The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-05

IStCT . DtsRI was ANeuHeU-En lnulan
Head In the Belle o. Union.
Thcro was u little gray haired old man
sitting In the corridor of tho Tiff House
the other day who seemed to be taking u
lively interest in what was going on around
him. Nobody spoke to him, and no snt
alone and %unnoticcd, for he was a COM
plctc stranger in the city. He was from
Dakota, II 1t had been nearly II quarter
of n century since ho had made his home
in the east. Years ago he had been a man
of wealth and had owned interests in Da-
kota, mines worth many thousands of dol
lars, but ho now had very little of that
fortune left, and his name was no longer
known among tho business men of tho
state where no had lived. He was Dan
Costello, tho onco famous clown, who for
several years was in partnership with p.
7. Barnum in tho show business.
Costello was in Dcadwood in tho old
pioneer days, when tho town was filled
with lawlcss characters, cowboys, Indian
fighters and dcspcradocs. 1t was just after
ho had left Barnum. Wild Bill and n scoro
of other characters whose names have since
boon prominent in 10 cent blood and thun-
der literature were there, and Costello
knew them all. Sometimes he played polk
CT with them in tho Belle o. Union, the
old gambling place where they gathered
together ut night and where several OF
them were killed. Going down to tho
Bclic o Union 10 SEQ somebody get shot,
was quito II ~favorito pastimc with Dead
wood citizens in those days.
One Of these lawlcss mon whom Costello
knew was California Joe, and il was about
this man that the cx-clown told an Ex-
press reporter an interesting story, which,
although it happened Is years ago, has
never crcpt into print. Hero it is:
"Wcll," rs Costello told it, sit doesn't
mako much difference how wo mortals
die, and 1t didn't matter much to Califor-
mia Joe, except that he always said no
would rather like to quit the world with
his boots ON. And he did. To begin with,
there's al Indians head, with some Of tho
skin and hair still clinging to it, in tho
Smithsonian institute in Washington. I
don't suppose any of the people at tho in
stituto know how that Indian came to DO
killed, but it happened in n peculiar way.
In Deadwood, when 1 was there, there was
q minister hanging about tho town and
holding street services for tho miners.
What Was his name or to what denomina-
ton he belonged never knew, and 1 don't
suppose thcro wcro many who did, but
that doesn't matter SO far rs this story is
concerned. One day this minister started
out on horseback to ride over to Butte
mountain. Tho road he took led around
through tho hills and thcn across tho
plains. 1t was n very dangerous one, for
there werc many good places for tho In
dians, who wcro thick in tho ncighbor-
hood, to lay their traps and moro thai a
few of the whites had been waylaid and
killed on it. Butte mountain overlooked
the plains, and the Indians could SEQ for
miles from its summit and watch for tray
clcrS. The minister rode slowly through
tho hills, with his gun hanging across his
saddle and his Bible bullying out from his
coat pocket, and he did not SEQ so much as
q sign of an Indian. 1t was not until ho
reached the plains and was squirting his
horse over the long, straight stretch OF
road that lay before him that he heard IL
warwhoop, and suddenly half u dozen In
dians rode out from thoir hiding place.
The minister INT fighting blood in his
veins and ho began to shoot right away.
Ho got u bullet in each leg, and then sue
cccdcd in killing one of the Indians. But
the Indians got the best of him, and his
body was found riddlcd with bullets.
1T happened that California Joo and
his partner were on their way from Crook
City to Dendwood that day, and it was
their misfortune to meet the same band Of
Indians on tho road across the plains.
California Joe's partner was killed almost
as soon rs tho firing began, and ut tho Same
timc one of the Indians fell. Joe stood his
ground and fired shot after shot in quick
succession. Two more of the Indians were
killed, ana then the rest, taking fright
from Joo's good Workmanship, hurried
away. Joe then bent over one of tho In
dams lying in the road. The Indian was
dying, and Joe finished the job by cutting
oil his head. Then he mounted his horse.
took the head with him II rode full speed
for tho town. He rode in through tho
streets rs fast as his horse could 60, hold
ing the Indians head, tho blood from
which had spattcrcd his saddle, by tho
hair. Tho lights were just being lighted
IN the Belle o. Union, and everybody left
the gambling tables TO hear Joc's story.
That Indians head was hung on tho
wall in Belle o. Union, and it was there
for Il year or more. Then somebody throw
ii out on Il garbage pile. it lay there all
ono summer. After the Dcadwood fire
somebody who took an interest in such
relics found it lying out in tho yard, and
in some way or other il got to tho Smith
Sonian institute.
GAS | said before, California loo died
with his boots on. 1t was only u littlO
whilo after his adventure near Dcadwood
That he had n falling ont with II man near
Red Cloud agency. Joe called him n liar,
or something of that sort, and tho fellow
took offcnsc. He hung around trying to
get the drop on Joe for n week, and finally
he landed him. Joe was coming down tho
street when tho fellow sen a bullet into
his back. He is buried out IN Il lonely
spot on tho plains not far from there.
Some of his old friends stopped playing
poker long enough to 20 to his funeral,
and they Clipped together IL puit n little
picket fence around the grave to keep tho
coyotes away and put mp u hcadstono ON