Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1891-03-07
A Description of Coyote a Trego
County City of 1853.
[ Continued from last week. J


Many episodes of these air towns do
not partake of the usual serio-comic char
acter, but are all tragedy. Gunshot Frank
and Sour Bill, two noted DULLES, quarrel
ed. Each armed himself with revolver,
put spade on the left shoulder, and with
a few friends started off for spot near
the buttes to fight duel. The plan was
that after arriving on the ground each
man should dig grave for the other, and
then, exchanging places, fight on the
edges. But before the work was half done
Gunshot made an imprudent remark, and
Bill shot him through the abdomen. The
dead mans friends at once fell upon the
murderer, and one of them broke in his
head with the spade. At night two men
slept in the graves their own hands had
helped to dig. The most astonishing crop
the plains ever produced was the one of
"Bill" heroes. If an ambitious frontiers
man named William CHANGED to see an
Indian or kill few bison, he at once took
unto his name an addition, and became a
character. But let it not be supposed
he was hero among his companions. To
them he ever remained plain Bill, or. at
the best, with Jones or Brown added, as
the case might be. l remember one par
ticular teamster whose name was William
Hobbs. He could not have placed bull
let from his carbine in barn door at one
hundred PAGES. And yet, without any
provocation whatever, he seized upon the
word California and wore it, although
that wonderful State had never, to my
certain knowledge, been favored with his
presence. This man had not been cut out
for hero. His becoming one was in di.
rect violation of natures laws. He was
fat, short of wind, red-faced and timid as
hare. AS the frontiersmen expressed
it, having never lost any Indians, he
could not be induced by any consideration
to find one. However, by lying in wait
for tourists and correspondents, he often
managed to get business as a guide. He
had donned suit of buckskin made in
st. Louis, and would state to the gaping
stranger, "My names California Bill
here; over thar it's 'Pache, on count of
my fighting the tribe" He could not
have told one of the latter from digger;
yet soon the Eastern papers came back
with thrilling descriptions of this noted
scout and Indian slayer. "Iron muscles
wrapped in buckskin, piercing eyes, dead
shot at redskins" and so forth. And yet
have known this dead shot to miss, four
times In succession, bison at fifty yards;
and on one occasion, having mistaken
Mexican herder for an Indian, he fed so
fast and far that he lost hat and pistol
and ruined his horse. After this he was
fain to go East and perambulate Broad
way in long hair and dirty buckskin, and
be heralded by open-mouthed newsboys
as "Forny Bill, the Teller what chaws up
the Injun nation" These specimens are
also apt to fall upon some cheap story
writer, who embalm them as heroes, and
gives them the entres of saloons and no.
tells. But when forced back by want to
the haunts of the frontier, the breeches of
skin, and broad hat, and swagger are put
away, and the usual garments of the plain
adopted. Out there, where the poverty
of spirit lurking beneath is known, a
lions skin does not change the character
of the animal borrowing it.
Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill, whom I
met often on the plains, much more fairly
deserved their names. The former knew
first as teamster, then bartender, and
finally as scout. He certainly knew more
about the plains than any one I ever met
Wild Bill, during the years that was
cognizant Of his actions, filed at intervals
the positions of scout, saloon-keeper, re-
fugee, and sheriff. The number of peo-
pie I knew him to kill was five, three at
Hays and two ct Abilene. 1t seems as If
such men as Bill were designed by provi-
dence to act as a sort of carnivore for
keeping down the increase Of their spe-
cies. In all Of my residence upon the