Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1892-07-15
"REMINISCENCES OF WILD BILL
His Feat In Killing Two Men who Had
Pistols Ieycllcd Mt Him.

His Feat In Killing Two Men who Had
Pistols Lcvciicd at Him.
Among tho prominent citizens OF
Hayes City in tho last days of Kansas
railroad building was Wild BilI'
| (William Hickok,. who had been a
| serviseablo scout In the Union army
along the Arkansas border during the
war. Bill came to Hayes City with
tho prestige OF having killed nino
, men. unassisted who had corralled
him during the war intent upon his
death. He too had followed the
X. p" railroad along every inch OF its
construction from Manhattan. His
personal appearance and the com
| piex ion OF his white handed revolvers
had become quite familiar all along
the road. and especially ut Abilene,
during its days as the terminus OF tho
Texas cattle drive where us city
| marshal there was never COW boy
who got the drop" on Bill.
Wild Bill' in those days was Tho
| Slade" OF western Kansas tho man
who Mark Twain says in 'Roughing
| 1t" was respected in Nevada for hav-
ing killed his man. In physique.
rs the writer remembers him no was
as perfect specimen of manhood rs
| ever walked in moccasins or wore a
pair OF cavalry boots and Bill was Il
| dandy at times in attire Il regular
frontier dude. He stood about 6 feet
inches tall. had a 1.-the waist and
loins broad shoulders small feet
bony and supple hands, with taperiny
fingers. qui ok TO feel the cards or pull
the trigger of revolver His hair
was auburn in hue, OF tho tint bright
ened but not reddcned by the sunlight.
lie had clean. clear-cu face clean
shaven. except a thin. dropping.
sandy brown mustache. which he wo @
and twirlcd with no success even. in
getting an upward twist at either end
Brown-haired as he was, he had clear
gray eyes. lie had splendid coun-
tenance amiable in look but firm
withal His luVur ant growth of hair
fell In ringlets over his shoulders
There was nothing in his appearance
to betoken the dead-s shot and fire uent
murderer-except his tread. Hc
walked like tiger and aroused he
|
says n writer in tho st Louis Republic
Bills means of livelihood at tho
time he was in Hayes City went un-
questioned. and there is no reason for
| agitating the subject at this late day.
AS "a killer" however Bill put him
self on record very shortly after
coming TO Hayes City. His first ex-
! plot was double shot right-and
left fusillade. The writer wltne ssed
the affair.
Two men came out OF Tom Drums
saloon and walked towards the newly
| built depot surrounded by Il raised
| platform. Each man had IL pistol
drawn. when suddenly from "a group
OF four or five crack! crack" went
two pistol shots and Wild Bill stood
on tho edge of the platform with a
| smoking bono handled revolver in
! each hand, and the two men who had
| been approaching the platfor n were
seen to totter stumble forward and
fall Death was instantaneous in each
case as. if JOve had hurled bolt at
the men. A row over cards the night
before caused the double death and n
dodble funeral as soon as the corpses
could be prepared for interment
1t was only "a few months" after
the obsequles following the demise OF
| the two gentlemen, whose taking of
has just been recorded that Wild
Bill came very near furnishing in his
! own person the subject for first
| class funeral He was sauntering
west on Front street Uraver ed by the
| railroad). when. near the corner OF
Fort street (the avenue leading to-
Fort Hayes). a small man. an Irish
man of the name of Sullivan. jumped
out in front OF Bill with a cooked re-
volver exclaiming:
Il have got you! Hold up your
hands. l am going to kill you you
-V'
Up went Bills hands Sullivan hav-
ing tho drop" on him. Sullivan then
started into u gloating isscrtation
about killing him. while BIZ stood
before him as rigid as tho Apollo Bel
videre. Opening his eyes wide and
frowning Bill in few moments ut
tered in an oSpostulatory tone-look-
ing over Sullivan's head
For Gods sake. don't stab the
man In the back! Give him chance
for his life"
Sullivan turned to 500 his enemy in
the rear-and his funeral came off the
next day. Strange to say several
years after the death of Sullivan.
Wild Bill died with his boots on" in
Wyoming while at u game OF cards. a
brother of tho Hayes City Sullivan
proving an avenger