The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-14

with him earned the name of Yellow
stone Bill. His experiences with the
Indians were many and varied, and
included narrow escapes too numerous
to mention. I'll tell you one I'll never
forget he said, and added:
Tt was while L was with Coville and
the Baileys. We struck what is known
as the Yellowstone valley. l left the
party one afternoon for a cruise around
and 1 got into little canyon. You go
through a gap about three feet wide,
closed at the top. and you find yourself
IN a canyon of about 20 acres, walled
in by high, solid, perpendicular rock,
the only outlet being the gap where [
got in. l was cruising all around the
place, and the first thing L knew [ saw
a bunch of about 20 Indians come in
the gap They had me and had me
right. The minute they saw me they
knew it. There was only one way to
get out, and they We're 20 to one-the
worst odds l was ever up against. [
saw a hole in the side of the rock
about three feet up. In [ went. The
little cave ran six feet in the rock and
then turned sQuarely to the left for
another six feet and there stopped. 1
was stuck tight. The Indians had
rushed up meanwhile and closed the
hole. They had me dead to rights. I
played waiting game. So did they.
They built fire in front of the little
hole so that the reflection sbone in the
cave, lighting it UP, but L was pro-
tected in the second chamber. Finally
L put my hat on my gun and stuck it
out just far enough for them to see it.
Every last one of EN- fired at it; those
that had guns and those that had ar
rows. | dropped the gun and the hat
Tell and they supposed Unjust be dead.
Qf
NEIL into the hole, filled it full, climb
ing over each other in a, wild scramble
TO be first to get the scalp which they
regarded as a prize. 1 jumped into
them with my hatchet, slashing right
and left and laying out several of them.
They We're too surprised at the sudden
attack to defend themselves. Those
that could scrambled out / used my
gun and got two more That had
eVened things up a little. Then they
waited
1 lay still for a long time and then
took off my clothes, even my shirt
and moccasins, and rugged up a dummy
with my gun. I stuck it out and they
all plugged it. L dropped it quick and
then Walloped it around and shook and
quivered it and then let it lay. 1 did
not make a move, but the Indians
waited until o'clock before they made
let them get in and then L went for
them again. 1 did not have much on
In the line of clothes and I guess they
thought it was a ghost. Between my
hatchet and rifle I got all but three
of them. Those three sneaked, and
after awhile L crept out. 1 was afraid
the three were in ambush and it took
me three hours to get out of that
canyon, creeping from bush to bush
l got back to camp and told the boys.
In the morning we went to the place,
but the Indians had been there before
us and got the bodies Nothing re-
manned but blood"
Yellowstone Bill remained as a scout
with Reno's command until 1877, when
he returned to Austin, MINI. His next
venture was trip through Asia and
Europe, returning subsequently to take
up life in house boat on the Missis-
slppi river and soon after to remove
into his present home, the cave. Two
years ago, While returning from a trip
through the west Bill picked I'D a
bride at Livingstone, Mimi, who oc-
cupies with him his underground resi-
dence, supplied with every comfort
suggestive of aboriginal splendor. One
of the rooms is named the store, where
Yellowstone Bill has on sale minerals.
furs and animal curiosities which he
gathers up on his trips.