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

had duel which, perhaps, has never been
equaled in the annals of any country. We
quote Mr. Hough entire:
suppose no human being ever had a
grander physical constitution than Bill
Hamilton and greater natural powers of
endurance. His feats in this line are
quoted even to-day along the Yellowstone.
1t was favorite thing for him to brace
up after a whirl with the boys by getting
into red hot sweat, then stripping naked
and jumping through a hole in the ice
into the river. This he learned of the In
dams, but he was the only white man who
kept 1t up as a pleasant pastime,
and the old-time men speak of
him yet with SILVER. Once a man,
an Englishman believe IL was, anyhow
some stranger who had rather stilted ideas
about affairs of honor, got offended at
same prank of Bills and challenged him
to fight 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 we're not to be had. Before fight
ing each man was to jump four times
naked, through the ice in the Missouri
river Gt 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
first dip was enough to take all the fight
out of him and he crawled out shiverlng.
"Git into your next hole !" shouted Bill.
who was standing in the water with his
head just showing over the ice, "Git in or
I'll claim the fight ~ "Then take your old
fight" chartered the other, II w-w-won't
fight this way to please no manw So he
broke and ran up the street in the NOON
light, and Bill chasing him, swinging his
sword around his head and uttering yels of
triumph. This heroic battle has never be-
fore 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
he had been out on the ice, clad in shirt
and overalls and slippers only. The
weather was cold, the snap before Christ
mas, when the Thermometer registered 10
below zero, and had caught few trout.
five or six, and when STOPPING over the
hole he felt a sharp pain starting from his
slippers and shooting up his spinal TO
his head. lie paid no attention to it, but
about the third time he got such a shock
he nearly dropped. Now said Bill, "the
sun was going down and it was getting
colder, but there was one more fish in
that hole and l wanted him. Thought l
would give him one more chance and then
skip. Fish nibbled and nibbled and
finally | hooked him, caught him and
then another worse pain than ever, took
my breath away and / said to myself,
Bill, you've got pneumonia. sure.' l
grabbed up my fish and ran to my
cabin. Lucky l had a 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-
gested to him that an ice plunge would
have been the medicine, but Bill sighed
and said that there were too many fe-
males about the town and Teller dassent
go out in approved E len style now.
During his recent illness he had many a
chat and argument with a local preacher,
who was urging Bill to repent and follow
Jesus, and it is on record that Bill fioored
hun on every biblical and religious adj
yaucement