Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-02-17
AN EARLY DAY In nEADwooD
The Alarming Features of Iifa, in a
Western Mining Camp.

A party of old-timers were sitting in
a well-known resort recently IN Denver.
discussing past events and characters of
those days. The conversation drifted
on various affairs from the days of 40
in California to the exciting events
which occurred in Nevada. Montana.
Dakota, wyoming and Colorado. The
camps which had sprung from a small
collections of tents and cabins to pros
porous cities. only perhaps to be desert
ed at the end of the season, where
spoken OF In turn, and the personal re-
mlnlscences were many. When the
Black Hills excitement was reached
one of the gentlemen spoke up as though
that part of the conversation was of
particular interest to him, and he knew
whereof lie was talking.
II tell you, boys, the early dayS of
Deadwood were hard to beat. I'ye fol-
lowed mining eXcitements for about
thirty years; been in all of 'em, in fact,
and in all my experience / never run
across nothing like it.,
The speaker was interrupted by gene
raj words of assent.
The day that Wild Bill was killed
there was the day of days. What an
eXcltementl On the night before there
had been killing at Gayville, near by,
and there was great excitement about
the lynching that was sure to follow.
The news being brought to Deadwood
was the first excitement of the day.
During the forenoon a man was cruelty
butchered In the street, and this event
was followed, few hours later, by
McCaull assassinating Wild Bill, in
Saloon. The population of the town
was wild when the news spread, and
there is no telling what would have
been the result of the day had not mat
ters been strangely turned. Citizens
were assembled in the street discussing
the Wild Bill affair, and an old fellow,
standing on a carpenter bench. was har
ranguing the crowd. when a man on
horseback came dashing down the street
swinging something in his hands.
When the mad horseman drew up, the
something was found to be an In
dlanS's head, and it was being swung
about by the heavy top-knot of halr.
The harranguer stopped talking and the
crowd surrounded the man on horse
back. The head was reeking with blood,
aNA-Na NAAN hbADNhliil
The fellow explained that in fight Just
had with the Indians the whites had
been victorious, and this was trophy
OF the battle. Well, a victory over the
Indians was good news for the people
OF DeadwOod, and for time the Wild
Blll and other excitements of the day
were lost sight Of 4 crowd of men
ssere seen going from saloon to saloon,
bearing tie Indians head with them,
celebrating the victory, although 1t was
a poor victory, for more whites were
killed than Indians. The head was set |
upon the bar and the men drank their |
liquor to toasts TO the men who had !
slain the Indians. Had this little incl |
dent not occurred 1t is pretty safe to |
say that the man that shot Wild Bill 1
would have been visited by the vigil |
antes.u
''TheIe was a good deal that has
never been told about the killing of /
Wild Bill'," continued the speaker, |
after pause. sit was a cold -blooded 4
murder, and McCaull deserved a lesson |
from the vigilantes. He didn't even
know Bill, and killed him like ruflian. !
BIZ had a passion for playing seven-up |
with pilgrims for the drinks and lying to .
them about his exploits, He could lie |
about as fast as a horse could tTOt /
about some things. Well, he was
playing bis favorite game one afternoon |
n a--august-Bill was killed August |
lS.. 1876, you know-when McCaull |
entered and shot him IN the back Of the
lead, the same ball also wounded Cap
tain Massey, who was playing with
Bill, In the arm. Massey, you know.
claimed a great reputation as fighter.
but when the shot was fired he took to
his neels, and | guess never did stop
running. Bill fell on his face, dead on
the instant. Tom Mulqueen, now of
Denver, was the first man TO 90 into
the saloon after the shooting, having
been on the sidewalk in front at the
time. He turned Bill over on his back,
but, finding him dead, he turned his
attention TO the murderer, who drew
his revolver down on Tom and ordered
him to keep away. Tom was not armed
at the time, but he went and got rife,
and he and another man started out
after the murderer. They expected
McCaull would resist and they went
prepared for fight, McCaull was found
on the street, and Tom got the drop on
him with rife. The fellow squealed
Ike a pig Under gate and asked that
his life be spared. He was taken in
custody without trouble. He was given
A trial before a miners Jury in Jack
l.angrisbe's theater. He got off by ly-
ING to the miners, telling them that Bill
had killed his brother in Texas two
years ago, and he had been bounding
him ever since. This excuse seemed 10
satisfy the miners and they let him go.
That was before there was any govern
ment in Deadwoo1.
"After his release McCaull swOre
On Tom Mulqueen, threat
ening to kill him on sight. This was
NOT nIeasant to Tom, and as conse-
oueace. when legal proceedings were
becun against McCaull. Tom took the
lead in hunting down the murderer,
who had then left the country. Tom
followed his nan on hot tran Tor
weeks and would have got him had the
Officers not got him in Laramie City
inst before Tom got there. Tom had
been deputized a deputy United States
marshal. and his travelling companion
in wyoming when following the muir
derer's trail was Deputy Sheriff Foster.
"McCaull was taken to Yankton,
found guilty and hanged. a lawyer
who was in Deadwood at the time of
the murder, and who made vow that
he would 1--we to prosecute and bring
the murderer to justice, conducted the
prosecution and made his word good.
.sDeadwood never experienced such a
ilav as August Is, 1876"