Rocky Ford enterprise., 1894-09-06
BUFFALO BILLS SToRYs.
How He Killed III. First Indian In 1876

How He Killed His First Indian In 1857.
Buffalo Bill has been telling stories
again and his latest narrative &c.
scribes the way in which he kil!ea
his first Indian. He said: I'm 1897 1
was a lad ten years of age living with
my parents In Eastern Kansas. l was
we'll treated and comfortable at home.
I had no reason to run away except
for a wild spirit of adventure, but !
concluded to run Off and join a freight
train that was going across the prai-
ries to Salt Lake, 400 miles away. 1t
was not feight train in the modern
sense, but lot of wagons drawn by
oxen. We had hardly got into Utah
when the Mormons attacked us, burned
our wagons and stampeded the cattle
1t was d desperately cold winter. we
managed to find our way to Fort Bird
ger. Here we had nothing to eat ex-
cept mule meat, and very little of that.
We almost starved and froze to death.
"Ncxt spring we started out to walk
back to the Missouri river, and we
footed it every inch Of the way, 1,4OO
miles. Next year killed my first III
dian. This was the time Of Albert
Sidney Joiinston's campaign against
the Niormons, then In open revolt
tut tsoN tA'''l
you will remember. was in 1868.
joined lot of herders who were driv-
ing beef cattle across the plains for
General Johnston's relief. The two Nc
Carthy brothers, Frank and Bill, brave
boys both of them, were in charge OF
the expedition. We started from Leay-
enworth. Kansas. Nothing startling
happened until we reached Plum
creek OH the South Platte river, 800
miles to the west. 1t was noon and
we decided to camp there for dinner;
We unhitchcd our cattle and placed
them under charge of three mea.
While the cook was preparing dinner
most of the other men had stretched
themselves out under the mess wagons
and gone to sleep.
"Suddenly there were yells and shouts
and the sharp crack OF rifles The In
dians were upon us. The sleepers
woke up to find that the three Herds
men had been killed, that, the cattle
had been stampcded and that the In
dians were charging on us. Some of
our men were so bewildered that they
would have turned and fled. But the
Mccarthy boys stood firm and calm.
Steady now,' cried Bill, let's fight to
the last. or not Il mani will escape:
Now fire. In Il jiffy every man had
his rifle at his shoulder. Bang! The
Indians wavered. Now break for the
riverr sang out Frank. Off we went
at the top of our speed and succeeded
in reaching the water. There was a
high bluff all along the banks which
acted as breastwOrk. We skulked
behind this and started to wade down
to Fort Kearney, thirty-fve miles
away.
"rhe Indians We're still in pursuit,
but every time one of them showed
his face above the bluff Il rifle ball
would wliizz past him. Soon tile ln-
dians began to be weary. Seeing no
more of them for some hours, we be-
gan to hope that they had given up the
pursuit. AS the youngest and smallest
of the party. | was naturally in the
rear. 1t was about ten o'clock at night
now. and we were hugging the bank
pretty closely, when l heard noise
above me on the bluff. Looking up
ward l caught sight of an Indians
head peeping down: Instinctively
put my rifle to my shoulder and blazed
away. With n whoop the Indian fell
back. l was so excited that l dropped
my gun and went hallooing down tile
river My companions scrambled UP
the bluff and found the Indian just be-
hind it, dead with bullet in his fore
head"