The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-09
GUN FIGHTERS' REST.
Western Frontier Towns All Have
 Their "Boot Hill" Near By.

1 From the Butte Miner
 Every one of the little frontier towns of
 twenty years ago had it's Boot Hill."
 where those who lived by the gun and
 died by the gun were laid away with their 1 boots on, but it is hard to find these
 unique and romantic burial places today. The Gun Fighters cemetery at Dodge i City, Kans., is now the site of a fine schoolhouse, and school children romp
 over the ground where many a cowboy was buried at the time when the little town at the end of the cattle trails sell dom saw a day pass without it's murder. f But at Billings, Mont. if one cares to take a walk of two or three miles to a hill
 overlooking the flats of the Yellowstone, there is a frontier graveyard just as it | was left years ago.
 | Boot HilP' is a survival of the old town of Coulson, which was established on the Yellowstone about six miles above the site of Billings long before the hustlng little center of the wool trade was ever thought Of. Couson was one of those wonderful mushroom towns of the frontier. Steam boat traffic on the Yellowstone ended
 there. It was here General Terry's boats were bound at the time of the Custer mas sacre and at Coulson centered the pie turesque life of southeastern Montana lldpptlSs DuildlD StOulS, SDlultIS, friendly Indians, half-breeds, gamblers, and the riffraff that always manages to
 find its way to the outposts of civilza- tion.
 I Chief interest in Coulson's cemetery cen- ters in the grave of the famous scout and marshal "Muggins" Taylor. This grave is in the center of the cemetery, surround ed by the remains of a wooden fence. He was one of the celebrated characters on the frontier. He was a scout and Indian fighter, whose courage was unquestioned. At the time that Custer made his ill., considered dash into the Big Horn coun- try ,"Muggins" Taylor was one of the scouts. At the last minute he went with Reno. After those terrible days of sus- pense had been ended by the discovery that all of Custer's command had been killed, Taylor volunteered to carry the news to the outside world.
 He made record breaking ride through country infested with hostile Indians, all made bold by the victory over Custer After killing several horses Taylor arrived at Saltwater scarcely able to sit in the saddle Here he was dsmayed to find the government wire down. But Horace Coun- tryman volunteered to carry Taylor's mes sage to Helena. where he arrived dusty, haggard and "alI in" From Helena the news was flashed over the wires, and the country was apprised of the fact that the gallant Custer and his men were no more. Through the ride of Taylor and Country man the news of the Custer battle was sent out whole day in advance of the reports filed by the government scouts at Bismarck on July ,.
 About this time the town was in need of marshal who could bring order out of the frontier chaos. Shooting scrapes were so numerous that the most good natured Montanans began to object. So Taylor was chosen town marshal, and things began to take on different aspect As soon as d bully began to fortify him- self with red liquor-the preliminary of quarrel--"M "Mnggns'' canped on his trail and took his weapons away. Sometimes the scout was shot at. but he generally replied so quickly that the gun man bit the dust. for the old Indian fighter was lightning with a Colt
 After few weeks of offce-holding. "Muggins" entirely changed the aspect of Coulson The processlons to Boot Hill" became few and far between. But Mug gins career was brought 10 sudden termination beardless youth. who thought it would bring him much glory If he could kill Taylor, filled up with