Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1885-12-12
BILLY FISHER.
Remarkable Experiences ON tn
pIa,ns-Saw HOrace

Plalns-Saw Horace Greeley.
aIhere is the most noted man among
us" said a prominent member OF the
Utah delegation, drawing a st. Louis
Republican reporters attention to a
small, full-faced man with a pair of
auare shoulders and a form as straight
as an arrow. sThat is Billy Fisher, OF
Oxford, and he has seen some tight
places, where hair-raising was as COM
mon as bees in a bottle"
Being introduced to Mr.. Fisher, the
reporter asked him for q little informa-
ton aboet himself.
"Billy" showed his modesty my max
ing an excuse to get away, bat the re-
porter held on, and finally MIR. Fisher
SAID:
SIN 1854 I left Kansas City, whacking
bulls across the plains. Not long alter
I reached Salt Lake City and engaged
as mail agent between Salt Lake and
California. The mail in those days left
twice q month from each end OF the
line, Later / ran from Ruby valley to
Reese river, a distance of 1876 miles. The
mail was strapped on a pack mules
back, and you can guess that We didn't
make railroad time. ] had not been
running the mules very long when Mil
Ter, Russell q 90. got the stage son.
tract, and the pack mule system was sb-
olished. Then / kept a station at GRAY.
ely ford, on Humboldt river, where q
white mans face was not seen once in a
month. We used to cook our
meat on q pang-going-go-pang-goo-runy
Entnh-anml-fme ma- mP-mR.1ng ~ Na
"a WHAT"
Billy smiled as he explained to his
nearer that he meant a stove, and had
merely used the Indian name tor it.
my Indian title was Tosowioh, which,
when interpreted, means White-Knife,
given to me on account of o very fine
ivory handled knife that l carried in
those days. There ] met the famous
Chief ~Paraguinump, the fellow who,
with his band of PIute warriors, massa-
creed Gen. Ormsby and a company of
United States soldiers in the year 1857.
After the pack mule was abandoned, we
had the stage line, which ran tri-weekly.
People thought that no quicker means
would ever be accomplished than the
stage line. Horace Greeley passed over
the line about that time, and l remeEl-
Der cooking his meat on the papg-."
aNever mind the stove" suggested the
reporter, and Bill continued:
"Old Horace vas loved very dearly by
Western people and when he reached
Placerville, Gal, the people tore his coat
OH him and ripped it into shreds, keep.
ing them as souvenirs. MIR. Greeley was
accompanied by Ben Holiday, the
greatest stage man the west has ever
known. A few years later the stage
coach was neglected as a mail carrier,
and the pony express was o. established.
Il was the first mar said Mr.. Fisher
modestly, selected to make O trip. 1t
was from Ruby Valley, New, to Butte
station, then called kobbers's Roost. /
made my first ride, q distacce of forty
five miles, with only two horses, In three
hours and ten minutes. Six months
later the Go-shoot Indians took to the
war path, killing thirteen of our riders,
station keepers and water haulers. l
was then making q ride, carry
ing the mail from Ruby to Salt Lake, a
d%istrance of three hundred miles.
The Indians, iuhifant over their VIC.
tories, seemed to forget that I would be
along, and camped Tor the night. They
did not notice me until / had passed,
then they mounted and took after me.
It was q race for life, pony against pony.
For five hours we kept going, they fir
ing ut me with rifles and arrows. For.
tunately their aim was poor and my
pony proved the beat of the lot, and
loon | left them far behind. I reached
Salt Lake City in safety, mail and ell,
having made the trip IN thirty two
hours, using seventeen horses. / didn't
get q wink of sleep during that time.
The horse thatsavsd my life wal called
Bucking Billy. On him I made seventy.
i've miles in six hours. My escape was
miraculous. When I dismounied my
saddle was riddled with bullets, but my
horse and myself we're not touched.
.sThe pony express lasted eighteen
months then came the telegraph. At
one time four of us we're showed up In
the mountains with no means of obtain
ing food, when Providence SEM us q
stray wolf, which Ralf Lozier killed, and
we all partook of q hearty meal. Poor
Ralph, he is dead now, having fell a
victim to the knife of the Piutes, and his
scalp adorns some wigwam to-day. One
Ct the most touching scenes, and act of
heroism of western life has never been
made public. 1t Happened in this way:
John Apologize WAS stationed at Dry
creek With several Others, when they
were attacked by Indians. All were
killed except APPLICABLE, who was
wounded. Silas McCandles and La-
Fayette Ball, two former riders of the
line, were oamped a few miles away.
They heard the firing and ran to the as
sistance OF their fellowmen. They
were Mortified at the scene. APP
plegate was too badly wound
ed to move, and begged the boys to run
for their lives. The Indians returned
and outnumbered the gallant boy twenty
to one. They refused to run, and John
took his pistol and blew out his brains
30 that the boys could save themselves.
/ was at Deep creek at the time, 2O5
miles Rway. The ncws of the death of
my friends reached me and I made the
run in twenty-five hours, using three
horses. Two companies of cavalry were
dispatched under Lieuts. Weed and
Perkins, and the marauding Indians
were wiped out of existence"
MIR. Fisher is now fifty years of age,
but can mount a broncho as actively as
ever. He is at present engaged in mer-
chandising and cattle raising, and has q
pretty home among the valleys and daies
of Utah.
Purdy 8 Brecht,
The druggists. who are always looking
after the interest of their customers, have