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[?] eat for him. He was not [?] usually [][] for many of his battles but [having?] killed a few men and [required?] a considerable degree of notoriety as a quick made with his pistol and a dead shot he was caught for and compelled to fight. The country was full of bad men, murder. [our?][?] who committed reckless deeds simply for the reputation it gave them. These fellows used to hunt Bill up every time he [?] into a place and they generally found him when they looked for him. In all the fights he had not one even succeeded in [?] down. [?] fatal [?] [?] [his?] certain [him?] saved him. The other [?] was quietly buried for [?] of Bill subjects ever wealth [away?] and get [cured?] so they could make him [?] trouble. The stories published about him in Harper's Magazine about '61 or '05, were true in all their substance. The most improbable one, his fight with the M. [?] gang is correct as there given. On that occasion, Bill fought single banded ten able-bodied, bloodthirsty [?] armed to the teeth, and killed them all. The fight occurred in a small [compound?] was without doubt the biggest [?] ever caught by any one man. Poor Bill. A [?] [?] sneaked up on him [?] was playing cards with some friends [?] [?], put the [nozzle] [?] [?] his head and fired, Bill [?] [?] [?] him. He came from [?] place in La Salle County, Illinois. [?] on the 18th of August, 1876, that [?] [murder?] [?].
[?] [?] [?] [front?] [of?] my own home, either, [?] the pieasinan. I was born [there?] in Scott county, Iowa. [?] [?] [survey?] the town of [Davenport?], and lived there in a number of [?]. In 1850 he moved his family, me among the rest to Nebraska. I'll never forget my first experience with Barlington. You know there were no trains then to take you on at Davenport [?] the evening and [land?] [you?] [at?] Council Bluffs [next?] morning, and so we, like everybody else went overland. In wagons, [?] we spent the night in Burlington. And next morning I got up and went out and [enjoy?] myself. The town wasn't as big as some places I've seen since, but it was big enough for me to [wonder?] around in for half a forenoon and I wouldn't [have?] found y folks [?] [?] [they?] had [?] [?] to hunt [?]. I've [?] here [?] since but I never [?] again.
[?] my father settled out in Nebraska [?] was [undetermined?] Free Soil [man?] and was bound that Nebraska should come into the union a Free Soil state. He hurried to lay out the town of Devenworth and was quite prominent in the early struggle between the Free Soil and Pro. [?] parties. He was killed in one of the [dispute?] fights that made all that [suction?] [?] land of sorrow.