The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-03
CHEROKEE BILL.
An Indian Warrior Who Performs
Astonishing Feats with the Rifle.
From The Pittsburg Dispatch.

From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
In the Second Troop of Roush Riders,
which is now at Montauk Point, pictur-
esque and notable character is Cherokee
Bill" who, as his name indicates. halls
from the Indian territory, and belongs to
the once powerful tribe of redskin war
rlors. Were it not for his high cheek
bones and bronze complexion he would
pass muster for tall and muscular New
Highlander But the Indian origin of
Cherokee Bill is unmistakable.
Like all Indians Bill rides his horse as
though he and the animal were one, and
his skill with rifle and revolver is a con-
slant source of wonder and delight to his
comrades His feats in craftsmanship
are the talk of his regiment Any of his
comrades are willing TO hold a silver dol
lar for Bill to shoot from their fingers, or
hold pipes In their mouths for him to
shatter with bullet.
With his horse at a galIop and hanging
on with one knee and a hand he can hit
a small target at 100 feet two out of three
times with his revolver
One day some members of his company
were firing at a watermelon in a field at
100 yards, and manifestng pleasure when
they hit il, which they did about every
other time. Cherokee BIZ Joined the
group, and after looking contemptuously
at the shooting for some time, said, This
Is what you want TO do" and, firing his
rifle he cut the stem almost completely OFF.
Bill has taught his horse all the or
binary tricks that cavalrymen employ
and many others which remind one of the
wonderful performances of the Western
Sioux. He makes the animal lie down
and become a pillow for him, while he
pretends to sleep, and then tells him to
go on guard while he remains sleeping
The horse walks off fifty or 100 feet and
plays the part of sentry TO perfection.
I3Ml breaks stick in order 10 produce the
noise made by an enemy creeping upon
mans trail and the horse returns i'm
mediately and paws his master gently
until he is awake
While the regiment was in camp at Tam
pa, Fla. one of the most picturesque
sights was to see Cherokee BIZ and his
horse in swimming together. The dark
color of the mans body made him seem
of the same hue as his steed. They swan
together and even played together in the
water, and not until the animal was thor
oughly tired did it manifest any desire to
return to the land.
AT Fernandina as well as at Tampa
Cherokee Bill taught his comrades
many queer Indian tricks, thereby fur
nishing any amount of amusement for
the soldiers of other regiments On one
occasion he had them all creeping upon a
foe, in which every one of the party lay
fiat upon his face and wriggled worm-like
along the ground. Their uniforms, which
they wore at the time, the Cuban uni
forms not having been furnished, made
little contrast with the earth, grass and
bushes around, and a person at a hum
dred yards would never have dreamed
that body of resolute men was stealing
silently along
To the spectators it occurred that had
Cherokee Bill been a member of the troop
that was cut up so badly, the story of
the fight in which Hamilton Fish lost
his life would have been told differently.
Instead of marching carelessly, with
much laughter and conversation, right
into a death trap, they would have gone
forward with Indian cunning and care
fulness, to stumble the ambushed
Spaniards and stalk the stalker. What
could not a regiment of Cherokee Bills,
with their unerring rife and silent
marching through the bush accomplish
in a campaign such as that in Cuba?
This question the soldiers who saw Bill
playing the schoolmaster with his COM
rades asked each other again and again.