Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1911-10-26
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Wild Bill in Abilene that day they kept care
fully out of sight. Not a shot was fired. Moth
ing happened. Wild Bills reception at Abilene
was a regular ovation.
That little trip that Coles brother and
friends had made from Texas to Abilene to
ayenge Coles death was no bluff. They went
to Abilene again the following year expecting
to find Wild Bill there. Whey they learned
that he was in Cheyenne, Coles brother and
two of his close friends started off for the
Wyoming town. Wild Bits friends in Abilene
wired him to be on the lookout for them,
bill was standing against the bar OF a sa-
loon in Cheyenne drinking a glass OF beer
when the three Texans stalked in. Bill recog-
nized Coles brother by his resemblance to the
Cole he had killed. But Bill made no move.
He merely fingered his glass lazily and watched
the three strangers out of the corner of his
eye. The Texans separated slightly and closed
on Bill in a semi-circle. Get him now!' said
their leader suddenly. All three whipped out
revolvers. But-would you believe it?-they
did not fire a shot. Bill was the quickest man
on the draw that ever lived. He fired so
rapidly that others in the saloon testified after
wards they heard but one report. His bullets
found the Texans between the eyes and they
fell dead in their tracks. Wild Bill killed
these men with a six-shooter l had given him
WuG NC Qul IL llCdtiA a IDuSlucSO.
wild Bill was one of the best revolver shots
ever in the west" Buffalo Bill went on. HE
certainly was the best revolver shot In a fight. =
"The man of today wonders why Wild Bill
got into so many fights. One naturally figures
he must have been a quarrelsome man. On
the contrary he was distinctly likable and ami
able. But out west In early days there were
many men who took pride in bloody exploits
and killed men simply to make a record. In
the spirit Of gamblers these men swore to
kill each other to decide which was the better
man. They hunted each other often and trav
eled hundreds of miles to fight it out with 8
rival killer. A lumber of these professional
bad men tried to kill Wild Bill for the reputa
ton it would give them. Other men tried tt
kill him as a result OF disputes. Still Others
sought his life to avenge the deaths OF rela
tives who had fallen before Wild Bills re
volvers.
"He was killed in Deadwood by Jack Mccall
on August 2, 1875. With a party OF friend,
he had entered a saloon to play poker. TIL,
card table was in a corner at the rear OF tn,
place. Captain Durfee, an old Missouri steam
boat man and a friend of Hickok's, took tn,
seat in the corner. Wild Bill tried to get tn,
seat first. When he failed, he asked Captain
Durfee to let him have It. Captain Durfe,
suspected Bill wanted the seat to have a certain
man at his right to cut for him and perhap
stack the deck. Captain Durfeo refused to Civ
up the seat. Then Bill without lpore ado sa
down in a chair with his back to the from
door. In that position he could not see Mccall
enter. The assassin stepped up behind hin
and fired a bullet in the back OF his head, kill
ing him instantly. Mccall was hanged In Yanl
ton not long after. The fatal bullet, after pass
ing through Wild Bill's skull. broke Capital
Durfee's arm. ~
Captain Durfee said afterward that he di
not realize until too late that Wild Bill wante
the chair in the corner 80 he could comman
a view Of the bar and all who entered fror
the street. II the captain had known this h
would have surrendered the chair and Wild hi
would not have been assassinated."