Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-09-03
LOVED ADVENTURE.
WILLIAM Kenmore COOPER HAS
SEEN A THING OR TWO.

A Career Filled With HaIrbreadth Es-
capes-His Experiences AS "A Cowboy and
an African Explorer-Greasers and Afri-
can Chiefs His Game.
Few men have had more hairbreadth
escapes than Senior William Fcnimore
Cooper, who for many years lived near the
province of Orizaba, Mexico. He made
his home with the Mexican Indians, the
last of the once proud race of Aztecs who
fought under MOntCzuma. 1t was his Gus
tom daily to enter the crater of the volcano
and look for mosaic agate q translucent,
prismatic stone somewhat similar to the
onyx. One day he went to sleep in the
crater near Rbed of sulphur, and the latter
caught fire and came within an ace of suf
locating him. His beard has been burnt
lumber color ever since
The accident caused him to quit Mexico
for the United States, and he has been
here ever since. Some Of the incidents in
his career show that he has nerve, a dead
ly aim and heart for every fate. He is n
native of the Tar Heel State, and when IS
years old he went to Texas to become n
cowboy. One night near the Rio Grande
river he and ten other cowboys were sur
rounded by Mexican bandits, and gen
eral fight followed. In the melee young
Cooper was shot in the head and the bull
let is still there. He was dragged from
the field as dead, but after many weeks he
recovered and began to punch cows again
and practice pistol shooting His idea was
revenge upon the greasGr who had shot him
in the fight, whom he knew by sight.
One hot night in July, four months aft
er he was wounded, Cooper had his horse
stakCd out grazing while he took his sicsta
under Il chaparral tree on the banks of a
little stream. When he awokc, he lit q
shuCk cigarette and casually looked down
the stream. To his amaZcment he saw the
greascr who shot him just getting up from
a siesta. The grcasGr's horse was also
grazing some yards away.
Both ran for their horses, for they knew
that it was life and death race. The
greasGr was a Splinter, and so was Cooper.
Each reached his horse almost at the same
moment, and each mounted simultaneous
ly. Their pistols left their holsters togeth-
er, and they began to fire at each other.
After two shots had been exchanged the
grcascr yelled out a challenge of the true
cowboy styla-i O., they would gallop
around in circle, shoot at each other five
times apiece, apd if at the expiration Of
the 10 shots neither Yves killed they would
resort to the lHriat. Cooper readily agreed,
because he had devoted much practice to
shooting from his horse at full speed
They rode a short distance from the
creek and then began their circular duel.
A,+ In, . h., ID,
first and put bullet hole through the rim
of Cooper's sOmbrcrO. 1t was "A close call
and showed fine craftsmanship on the
greaser's part As Cooper afterward re-
marked, 81 could smell that bullet, for it
scorchcd my eyebrows" The first bullet
from Cooper entered the grcaser's side,
but he pluckily kept his seat in his saddle
and put hole through the cowboy sleeve.
At the second discharge from the cowboys
pistol the grcaScr fell hcadlOng from his
horse Cooper thought he was dead, but
he was only badly wounded and recovered
months afterward. 1t made Il good Next
can out Of him, and he gave up brigand-
age and in time became an alcalde in the
province of chihuahua.
AT this period the subject of this sketch
concluded he had played cowboy long
enough and came north, where he mar
ricd handsome young lady, who, rs sub
sequent events proved, had us much cour-
age as her husband. OF all places in the
world he concluded to go to Africa on his
wedding trip, and his wife did not object.
After weeks of sea travel they started up
the Kongo river, with what he termed the
Cooper Trading company. He had reg
ular expedition fitted out with elephants,
Zanzibar guards and porters and few
missionaries, to help him buy ivory. For
six or seven months he was absent from
the coast but when he returned he had Sc
cured enough ivory to clear $4,000 above
all expenses.
Mrs Cooper was with him every mo-
ment and carried rifle, which she used
cffectually on more than one occasion.
This was SOME years efore Mrs. French
Sheldon penetrated to the interior of the
dark continent.
One of the petty African chiefs, who had
plenty of ivory stored away, refused to sell
it to Mr.. Cooper. He also complained of
the loss to his cattle he had sustained by
the inroads of a big lion. When the Amer
lean made proposition to the cantnnker-
Gus, pcssimistic chief to 90 out alone to
kill the lion, the old savage smiled with
delight, for he thought the conditions
would be reversed, and after the beast had
enjoyed savory meal off the white man
then the expedition could be looted and
bushel of heads secured. A goat was tied
in an open s"acc in the forest, and the
cowboy, with Ills elephant rifle secreted
himself near by. All night long he wait
ed. The goat bleated, and yet the lion
came not. Just as the sun was rising Il
large male lion, with terrific roar, sprang
into the open space and upon the goat.
Two quick reports from the rifle were
heard, and the king of beasts rolled over
dead, almost at the feet Of the intrepid
hunter. The natives cut open the lion
after Mr. Cooper set up its body to assure
them that life was extinct and then oc-
CURED curious ceremony.
1t seems that in the southern states when
a man kills deer for the first time he is
baptized in its blood, to initiate him into
the Ancient Order of Nimrods. The senior
to have the ceremony performed
upon himself with the body of the lion.
After the viscera had boon removed from
the beast Mr.. Cooper, with his clothes on,
was literally dragged through the place it
had occupied. They made a swab of him,
and his clothes were all stained with
blood. This ceremony tickled the chief,
and when it was explained to him that the
white man nftnr wallOwinO in the beasts