Life and marvelous adventures of Wild Bill, the scout .. . heard the details from eye-witnesses. The origin of the difficulty was in bad whiskyand ruffian nature. Bill went into a saloon—whichwas well filled with cattle drivers, who were halfdrunk and anxious for a fight—and called for a drinkwithout inviting any one to join him. While raisingthe glass to his mouth one of the ruffians gave hima push in the back which caused him to drop theglass. Without saying a word. Bill turned and struckthe rowdy a desperate blow, felling him outside thedoor. Four of the rowdys friends jumped up fromtheir c
Life and marvelous adventures of Wild Bill, the scout .. . heard the details from eye-witnesses. The origin of the difficulty was in bad whiskyand ruffian nature. Bill went into a saloon—whichwas well filled with cattle drivers, who were halfdrunk and anxious for a fight—and called for a drinkwithout inviting any one to join him. While raisingthe glass to his mouth one of the ruffians gave hima push in the back which caused him to drop theglass. Without saying a word. Bill turned and struckthe rowdy a desperate blow, felling him outside thedoor. Four of the rowdys friends jumped up fromtheir chairs and drew their pistols. Bill situation at once, and with wonderful coolness,said : Gentlemen, let us have some respect for theproprietor. You are anxious for a fight, and I willaccommodate you if you will consent to step out-side. I will fight all four of you at fifteen paces withpistols. There was a general consent, and the crowdfiled out of the saloon. The distance was steppedoff, and the four men stood five feet apart, facing. 41 ^2 LIFE OF WILD BILL. Bill. The saloon-keeper was to give the woi \* fire, and the arrangements were conductedin as fair a manner as four men can fight oneBill stood as calmly as though he were in churchNot a flush nor tremor. All parties were to allowtheir pistols to remain in their belts until the word fire was given, when each was then to drawand fire at will, and as often as circumstancespermitted. The saloon-keeper asked if all wereready, and receiving an affirmative reply, began tocount slowly, pausing at least ten seconds betweeneach count: one, two, three—fire ! Bill had firedalmost before the call had died from the saloon-keepers lips. He killed the man on the left, but ashot also struck Bill in the right shoulder, and hisright arm fell helpless. In another instant he had transferred his pistol tohis left hand, and three more successive shots drop-ped his antagonists. Three of the men were shot inthe head and ins
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectfrontierandpioneerli
