The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-16

had duel which, perhaps, has never beer
equaled IN the annals of any country. We
quote Mr.. Hough entire:
suppose no human being ever had a
grander physical constitution THAI Bill
Hamilton and greater natural powers oil
endurance. His feats in this line are
quoted even to-day along the Yellowstone.
IL was favorlte thing for him to brace
up after whirl with the boys by getting
INTO red hot sweat, then stripping naked
anu jumping through a hole in the ice
| INTO the river. This he learned of the In
ulans, but he was the only white man who
Kept 1t up as a pleasant pastime,
and the old-time men speak of
| MN yet with a SILVER. Once a man.
an Englishmap / believe it was, anyhow
some stranger who had rather stited ideas
| about affairs of honor, got offended at
same prank of Bills and challenged him
to tight duel. In a country when duels
| usually began spontaneously with the
challenge this struck Bill as being rather
funny and he accepted promptly, naming
the conditions himself. The contestants
were to fight that night by moonlight in
the street. Both were to be stark naked
and were TO fight with swords or knives if
swords were not to be had. Before fight
ing each man was to jump four times
naked, through tho ice in the Missouri
river ut was in the winter, four holes
having been cut for each man. The
entire town turned out TO see the fight.
The challenger was game and stripped
and took the plunge into the icy bath, the
water catching him above the waist. The
nrst up was enough to take all the fight
out OF him and he crawled out shiverIng.
'kTl hnl
VINO was standing in the water with his
head just showing over the ice, "Git in or
III claim the fight! u "Then take your old
hGht," chartered the other, II w-w-won't
hgnt this way to please no manw So he
broke and ran up the street in the moon
hght, and Bill chasing him, swinging his
sword around his head and utterng Wells of
triumph. This heroic battle has never be-
lore been described, but it is worthy the
Wild days and the wild men of the past.
You can't get Uncle Bill to talk much
about that duel now, but he is older and
more dignified nowadays.
Uncle Bill has been mighty sickly this
winter; he came near crossing the divide.
and to an old friend, Commissioner Cru
well, who was at Columbus, Monday. he
recited the cause of his illness. He said
ne had been out on the ice, clad in shirt
and overalls and slippers only. The
weather was cold, the snap before Christi
mas, when the thermometer registered 10 |
below zero, and had caught a few front.
i've or six, and when STOPPING over the |
mole he felt sharp pain starting from his |
slippers and shooting up his spinal to |
ms head. He paid no attention to it, but |
about the third time he got such a shock |
he nearly dropped. Now said Bill. "tbe
sun was going down and it was getting
colder, but there was one more fish in
that hole and | wanted him. Thought |
would give him one more chance and then
skip. Fish nibbled and nibbled and
finally L hooked him, caught him and
lhen another worse pain than ever, took
my breath away and / said to myself.
BIZ, you've got pneumonia. sure.'
grabbed up my fish and ran to my
cabin. Lucky | had pot of boiling
water on the stove and into this threw n
box of mustard and then jumped into it
and covered up with a blanket. That's
all that saved my life." Mr.. Gruwell sug-
rested TO him that an ice plunge vouId
nave been the medicine, but Bill sighed
ana said that there we're too many fe-
males about the town and a feller dasseut
20 out in approved L len STYLE now.
During his recent illness he had many a
hat and argument with a local preacher.
Who was urging Bill to repent and follow
esus, and it is on record that Bill foored
nm on every biblical and religious adj.
auccment.