of
his house, and we waited for him. About dark
we saw him coming along toward the house
with the butt end OF his old Londoner sticking
out of his pants pocket We waited till he had
gone in, and then crept along till wo got to
the door where We halted to make an inspec-
ton of tho promises. Finding everything in
our favor we rushed in on the old fellow. and
discharged my pistol at his feet The old fell
low rolled his eyes in bewildered kind of way
and saw we would nave no trouble III making
him our meat. I made him hand over his old
gun, and then we marched him off. We brought
him here last night. He is about the widest
man in Kentucky, and is the shaggiest man in
America If the hair On his body was combed
out, it was measure that leHgth" and the Of
ticer marked off about six inches on his hand.
els he still here in jail?' queried the re-
porter, with moro curiosity.
80, yes, you bet he's here, and is liable to
say. too for some time.'
''He must be curiosity" remarked the re-
porter, who wound up by proposing visit to
him in his cell.
The officer readily assentet, and showed The
room, in which were confined about a hundred
of the sorriest-looking prisoners that we're
ever within walls, and called several times for
Burnett" At length man, with rather long
black locks inclined to be curly, made his ap-
pearance: but, instead of the widest man the
reporter ever saw, about as meek man as
ever he encountered peered through the bars
and asked what was wanted. The reporter
engaged him in conversation and learned no
had wife and seven children dependent on
him for support He was expecting to give
bond and was anxious to get back to them. As
he leaned against the bars, his arms were ex-
posed to some extent but the reporter observed
no unusual amount of the capillary substance.
As for Old Londoner, he said he reserved him
for larger game than United States officers. He
. talked like an old farmer, and did not appear
to be at all dangerous or desperate. With the
exception of the time he was in the Second
Kentucky regiment in tbs late war, this is, he
says, the only time he has been out of the i'm
mediate vicinity of his birth place in the
mountains Of Wayne county.