Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-06
WILD BILLS FIRST FIGHT
How William Hickok Earned III.
Title In the West
From EyeryftOdy'~ No1

How William Hickok Earned HI.
Title In the West.
From Eyerytody's Magazine.
Forty years ago. in December. ten mon On
bay horses galloped across the dry bed of
ROCK creek. skirted little clump of cotton
WOODS. and drew rein before the bars of tho
overland Stage Company's horse corral on
the California trail. a few miles north of
Manhattan Bill McKandlas. jumping from
his horse put his hand on the top bar A
tan, slender young man stepped to the door
OF the dugout a few yards away with a gun
In his hand and eyed the McKandlas gang
with dark disfavor. He called out with some
emphasis that he would shoot the first man
VINO took down a bar, and made some COM
ments on their parentage
A few hours before thew had gone nv b,s
quarters jerking al old preacher at the end
OF lariat AS they passed they announced
that they would come back for the staee
horseS In the corral at o'clock in the after
noon The young man with the gun had re-
piled that he would be there when they
came back He was paid to feed, harness
ana protect the company's property and
intended to earn his money The ten visit
ing gentlemen tied their horses to the cor
raj. and turned TO the more cheerful duty
OF discriminating the imprudent and for
ward young Waterman. He retired into
his dugout domcile. barred the door and
stood waiting with rifle in his hand Even
then he had the habit of not shooting until
the occasion really demanded it. The high
Waymen hunted Up log from among the
cottonwoOds. and with praiseworthy indus
try proceeded to batter down the door.
Jim Mckandlas, with a revolver a bowie
knife, whoop and yell, leaped across the
threshold and into eternity AS the others
rushed through the door the man inside
fired three shots. with that accuracy Of
ann Tor whlcn he Mas 80 much admired in
the years that were to come. The six
somewhat startled horse thieves who re-
manned alive swarmed across the dugout
floor, and piled upon the young station
keeper, with revolvers and bowie knives
one beat him over the head with a gun
and Bill Mckandlas struck with a bowl.
knife, only to bury 1t in the table and with
bullet in his heart to suddenly termi-
nate a career which had furnished an in
finite variety Of interest for the sheriffs
and yfgiIantes Of several counties The
rusty stove fell from it's insecure founda-
ton across the surging combatants mixed
In 1nextricable and sarguinary confusion
outside horse broke his hitching strap
and salioped away. The little table broke
down beneath the weight of a thousan nd
pounds of shooting, stabbing, swearing
frontiersmen. The latest bandit rolled to-
ward the door. and catching a glimpse of
the brown prairies outside which looked
good to him, suddenly reached the conclu-
sion that he did hot really need any stage
company horses in his business and bolted
By this time the affair had ceased to
have for the other four horse fanciers that
enticing interest which had drawn them
into 1t. AS one afterward expressed It
the young man in charge of the stage
station had gone wild" Covered with
wounds and freckied with bullet holes he
had lost every thought and instinct except
the lust of death and victory AS they
fought he struck the sixth man in the
throat with the bowie and the man fell
across the little pile of blankets The three
who were now on their feet retreated
through the door and toward their horses
their host staggering after them with the
CLEAN of battle still in his blue eve
That morning his associate in the COM
panys service had gone hunting TO return
on the run barely in time to witness the
close OF the tragedy. Doc Mills the asso-
ciate, had lost golden opportunity. While
ne " as cut shooting quail fame had knock
ed at the dugout door. handed a laurel to
James Butler Hickok. and passed on
Hickok wrested the gun from Mills hand
and killed another of his fleeing foes be-
fore they were fifty yards away One bad
ly wounded, sped down the little creek
found his way 20 Manhattan. and died
within two days. The ninth. more fortu-
nate. mounted horse and followed the fat
deSerter across the prairie.
when the stage from the east came rum
bling in, half an hour later its occupants
found this hero of the most savage and the
most remarkable conflict in border annals
insensible and at the point of death The
floor of his dugout looked like 'thestieck of
a viking warship after glorious triumph
Six months elapsed before he recovered
He had beaten ten men in a fair fight
| killing eight of Them but he hada won his
night, saved his employers property; and
,henceforth he was "Wfld Biir for ali time.
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Another Combination.
From Puck.
Nothing IKE whisky , and. q4 .i for