The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-09-11

before during a brush with band OF
Indians and the Mexican coming on the
body and being poor Scalper cut or
the head and brought it into Deadwood
for the reward. The crowd gathered
round him and Mccall escaped to
Wyoming. He was subsequently cap
tdr.5 there, sent to Iankton on
requisition from the governor of Da-
kota territory, and was tried, convicted
and hanged. On the trial it was shown
that the story Of "Wild Bilr' having
killed a brother was false and the only
apparent motive for the murder was
to gain noioriety'
The grave of wild Bili' +e marked
by sandstone obelisk about six feet
high, surmounted by a bust of red
stone. On the front Of the stone be-
meath crossed revolvers is inscribed:
Custer was lonely without him."
a shaft similar to the one which
marks the grave of 'fWild BIZ Is the
ona that. marks the resting place of
the pioneer preacher; Rev: II W
Smith, surmounting Which IS $
red stone bust which, unlike that, OF
the celebrated scout, has not been mu-
tilated by relic-hunting vandals and is
said to present fine likeness to the
original. The Rev. Mr.. Smith was en-
ployed as a common laborer during
part Of aeeh week, preaching on Sun
days and sueh other days as might be
convenient. When found where he had
peen shot by the Indians. his bible had
fiaef hid on his breast and his hands
folded GTsr It ana he had not been
scalped, proving that his murderers
RneW something Of Christianity and re-
spected the bible and the S ministerial
calling. -...
As to Calamity Jane. j
Calamity Jane" who died recently
md was buried beside wild Bin,' was
an ign5raht tte,nan Of most unwom-
AMY habits, and the ksehsst tmagina-
ton could never have discovered In her
either BEATTY of figure or face: But
she had a kind hsarti Was ready to
nurse the sick or give her, l3st beis;ay
to anyone who needed it. Much Of :ts
time she dressed in the garb of man,
carried rGVo1vers and a knife in her
belt and Winchester rifle, She partici-
pated in the camp life of tfie fFSrtier
soldiers is said to have been pony eS
press rider at one time and was an
habitue of dance halls and barrooms.
neVet Killed either an Indian or a white
mali; was q. poor shot at best. and owes
her reputation to- her eccentric habits
ana penny dreadful story writer's,
and BIT of romancing on her part DUR
ing the latter years of her life. Even
her story of how she ACQUIRED the
sobriquet Calamity" Is full Of con-
tradictions and has some impossibilities
in it. She claimed to have saved the
life Of Captain Egan in fight with
Indians at Goose creek, catching him
up from the ground, where he lay
wounded, throwing him across her
horse In front Of her and galloping thus
out of ali ambuscade, Captain Egan,
she alleged, said to her afterward;
Jane, you are good one to have
around in time Of calamity" Such q
feat would have been impossible ex-
cept possibly at the hands Of very
strong man. Calamity Jane" was
small and never could have lifted a
child Weighing fifty pounds, a,sss She
clairhed to have lifted; Capt fsgas.
Besides, the. wifef aiof { Captatn - 1gaiR
wrote a letter.t a correspondent Of the
Chicago Tribune, who had interviewed
Calamity" and stated that her hus-
band was never rescued by Calamity
and that no such INCIDENT ever hap
pened. a. ssss,gal iss. LIN
From a long talk had with "Calam-
ity Jane in Deadwood in 1895, Il am
fully convinced that Mr.. Egan was cor
rect, and, further, that Calamity
Jane is not entitled to any notoriety
beyond what have stated. % ?
! 7g-E.ag. .s.- r,.ss-. T, Tov