Front matter

HAROLD B. LEE LTBRAR* BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY PROVO, UTAH

Author's Preface

The work of preparing a brief history of the greatest of plains-heroes has been one of especial pleasure to me, although at times many obstacles interposed themselves which only perseverance could remove. But the labor, nevertheless, has afforded me no little enjoyment, as it brought to my immediate consideration deeds of prow¬ ess, cunning and endurance, putting to a test the meas¬ ure of man’s possibilities in a particular field of action. It is our. natural disposition to admire true heroes, and not only to admire, but to exalt their acts, and this uni¬ versal feeling, perhaps exaggerated in myself, was one of the motives which impelled me into a preparation of “Heroes of the Plains.” While this volume abounds with thrilling adventures, sanguinary encoun¬ ters and personal combats of the most startling charac¬ ter, yet through every page there is observed a thread of wholesome justice, upon which is strung every deed recounted, preserving a forcible and moral influence beneficial to young and old alike.

In compiling these personal histories I have adhered strictly to facts without florid coloring. I was well ac¬ quainted with Wild Bill for several years before his death, and in 1879 wrote a pamphlet sketch of his life, but dis¬ covered afterward that while it contained comparatively

few of his adventures, there were several mortifying er-

l author’s prefacb rors, a correction of which influenced me to write another sketch of the famous scout, and this labor developed into “Heroes of the Plains.” I was fortunate in securing Wild Bill’s diary from his widow, Mrs. Agnes Lake Hickok, of Cincinnati, from which I have drawn my facts concerning him, that there might be no mistakes or omissions in recounting the marvelous exploits of his life in this publication.

Buffalo Bill, who now stands unchallenged as the greatest plainsman living, was an intimate friend of Wild Bill, and the two, so long connected in their won¬ derful careers, deserve a conjunctive position in history, such as I have here given them.

The other heroes, Kit Carson, Capt. Jack, Gen. Custer, Capt. Payne, California Joe, and Toxas Jack, have each made their private mark over the wild expanse of West¬ ern wilderness, in the highway they so ably assisted in preparing for civilization and its peaceful pursuits : teem¬ ing harvests, happy homes, the building of cities, exten¬ sion of commerce and all attendant blessings. They fought the fight whose victory has moved the center of wealth and population Westward, and therefore deserve the exultant recognition of every American whose patri¬ otism extends from the heart to the soil of his nativity.

J. W. B.

ILLUSTRATRTIONS,

ILLUMINATED TITLE.

A Ride for Life, - -

J. B. Hickok (Wild Bill), - Wild Bill’s Birth Place, -

Disembarking in a Kansas Mob,

Wild Bill Driving into Santa Fe, -

Wild Bill and his Men Charging the Indian Camp,

WILD BILL AND THE CINNAMON BEAR, -

WILD BILL’S FIGHT WITH THE McCAN DLAS GANG,

A Close Shave, -

Wild Bill in Disguise, -

Wild Bill Surprises the Sleepy Sentinel,

Man-to yu kee (Conquering Bear),

WILD BILL’S DUEL WITH CONQUERING BEAR,

Wild Bill and Mrs. Rogers in the Park,

Wild Bill Satisfies the Natives, -

A Duel with Four Men, -

WILD BILL KILLING BLACK KETTLE,

Scenery on the Route Traveled by the Wilson Party,

The Principal Amusement at Hays City,

WILD BILL’S FIGHT WITH FIFTEEN SOLDIERS,

The Aboriginal Part of the Outfit, -

The Bear and the Sausages, -

A Street in Abilene, - Wild Bill Accidentally Kills a Friend,

A “ Rough ” on his way to the Lock-up, - PUNISHING A BOGUS CHARACTER,

The Cabin in the Black Hills, -

Wild Bill and the Fox, ....

Taking Desperate Chances, - • -

Wild Bill’s Miraculous Escape from the Indians,

Deadwood in Embryo, - - - - -

ASSASSINATION OF WILD BILL,

Execution of Jack McCall, -

Wild Bill’s Grave, ....

Cen. Forsyth and his Beleaguered Scouts, -

Hon. Wm. F. Cody (Buffalo Bill), -

Stabbing of Buffalo Bill’s Father, -

Battle of Ash Hollow, -

The Attack on the Stage Coach, -

Inside the Robbers* Dug Out, -

BUFFALO BILL WINS THE CHAMPIONSHIP,

AMBUSHING THE INDIANS, .

Page.

3* hi

”9

*31

*34

*36

*54

ILLUSTRATIONS,

“ Hi-yi-yip-yah ” — The Attack,

Beaver Creek, the Trapper’s Elysian,

•

BUFFALO BILL IN CLOSE QUARTERS,

Buffalo B'.ll Tries a Shot at Long Range,

Major Frank North,

Silver Bricks Awaiting Shipment,

Death of Tall Bull,

Two Indians at One Shot,

The Marriage Ceremony,

“Howl Howl”

The Gfand Duke’s First Buffalo,

Residence of Hon. W. F. Cotly (Buffalo Bill) at North Platte, Neb ,

Brevet Major-Gen. Geo. A. Custer.

Gen. Custer s Interpreter Addressing the Assembled Sioux,

DEATH OF GENERAL CUSTER,

The Monument where Custer Fell,

BUFFALO BILL’S DUEL WITH YELLOW HAND,

A Shot that Beat William Tell’s,

California Joe,

CALIFORNIA JOE AT THE STAKE,

The Indians Receiving the White Girl into their Canoe,

CALIFORNIA JOE ATTACKED BY A PANTHER, -

California Joe Saves his Friend, -

“ Ugh I White Man,”

45 1

Kit Carson and his Blind Horse, -

Kit Carson Employed as a Horse Tamer,

Treed by a Hungry Grizzly,

Hunting the Trail,

Carson’s Duel with the Frenchman,

Kit Carson Saves his Fallen Comrade,

Carson’s Fight with a Mexican Lion,

Kit Carson’s Indian Wife, -

Carson and the Wounded Buffalo,

Scene in Taos, N. M.,

Capt. D. L. Payne,

THE MURDER OF MRS. BLINN,

5°9

Marching Through the Snow,

Departure of the Cheyennes, * -

A Cheyenne Warrior, -

Colonel Coppinger Visits the Camp, -

- grilling the Colonists, -

Capt. Jack, the Poet Scout, -

Oura, - - -

Texas Jack, -

J ack Holding the Indians at Bay,

Flagging Antelope,

•

LIFE OF WILD BILL.

PAGE.

CHAPTER I. — Birth — Family History — Early Life — Youthful Hunting Adventures — Desperate Fight on a Towpath —

CHAPTER II. — Billy runs away from Home to become a Herder

Returns with his Fcckcts full of Silver, which he gives to his Mother — Goes to School — 1 1 is First Sweetheart — Fight with his Rival — “I’m killed! I’m killed!” — Billy again Leaves Home to Escape Imaginary Dangers— Is Followed by his Rival’s Father — But Escapes his Fury — Death of the Elder Mr. Cody Billy’s Efforts to Help his Mother — His First Fight with Indians — The Retreat — Billy Slays the “Biggest Indian in the Outfit” — Returns Home to Find himself Famous, ----- 234 — 242

CHAPTER III. — Billy “Goes West ’’again — Description of Over¬ land Freighting — A Singular Obligation — “ Bull- Whack¬ ers ” and “ Cow-Boys ” — The Camp Wrecked by a Buffalo Stampede — Captured by Mormons — Who Rob the Train, but Release the Men — Perilous March across the Plains — Desperate Fight with Indians — Billy Shoots a Warrior at Long Range — The Rescue — Trapping — Camping in a Grave Yard, ------- 243 — 253

CHAPTER IV.— “Pike’s Peak or Bust Busted ’’—The Re¬ turn — Adventures on a Raft — Billy becomes a “Pony Ex¬ press” Rider, ----- 254 — 257

CHAPTER V. — Billy and Dave Harrington as Trappers — The Ac¬ cident — Alone on the Prairie — Visited by Indians — Twenty- Nine Days of Lonely Suffering — Help at Last — The Return — Death of Noble Dave Harrington, - - 257 — 263

CHAPTER VI. — Stage Driving — Narrow Escape from Massacre —

Battle of Clear Creek, - - - - 264 — 269

CHAPTER VII. — Billy’s Adventure with the Robbers— Kills one

of the Band and Escapes by Shrewd Strategy, - 269 — 275

CHAPTER VIII. — The Great Civil War — “ Red Legs ” and “ Bor¬ der Ruffians” — Billy’s Service as a Soldier and Scout — Adventure in Southern Missouri, - 275 — 280

CHAPTER IX. — Close of the War — Billy falls in Love and is Mar¬ ried — Wedding Trip to Kansas — The Boat Attacked by Bushwhackers — Ovation at Leavenworth — Housekeeping —

Scouting for G^n. Custer, - 280 — 285

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER X. — The “Colored Troops” fail to Fight Nobly — But Unlimber Themselves and “Light Out” — Saved by the Darkness — A Town Speculation — Rome “Howls” — Dr.

Webb and his Little Scheme — Rome does not prove to be an Eternal City — Buffalo Hunting — Cody Wins the Title of “ Buffalo Bill,” ----- 285 — 291

CHAPTER XI. — The Great Buffalo Hunting Contest — Numerous Visitors — Great Excitement — Magnificent Display of Skill in Riding and Shooting — Buffalo Bill Wins the Stakes, 292 — 299

CHAPTER XII. — Bill is Captured by Indians — But Escapes through Strategy and the Fleetness of his Mule — The Ambush — Marvelous Riding as a Dispatch Carrier — The “Govern* ment Mule,” ------ 299 — 31 1

CHAPTER XIII. — Gen. Forsythe’s Desperate Battle with the Indi¬ ans — Buffalo Bill as Scout and Hunter — Drives a Herd of Buffaloes into Camp and Kills them — Fighting Indians —

Close Quarters, ----- 31 1 — 320

CHAPTER XIV. — The Battle with Black Kettle’s Band — Pursuit of Horse Thieves — “Throw up your Hands, or I’ll Kill You,” - • 320—327

CHAPTER XV. — Buffalo Bill Kills an Indian at Long Range —

Major North and his Pawnees — Numerous Indian Fights, 328 — 339 CHAPTER XVI. — Scouts and Battles — Buffalo Bill shoots Tall

Bull— Camp Life, ----- 339— 34S

CHAPTER XVII.— Buffalo Bill’s Wonderful Horsemanship— He Kills Two Indians at One Shot — The Pawnee Sentinel —

Buffalo Bill as a ’Squire — A New Way to “Replevin” a Stolen Horse — The Wedding Ceremony, - - 345 — 353

CHAPTER XVIII. — Buffalo Bill Serves as Guide for Distinguished Hunting Parties — The Duke Alexis — Spotted Tail and his Indians — The Duke Kills his First Buffalo — Bill Treats him to a “Western Stage Drive” — Buffalo Bill Visits New York on the Invitation of Prominent Citizens — Another Brush with the Indians, - 354 — 363

CHAPTER XIX. — Buffalo Bill is Elected a Member of tfie Legis¬ lature — Ned Buntline Makes him an Offer to go on the Stage — Bill and Texas Jack Learning their Parts — Splendid Success, ------ 363—372

CHAPTER XX. — Acting and Scouting — Death of Little Kit — Prep¬ arations for the Little Big Horn Expedition, - 373 — 382

CHAPTER XXL — History of the Unfortunate Expedition to the

Little Big Horn — Custer’s Last Fight and Death, - 382 — 393

CHAPTER XXII.— Buffalo Bill’s Duel with Yellow Hand— “The

First Scalp for Custer,” ... - 393 — 399

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXIII. — Scouting on a Steamboat — The Bad Lands — Marvelous Ride and Narrow Escape — Viewing an Indian Buffalo Hunt from Ambush — A Bridle of Indian Scalps—

Success on the Stage — $48,000 Cleared in One Season — A Shot that Beat William Tell’ s, - 400—408

CHAPTER XXIV. — The Author visits Buffalo Bill — The Famous Scout’s Home and f'amily — Ilis Great Popularity at Home — Wonderful Riding and Shooting — Buffalo Bill’s Liberal¬ ity — A Humorous Incident at Church — An Indian’s Con¬ tempt for a Watch — Other Incidents and Anecdotes, 408 — 416

LIFE OF CALIFORNIA JOE.

CHAPTER I. — Who was California Joe? — The Mystery that En¬ shrouded him — The Indian Massacre — Captured and Con¬ demned to the Stake — Rescued by a Party of Trappers after the Fire is Kindled, - 419 — 425

CHAPTER II. — A Romance of Love — Capt. Jack’s Poem — Joe

Rescues Hazel Eye, ----- 425 — 436

CHAPTER III. — Service as Scout During the War — Scouting on the Plains — Gen. Custer’s Description of California Joe —

“An Ambulance Man er a I loss Man’’ — Silent Jack Corbin — Joe and Jack’s Ride — A Bear Hunt — Ambushing the Indians — “ Boys, you kin hev the Fixtures, but the Scalps are Mine,” ------ 436 — 444

CHAPTER IV. — Joe’s Terrific Combat with a Mexican Couger — California Joe and Jack Corbin in the Black Hills — Joe Saves his Friend’s Life — “ Ugh ! White Man ! ” - 444 — 452

CHAPTER V. — Joe’s Weakness — Must have “Pie” — Ilis practical joke on the Big Soldier — “The Grave of Poor Amos Billings ” — Incidents and Anecdotes — Murder of California Joe, - - - - - - - 452—457

LIFE OF KIT CARSON.

CHAPTER I. — Personal Characteristics — Uncertainty of Kit’s Birth Place — Early Days in Missouri — Expedition to Santa Fe — Becomes a Mexican Horse Tamer — Engages in Trap¬ ping — Trip to California— Pursuit of Digger Indians — Charging through their Camp in the Darkness — Kit kills a Mexican — Fights with Indians, - - - 459 — 469

CHAPTER II. — Hunting and Trapping in Colorado — Kit pursues an Indian Horse Thief — Overtakes and Kills him — Treed by a Grizzly Bear — Trailing Indians in the Snow — A Council

CONTENTS.

that Ended in a Fight — Kit Carson is badly Wounded in an Effort to Save a Comrade — Carson’s Duel with the Arro¬ gant Frenchman, ----- 469 — 478

CHAPTER III. — Expedition into the Blackfeet Country — Threaten¬ ed with Starvation — Combats with the Blackfeet — Carson Saves a Fallen Comrade — Trapping on the Great Salt Lake — Terrible Fight with a Mexican Lion — Kit Carson’s Indian Wife — Her Death and Kit’s visit to St. Louis —

Serves as Scout in the Fremont Expedition — Graphic De¬ scription of a Buffalo Hunt — Carson’s Narrow Escape from a Wounded Buffalo, ----- 479 — 490 CHAPTER IV. — The Second Fremont Expedition — Exploring the

Great Salt Lake — Terrible Hardships and Sufferings, 490 — 493

CHAPTER V. — Carson’s Service in the Mexican War — Saves a Party of Americans from Annihilation — Close of the Mexi¬ can War — Carson’s Home in New Mexico — Commissioned Brigadier General — Death of Kit Carson, - - 493 — 497

LIFE OF CAPT. D. L. PAYNE.

CHAPTER I. — Early Life — Goes West to Fight the Mormons — Unprofitable Speculation in a Saw Mill — Hunting on the Plains of Kansas — Payne’s intimacy with Kit Carson, Wild Bill, Buffalo Bill, California Joe, and other Noted Plains¬ men — Service in the Cival War — The Pompous Dutch In¬ specting Officer — Payne as a Sailor — The Joke he played on a couple of Starchy Officers — A Gallant Adventure at the Battle of Prairie Grove, - 498 — 507

CHAPTER II. — Close of the War — Scouting on the Plains — Capt¬ ure of Three White Ladies by Indians — The Pursuit and Re¬ capture — Terrible Sufferings during the Expedition — Ten Cheyenne Chiefs in a Close Place — Payne and the Lively Mule — Surrounded and Hemmed In — Saved by Daring and Skill — Capt. Payne’s Election to the Kansas Legislature —

The Oklahoma Movement — Payne’s Arrest and Trial — Per¬ sonal Characteristics, ----- 507 — 533 Sketch of Capt. Jack, the Poet Scout, - 534—541

Sketch of Texas Jack, (J. B. Omohundro), - - 542 — 548

A Ride for Life. (See Page 59.)

J. B. IIICKOIC,

(Wild Bill.)

Heroes of the Plains.

(J. B. Hickok.)

CHAPTER I.

It is a noticeable fact that nearly all our sturdy fron¬ tier characters are natives of the West ; there is, appar¬ ently, something in the atmosphere, in the wild winds which freight the air with primeval perfume ; an unde¬ fined elemental principle which inoculates Western chil¬ dren with a desire for adventure. Our hero, of course, belongs to that longitudinal nativity where the prairies bathe their feet at the margins of eastern forests, and then roll away to the Occident, resting at that great ridge which rises ruggedly into the vertebrae of a continent.

James Butler Hickok, known to history only as “Wild Bill , ' * was bom in La Salle county, Illinois, near the country village of Troy Grove, on the 27th of May, 1837. His parents were both natives of Vermont, from which State they removed, directly after marriage, to New York. After following farming for some time in the Empire State, and meeting with indifferent success, in 1834 the family, now consisting of the parents and two children, packed up their few possessions and re¬ moved to Illinois, going overland in a “ mover’s wagon,” as was the customary mode of traveling in that early period. A place for. settlement was chosen in Putnam county, but two years afterward a more desirable location was found in La Salle county, the homestead then selected 21

HEROES OP THE PLAINS.

and entered proving so satisfactory that it is still occu¬ pied by two survivors of the family.

The house in which Wild Bill was bom was built in 1836 and stood, fronting east, upon a prairie one-half mile from the timber skirting little Vermillion creek. The house is still standing, and occupied, but the progress of rapid settlement in Illinois has reared the village of Homer about the pioneer’s home, and the birth-place of our hero is now situated in the southeast comer of block

Wild Bill’s Birth Place.

number thirteen of that town. The cut of the house as here produced, was made from a drawing executed by II. D. Hickok, in March of the present }rear, and therefore illustrates the place of to-day, though there have been no material alterations made m the building since its first erection.

The family consisted of six children, four boys and two girls, whose names and ages are as follows : O. C. Hickok. was bora in New York in 1830 : he is now a resi-

LITE OF WILD BILL.

IS dent of California, and is the trainer and part owner of St. Julian, the greatest horse, perhaps, now on the turf. Lorenzo B. was bom, also in New York, in 1832 ; Horace D. is a native of Putnam county, Illinois, having been born there in 1834 ; James B., Celinda D., and Lydia M. were born at the old homestead near Troy Grove. Celinda, born in 1839, married a gentleman by the name of Dewey, and is still living in La Salle county, while Lydia, being two years yo unger, married a farmer named Barnes and is living in Decatur county, Kansas. Lorenzo and Horace are still living on the old homestead. The father died in 1852, and the mother in 1878 after reach¬ ing the venerable age of seventy-four years. All the children are living with the exception of James (Wild Bill) whose marvelous career and tragic death will be found fully recorded in the subsequent pages, constitut¬ ing a leaf in history a parallel to which can be found neither in the annals of fact nor romance.

James, it is said, was peculiar in his ways even in child¬ hood. His earliest desire was for fire-amis, and by bar¬ tering a number of childish trinkets, at the age of eight years he became possessed of the greatest treasure his youthful fancy had ever pictured — a little single-barreled pistol. In his eyes this weapon, though a flint-lock and of imperfect make, represented the sum total of earthly wealth ; he would not have exchanged it for all the gold of the richest Peruvian Inca, and if staked against his soul there is no doubt but that he would have taken great risk of losing that before parting with his almost price¬ less treasure. By dint of cunning exchange and bar¬ ter the youthful sportsman procured powder, and when lead was difficult to obtain he used pebbles, and thus accoutered all his leisure hours were spent in marksman¬ ship, in which, despite the primitive character of his “out-

HEEOES OF THE FLAILS.

fit,” he occasionally killed a cat, wounded a pig, winged a chicken, or stung a coyote. These foibles sometimes brought a prominent admonition of Solomon into active operation, at great expense to his youthful posterior ; but if these corrections made the embryo hunter’s sitting posi¬ tion difficult they apprised him, at the same time, of the more comfortable employment of walking, and this was sure to lead him again into the commission of other acts equally indefensible in the eyes of his parents.

At about the age of fourteen Janies secured an excel¬ lent pistol and shortly afterward, by the assistance of his father, he purchased a rifle, and thus armed he remained in the woods almost constantly. At this period the few settlers were greatly annoyed by the ravages of wolves, so much in fact that the State offered premiums for the scalps of these destructive animals. This furnished a remunerative occupation for James who, every evening, returned home with a belt full of bloody prizes which brought him no small revenue at the end of every month when the scalps were carried to the comity clerk, as the law provided.

His opportunities for schooling were entirely consistent with his other advantages ; country schools had occa¬ sional sessions in his district, but a regular attendance was prevented, both by the great distance of the school-house and the irregularity, or rather infrequency, of the sessions. However, he managed to acquire a rudimental education. At the age of fifteen chance threw in his way a copy of Peters’ “Life of Kit Carson,” and “The Trap¬ per’s Guide,” two books which he read with the greatest interest. The former made such an impression upon him that he declared to his brothers that he would “ one day beat anything Kit Carson ever did or attempted.”

Two years after familiarizing himself with Carson’s ex-

LIFE OF WILD BILL.

ploits, James obtained employment as a tow-path driver for the Illinois and Michigan canal. Soon after engaging in this occupation he had a difficulty with a driver named Charles Hudson, which resulted in a fistic contest lasting more than an hour. The two began the fight on the tow path, but gradually rolling towards the canal they both finally tumbled into the water, and then it changed from blows into an effort each to drown the other. Hudson was a large man, whose physical abilities were far super¬ ior to James’, but the latter’s cat-like agility fully com pensated for his deficiency in strength ; in addition to a remarkable activity his endurance was another point of superior excellence, and through these he at length gained such a decided victory that Hudson was takemout of the canal in a lifeless condition, but by dexterous manipulation he was resuscitated. This ended James’ canal experience, and he returned home.

Thus passed the youth of Wild Bill, but who can tell his longing for wider fields of adventure, his craving for escapades in which danger becomes the source of pleas¬ ure ? When he reached the period of responsible man¬ hood, eighteen years, though the avenues of communica¬ tion were few and narrow, yet there was brought to his ears stories of the incipient struggles between Missouri and Kansas. As the strife grew fiercer in aspect James decided to seek the arena of conflict ; he may have grasped the ideas which actuated the Kansas settlers in repelling all efforts to make their State a territory privi¬ leging slavery, but the elements of his nature rather in¬ cite a belief that he was moved alone by the knowledge that Kansas soil was vegetating bloody broils, and that the great need of that section was heroes.

In the spring of 1855 our thirsting adventurer, collect¬ ing together what money he could command, bade adieu 2

HEROES OF THE PLAINS.

to his old home, which nestled tamely in the wilderness of prairies, and set out on foot for St. Louis, wdiich city he reached after many days of painful traveling. The world was almost as strange to him as one of the planets, for his intercourse had been confined to such a limited stretch of changeless country, that beyond the village store his vision had never wandered over the scenes of business life. St. Louis was to him a painted pano^ rama, as mysterious as the labyrinths of the pyra¬ mids ; the steamboats were novelties like the palaces of necromancers, and this new life to him had such a strange aspect that it was very like a second birth. The river business was, at that time, very large, and the Missouri was crowded with steamers plying between St. Louis and Omaha. After much deliberation James engaged pas¬ sage on the steamer Imperial for Leavenworth, a small acquaintance with city life having infused a new longing for adventure and stimulated him for greater concerns. After a tedious voyage the boat reached Leavenworth, but at the landing met with a reception least expected. Ex¬ citement had seized upon everyone and the determination of the people seemed to be the disorganization of society and the formation of a universal mob.

James, an unsophisticated country lad, but withal pos¬ sessed of a mother acuteness which led him to carefully con¬ sider the best means for his own security, carefully noted the excited throng which, without the least show of reason, except exaggerated suspicion, forbade any of the passengers coming on shore . The town of Leavenworth being his des¬ tination, however, James determined to leave the boat, and to do this he resorted to a cunning expedient. Tying a large bandana kerchief about his neck, with his pants stuffed carelessly into his boot-legs, and being a deckpas' senger, he readily assumed the labor of a roustabout and began to carry off freight. While in this occupation he had no difficulty in slipping away through the crowd and gaining the center of the town, where he at once cast about for means of employment.

Disembarking in a Kansas Mob-

HEROES OE THE PLAINS.

Jim Lane, who had recently come from Indiana with a body of two hundred men, was then the recognized leader of what was known as the “ Red Legs,” or anti-slavery forces in Kansas, and at this time had his headquarters in Leavenworth. His band consisted of a little more than three hundred men, armed with such weapons as their individual means afforded. James gravitated natu¬ rally towards Lane, and within a week after his arrival in Leavenworth he had joined his fortunes with those who were under that leader’s generalship. A few days after his enlistment the regiment was called out on the commons west of town for drill and rifle practice. The range was one hundred yards, and the guns used were common squirrel rifles. In the contest of marksmanship Jaimes easily beat every other man in the command, and indeed made such excellent scores that Lane personally com¬ plimented his accuracy in the most flattering words . While this little ceremony was being conducted, a crow chanced to fly overhead, and, greatly elated at the distinction be¬ ing shown him, James drew a pistol from his pocket and shot the bird, then carelessly replaced his weapon with¬ out remark as to the excellence of the shot. The crowd of men, however, set up a wild cheering, and for several minutes the confusion was so great that Lane could not make himself heard. When the noise had somewhat abated he renewed his flattering compliments, and putting a hand on James’ shoulder, he said to his band : “ This man, my newest recruit, will one day excite the wonder and admiration of America, and I shall watch his course with the greatest interest and solicitude.” After this little incident the regiment gave James the title of “ Shanghai Bill,” a name which clung to him until after his great fight at Rock Creek, nearly five years after¬ wards. I can readily conceive the origin of the appellav

LIFE OF WILD BILL.

‘29 tion of “Shanghai,” because James was, at this time, no less than six feet in height and uncommonly slim, though very lithe and willowy, but how he came to be called “Bill,” instead of “Jim,” I have been unable to discover. His most intimate acquaintances are at a loss for the rea¬ son, and his diary makes no mention of anything except the time and circumstances under which the “ title” was bestowed.

“Bill,” as I shall hereafter very properly call him, served with Lane for nearly two years, through the most trying days when Kansas was building a wall on her east¬ ern border out of the blood and bodies of her noblest sons, to keep out Slavery. He fought only as a brave and excellent soldier, always recognized by Lane as the most effective man in the command. In the early part of 1857 Bill entered a claim of one hundred and sixty acres of the finest land in Monticcllo township, Johnson county, Kansas, and though he was not yet of age, his reputation was such that almost immediately after set¬ tling in that section he was elected constable.

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About this book

Front matter

Author's Preface

Contents

CHAPTER II. — Billy runs away from Home to become a Herder

The end

About this book

Front matter

Author's Preface

Contents

CHAPTER II. — Billy runs away from Home to become a Herder

The end

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