Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-02-08

THE KILLING OF WILD BILL.
When we get the worlds fair II will be
| the same way. The American is not an
| aquatic bird, but rather newer of wood
and vender of town lots. He riseth up in
| the morning while 1t Is yet night, and
| saith unto himself, / will buy farm in
Anoka county, and will lay il out in lots,
and will also lay out the gentle ass that
buyeth the same, and 1 will make him for
to bray before the evening has come, for
behold he shall call for room at an inn and
shall record his name thereat, and the
name wherewithal he shall record himself
will be Dennis
Birdie" South Brooklyn, n. Y, asks.
H,i,, Wh9 was was Wild Bill, and how did he die
Wild Bill was q gentleman named Hick-
ock, and he did not reck aught for any
one. 1t was said that he had a most pecu-
liar thorax. All his ribs and breast bones
were so closely united that his heart and
side lights were encased in bony pan
oply almost imperious to a bullet, and he
was frequently spoken of as the man with
the hunting case thorax and Bessemer
| works. He could drink, or he could let 1t
alone, 80 he divided up the time In such a
way that he would lot III alone mostly
while engaged in slumber.
brave but crossed eyed man at Dead
wood in the spring of rs, as he sat at a
card table in one of the social centres of
that city, playing progressive euchre.
Wild Bill wore profuse hair, in which at
early spring time the swallows were wont
to build their nests and rear their young.
The murderer of Wild Bill, after his
crime, came at once on horseback from
Deadwood to my town, where through
strong political influence l got an intro
duction to him. He talked pleasantly and
even kindly to me, although he had denied
himself to all other reporters and held
himself aloof from the general public.
Hel was rather plain in appearance, and
yet l can truthfully say that among all
the murderers l have known, and who
have written in my autograph album, he
was the most unostentatious and least
puffed up by his sudden elevation He
told me that he only regretted that he had
not fitted himself for the position to which
he found himself SO suddenly elevated.
On the day of his execution he ate a
hearty breakfast of ham and eggs, angel
food, pork sausage, blanc mango, calves ,
liver, custard pie, mackerel, snow pud-
ding and Goldfish balls He then wrote
in steady hand the following sentiment
in an album for a beautiful young lady
who tried to get him pardoned:
"DEAR ONE.l hope you will try to
live blameless life, so that you can meet
me in heaven. Yours,
ROBERT" "
All his advice to every one was good.
He even told the clergyman who went
with him TO the scatfold that he must not
be weary IN well doing, but strive on
through life and he would surely obtain
his reward.
He was dressed in his best suit of clothes.
AS he went to the scaffold, he carried a
bouquet of choice orchids, given him by
the Young Ladies' Band of Crime Pre-
venters.
When asked If he had anything to say
before his death he only smiled sweetly,
laid his chew of tobacco on the cross piece
of the scatfold and said: Ladies and
gentleman, I'm going home to die no more.
I cannot make speech, but am resolved,
from this out to lead blameless life.
hope you will all do the same, so that you
can meet me in that bright land to which
j am now going to-" At this point the
great weight of his overshoes broke his
neck, and he passed on to receive his
reward Skeptical people were afraid that
he had been IA little over sanguine regard
ing the future state, bat hoped that he had,
as a old distiller expressed it, become one
of the rectitied spirits.