The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1898-09-17
CAPT. BUCKLEY. O'NEILL. /
DARING CAREER OF THE COM
MANDER OF. ROUGH RIDERS.

His Life While In MISUNDERSTANDING
from an Eastern College He Went to
the Prairies, Where He Soon Won a
Nanae-Raised His Own Company.
Capt. Buckley O.Neill of the rough
riders, who fell in the terrible charge
up the hillside at San Juan, was one
of the most picturesque figures in the
west. A brave spirit, and unique
character, "Buckey" O'Neill was
known from the Atlantic to the Pa
cific, and his epitaph cannot be bet
ter ,epitomized than in his own graphic
phrase, written just before the depar-
ture from Tampa: "Who would not
gamble for a new star in the hag?"
Buckley gambled and lost, and the
rough riders are mourning gallant
fighter, a man who never knew fear,
who had shot five men in his day and
who went to the front at the head of
800 intrepid Arizona citizens, all as
anxious and as proud to die as "Buck-
ey'' died-with his boots on and his
face to the enemy.
Irish parentage in St. Louis in 1860.
Coming east with his mother and
brothers, he graduated from National
Law School of the District of Colum-
hia. Later, out of seventy-two appli-
Gants for assistant paymaster of the
navy, he passed at the head. There
was some delay in making the ap-
pointment, and O'Neill, chafng for &C.
ton, went to Arizona, where, at diff
ferent periods, he edited the Arizona
Miner, the iPhoenix Herald and the
Hoof and Horn, a cattleman's organ.
Clear headed and somewhat prophetic,
he decided that Arizona was the place
to get fooothold He got half
interest in several good mining prop
critics, and his wonderful energy and
leadership began to assert itself. The
miners came to him to settle their
brawls; the rangers accepted him as
the court of final appeal, so equitable
and just were his rulings. Finally be
was elected Judge of Yavapai county,
and sat on the bench for some time.
Subsequently he was elected sheriff for
three consecutive terms, and while in
~ that Office demonstrated his courage
and fearlessness None Of the desper-s
ADDE'S of Arizona ran amuck more than
once in Sheriff O'Neilrs bailiwick.
20 O'Nei1l was the best armed man in the
territory, and also the best shot.
Finally, after many ups and downs,
with desperate chances and five fights
with six shooters, in which he got the
drop on 1aw-breakers, he retired as
sheriff of Yavapai county and moved to
Prescott, A T., where he ran three
times for congress, being defeated in
each instance by a small majority.
His next political venture was to run
for mayor of Prescott. He was elected
unanimously, and the only vote against
him was cast by himslf. Every man,
woman and child in Arizona knew and
called him Buckley" and every one
loved him.
When the war broke out Buckley"
= had been living a somewhat quiet and
uneventfu1 life. When Roosevelts
regiment was being formed he quickly
decided to raise company, and he got
quota of troo1s together with such
rapidity that President Mckinley sent
him telegram of thanks. There was
not man in Arizona who would not
have been glad to die by Buckley
O'Neills side. Nearly three hundred
cowboys, miners, citizens and politi-
clans of Arizona enlisted under him,
and the whole company rode down to
San Antonio and was received with
open arms. The women of Prescott
presented him with a silk flag (the
e first raised near Sevilla, Cuba), and
the men presented him with a revol-
yer. Judge Ling made the presenta-
tion speech in these words:
mayor O'Neil1, we want to give you
mount It is not full grown but
merely a Colt We tell you that it
bucks Every time it bucks head it
toward a Spaniard, and you can rest
assured that one more Spaniard will
bid his godfather, the devil, good morn
Il ing ."3 y e. s.I X 49,.
'Buckey" then went to the front,
ready to give his Colt all the bucking
in sight. He wrote his friend, Thur
low Weed Barnes, a letter from San
Antonio, which close with these char
acteristic lines:
81 am ready to take all the chances.
Who would not gamble for a new star
in the fag?" @1: sz
s.Buckey's" sobriquet was acquired
through his willingness to .@buck' any
game ever heard of. He "bucked'
every obstacle in his path, too, and
..bucked"s his way to prosperity and
into respect of his fellow man His
father was Capt. John O'Neill of the
famous Irish brigade of the second
army corps during the war of the re-
bellion. His brother, Eugene Brady
O'Neill, is now on his way to Manila,
first lieutenant OF volunteers. His
i wife still lives to mourn the man who,
B no matter where he happened to be