The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-11-26
PROVES SANITY, BUT
LOSES REPUTATION
Famous Two Gun" Man
Just a Fine Liar.


Mission, S. D.@"Automatic Bul"
HackwOrth has lost his reputation.
Mission thought Automatic" was a
regular twO-gun man, but it finds he
was simply a liar, instead.
Automatic Bills" reputation all
over the Rosebud country was that of
a. bad man-an awfully bad man at
that. 1t was known that he would
shoot at the drop of the hat and con
seQuently he never had to shoot. But
Automatic worked up such a repu-
tatiOn, such a tremendously bad repu-
tation, that last week he was dragged
before the sanity commission.
And the sanity commission decid-
ed Automatic BILL" the terror Of the
Rosebud, was just a liar. The com
mission further decided Bill was just
rs san as any one, but that he GER
tainly had a good line Of stories.
Just to Amuse.
Automatic admitted some OF his
stories were told lust to amuse the
boys" who expected big, bloody
stories from him, personal exploits,
etc., and he just hated to disappOint
them.
Now the Rosebud country Is trying
to figure out how Automatic Bill"
ever got his reputation as a twO-gun
man. With the biggest name along
that line in all the Rosebud Indian
country, not a single case in which
Automatic" actually used his guns
can be found.
Automatic Bill" Hackworth is a
little fellow about fifty years old. He
wears a Scotch cap with a piece Of
cloth sewed around the back and sides
like a sheik Of the desert. Around
his waist he wears a belt, supposedly
In which to carry two or three auto
matte pistols.
The speed with which he could get
his guns out and go into action with
them has covered many floors with
dead men who were too slow on the
draw, according to his stories. Bill
lives on an Indian allotment a mile or
so from Mission and farms a little bit
for a living.
One of Automatic Bills" prize
stories was told in connection with
the World war.
II was with a Canadian regiment
he said. There was a German ma
chine gun nest on a hill top. We
couldn't get sight Of the Germans but
they were killing us of. fast, So
got one of the aviatOrs to tie me OF
the end Of a rope and fly over thai
hill. With an automatic in each hand
l killed every German in that nest anC
silenced the guns. They shot at nj
1000 times but l wasn't hit"
But another time Automatic" had
ight-a real fight, he says-with
bunch Of a dozen or more and the.
Just shot him to pieces. Had to havl
all the bones In n leg and on on
side, including the ribs, cut away AM
silver bones put in their places, the,
we're broken up 80 bad" says Bill.
Another q OF Bills stories tina
} always pleased his hearers was Of hi
treatment Of an old Acquaintance
whom he met when he went over tn
top IN France n night. This oil
acquaintance was in the German army
3 Bill slashed of his head, put it in
box and sent it to the fellows fathe
in Kansas, with a message Of hO'
e much he thought Of the dead man.
Not All Bloody.
But not all Of Automatic Bills
claims to fame were grounded o
blood. He grated lettuce and RuI
sian thistle and sold a single plant fl
q $500 and got $1,000 for a dozen Of tn
= plants from another fellow. He ais
8 grated turnips and cabbage and mad
D a lot Of other such discoveries, but
the sanity hearing last week I
g laughingly told the commission ne Jul
i told the stories to amuse himself.
l. Last week Automatic Bill" can
d into Mission wearing his gums pullE
far forward where he could get
e them quickly, and carrying a Winche
q ter rife across his arm. he announce
n he was looking for the fellow WI
y fired a shot through his window Il
night previous.
q Mission took to its hole and pull'
y the hole in after. Stores were close
E Everybody got OF the street Soho
% children we're sent home through bal
'e streets and told not to come back.
70 1.-THE two-gun man Is on a rampage
u was whispered all we town. "Hs
'r liable to kill anybody in the place"
D. Finally two deputies went out al
talked to Bill a few minutes. TIL
they grabbed MIN. took his guns a
HIS rife away from him and lock
n him up. The next day be was befo
ae the sanity commission, where
e proved he was sane, but he lost !
- reputation when he did so.
"a Now Mission is wondering h,
Automatic Bill" ever ran his blur
the community for 80 long and h,
he got his reputation az a twO-g
- uan anyway. He HASN'T any more 2.
Y utation as a twO-gun man, but b
. got q splendid one as a liar.