The sun., 1893-12-17
HOW WILD BILL DIED.
sHor IN THE BACE BIZ a coWARDLH
CONsPIRl1OR AND Assassin.

| sf the Famous PIsiss-ss-How Biir
| Fsrd, Charley utter. Followed the Mur
! ssrer Through the Courts 90 the scnnoid
To TIE EDrroR OF TINS SUN-Sir: In TIL
| Bun a few days ago there appeared a lit
| tie article. copied from the Denper Repub-
hcdn. and headed. How Wild Bill Died.
The article. as a fairy tale. IL not uuln.
| terestinR It gives what purports to be an
Interview with Mr.. Adler, " who has known
almost all the pioneers OF the West and
was a friend OF that picturesque figure In
Western history. Wild Bill" This Mr.. Ad-
ler." we are told. was within u few PAGES oI
Wild Bill when that celebrated man was killed
and knows all about 1t. According to him. Wild
Bill was a card SHARP who occupied the sam Q
cabin" with "McCaull. I" who shot him. The two
OF them we're In the habit OF fleeing strangers.
in partnership. and It was over one OF these
cheery little affairs that they fell out This is
the gist OF the tale. but It has some other
rather fine details in the line of fiction. For
instance. Mr.. Adler" tells the Denver Repub-
hcdn how Wild Bill made his first appearance
in Deadwood one day. with his long yellow
hair pouring down his shoulders. his SOM
brero cooked sideways on his head and with
two ivory-handled pistols in their holsters.
swinging at either side" He was. IL seems.
AN inveterate card player. and cheated and
robbed at the tables with the easiest grace i'm
aginable." And. when "McCaul" finally shot
his alleged partner in the back Of the head
Wild Bill fell over with his face among the
poker chips. stone dead"
Good liars are. as q rule. shy about going
into details. 1t is in little places that fraud
ulent armor 10 fatally defective. II Mr.. Ad-
ler." whoever he may be. had merely stated
that he was near Wild Bill when the termina-
ton OF that frontiersman's career occurred
and had stood pat" there would have been
nobody to deny his statement, and he might
have continued to pose as the familiar OF pio-
neers in general and this one In particular.
But tho facts In regard to "Mr. Ader's" story
are that Wild Bill did not live with "McCaulp
(whose name. by tho way. was "McCall") in q
cabin. nor did he live in a cabin at all. Wild
Bill did not have long yellow hair"
but brown hair: his two ivory-h han
died pistols" were Just one od-fash-
ioned Colts revolver Of the regulation
army pattern, with blue steel barrel and wood
en- handle. There were no poker chips used
In the game where he was killed. and at cards
he stood about as much chance OF cheating
anybody as bull pup would stand OF making
a Jurgensen chronometer. myself am not o
dazzling export In the art OF poker. but in
single day won from Wild Bill forty freeze
outs. ne winning two.
The last days Of this mans life In Dead
wood were interesting. l know all about
them. because was there. was the guest OF
Wild Bill and his partner. and lived with
them The partner was q natty. handsome.
courageous little man named Charles Utter.
He was called Colorado Charley, and was
the dandy OF that country. He wore beaded
fringed leegings and coat. hand
some trousers, fine linen. revolvers mounted
In gold. silver. and pearl. and a belt with a big
silver buckle. He was blond. with long hair
and Q moustache and imperial. and Calamity
Jane." who bossed . dancehouse. had II as her
,ole am bition. aside from the consumption OF
Ill the red liquor In the gulch. to win him. Mr..
Utter had one habit that was rather start |
ing In that community. He took bath every |
morning. and people used to come out and |
Iiew the process with interest not wholly I'M
mixed with wonder.
lame. by the way was J. b. Hickockj used TO |
i've across tho creek from the main part OF the |
.wo lines OF shanties along the sides % Of an ip. E
sgular mass OF stnmps and mud: which |
0r%sd the sSsa5y n Utter slept
ie had real mirror, and real combs. brushes. |
azors and wisp brooma Bill was less flnicky
overed wagon, rolled up in an army blanket.
Every morning, lust before breakfast. he used
,oots. tie his hair in knot at the back OF his
read. shove his big revolver down inside the
yaistband OF hiS trousers. and run like \
printer down the gulch to the nearest saloon.
n few minutes he would come strolling
,eck with cocktail or two slowed away
Vhere it would DO tho most good. and would
II Is true that he played cards a good deal
day na To
now It: And. besIdes. the crowd that WAS
avs was fine sort Of gathering for a poker
harp , to daily with Il was probably by ali
one community virginia 03ft Gity. 'IfTiotfr fioehs
,heyennHs e. HLaEamie. and an the other choice
.agpst 1876. about 10 900 would have started
pom the, stone walls Of any penitentiary in
he world. They were cowardy skulking
an in one Of the shanties that did duty as
VslESHay Fsshsd sss & in p-.,,v
ons6OdJ on s LIN In there will pull pop. and you'll
Pretty soon som body did pull a non. and
ne crowd came out They came so fast that
ley brought the whole front OF the building
reach Of Hospitality for a mans guests to
AIRY away the bulk OF his house Ike that.
AZ night. over in camp. We used to have sup
lly elk meat. or bear steak. or once in awhile,
eef fried potatoes hapjacks. and coffee.
round and smoked. and INDUCED with his
artner In that kind OF re ps rtee which abounis
q the frontier. and consists chiefly of bold |
nd ingenious profanity. Sometimes Calf
rnia Joe, long -whlskered old fellow. who |
ould have instantly shot any body who dared
low him the celebrated greeting. " Good !
orningl Have you used So'nso's soapf1
ould come over to sup. and would afterward
? stertorously to sleep. sitting on the ground [
~ his back against q tree. And there was I
Bloody Dick, who never saw blood except
G on the moon. and who started to ride Ut
r Pony Express. and may be he has come
lck by now. Then. too. there were other
,oppers in, for Utter was hospitality itself
I'd he could cook in way that entities him
a high place in the heavenly culinary de-
.rtment. II there is such "A department
ter supper the pipes were lighted and
y would tell stoEiesIstories Of New York.
I'd Boston. and Philadelphia aud other cities
here his companions had never been.
heneyer any OF them ventursd to express a y
'ubt as TO his yerAcity he would turn 10 me =
ID ssk me I I he hadn't adhered strictly to !
=, tAetA | always said that he had rather T
lderstated than embroidered tho situation. q
ofe truth, but do not yearn to obtrude my a
eleIenees SO far away from home. They i
ere great stories that Wild Bill told. and as I
:, : oIher hearers knew nothing about them.
"a didn't contradict him, no had a pretty 4
" margin ioI the play OF his Imagination I a
nrst met Wild Bill the day | reached Dead a