The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-08
From the Springfield Republican.

III It's proper place. Inc DOlltS VI w iih
Bill christened James B. Hickok in
the Illinois town Of his birth, still rest
in Mt Moriah cemetery near Dead
wood in South Dakota. They have
been there over 20 years. since the day
that Jack Mccall crept up behind the
scout and shot him dead for the sake
of the notoriety he would achieve for
having killed the most famous man
and the best shot on the border.
A few weeks ago it was reported In
the western newspapers that Wild
Bilrs brothers and son in California
were raising a subscription fund with
which to remove his body from Dead
wood to California, where a monu
ment was to be erected over his grave.
This news Immediately brought out
strong protest from the folks in Dead
wood. Word now comes that ANY at
tempt to carry out this design would
undoubtedly result in a miniature re-
bellion. The grave of wild Bill is one
of the chief attractions Of the northern
part OF the Black Hills, and every
visitor to that section invariably makes
it visit" Indeed. the grave is such
an attraction that it is difficult to keep
a decent looking monument over it
on account of relic fcnds. Several
wooden hithching posts in country
towns, and while a stone monument
with a statue now marks the grave.
one end Of the granite moustache and
the barrel of one of the granite re-
volvers have been Clipped off and car
ried away.
EARLY DAYS.
The warrior life of wild Bill had
three periods, ante-bellum, bellum and
pcst-bellum. He left his Illinois home
while yet in his teens and spent 10
years on the trans Missouri plains and
in the Rocky mountains. He trapped
hunted, fought Indians and rode the
pony express, becoming a master of
woodcraft and an unerring marksmen
with either rifle or revolver. Speak
ing of his craftsmanship in later
years he said that he callers shot we'll
but that he perfected" himself while
in the mountains shooting at coins
on wagers. Very little is now known
of Bills life before the outbreak Of
the war, aside from these general facts
When that great conflict arose all
border men had to take sides either
with the North or the South, and while
a great many Of them championed the
and coming into Missouri he became
an army scout, an occupation for
which no man alive was better fitted in
that frontier region. At this time he
was scarcely 30. He stood six feet,
one inch in height, had fair complex
ion and blonde hair, and was per-
feet specimen Of physical manhood.
Cool, reticent in speech, yet bold to
recklessness in action, and raging
tiger in a hand-to-hand encounter
Wild Bill before the war was over
had achieved a reputation as the most
dangerous and successful scout en-
ployed across the Mississippi river.
INCREDIBLE VALOR.
In the first summer of the war he
performed a prodigy of valOr in per-
sonal combat that cannot be surpassed
in the entire field of fiction. In a bat
tie with ten antagonists in d small
room Bill killed them all. If anyone
is inclined to doubt this story let him
turn to Harper'S magazine for Feb
Tuary, 1867, and read the article of
George Ward Nichols on Wild Bill. 1t
was the notorious MKandlas gang of
desperadoes, whom Bill had known in
the mountains and who had espoused
the side of the South, that the scout
eXterminated. They caught him in a
cabin of one room in southeast Ne
braska from which he could not es-
cape. 1t had ~ door at either end and
they could attack him on either side.
Bill had six shots in his revolver and
found a loaded rifle in the cabin
"seven shots for ten men," he said to
himself as the gang approached. The
leader, McKandlas, entered the door
with gun already poised to shoot, but
with the rifle Bill dropped him on the
Threshold. The other nine then made
a rush in a body. Crack-crack-crack
crack-and four fell dead. That left
five to kill and only two shots in Bills
revolver. They were now on him with
knives. He dropped another, leaving
four, and knocked another senseless,
leaving three. Then, grasping a knife,
and aroused into an insane fury, Bill
cut and slashed his remaining antag-
onists around the room until not one
was left alive. His assaiants, to be
sure, had emptied their guns at him.
but no bullet had reached a vital spot
while Bill always shot to kill He
walked out to the well and then fell
in a faint with IL buckshot i'm his body
seemed enough to end a common man.
AS A SCOUT.
That was the sort of man who served
his country as a Union scout among
the most reckless and murderous class
OF soldiery engaged in the war. Among
other stories Of his exploits in this
period two will suffice. For some time
Bill had been serving in old "pan"
Prices army ostensibly as a south
ern soldier but really as a Union spy.
He had with him a mate. One daY
the confederate cavalry regiment in
which Bill served was drawn up await
ing an expected charge from a Union
regiment standing several hundred
yards away Wild Bill and his mate
had valuable information for the Union
general, who should have it at once;
and, standing there in the confederate
line, these two decided upon a desper-
ate act. The Union cavalrymen now
saw two horsemen dart out from the
line opposite and ride madly toward
them. They had gone some distance
before shots began to follow them, as
we'll as several other riders. All would
have gone well with the daredevils had
they not suddenly come upon a ditch,
al Nut 20 feet wide, sunken in the
praI ,. Not seeing IT in time, they
had to haul up and their fate seemed
settled, for the pursuing horsemen were
coming rapidly. But wheeling, the two
rode back toward their pursuers, who
surprised by this reckless vancouver,
pulled in their horses. The scouts,
having gone back a sufficient distance