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HON. "BUFFALO" CODY.

A Talk With the Scout-Legislator.

Actor.

"Buffalo Bill" and his company lodged at the Phillips House yesterday. A reporter of the JOURNAL met the distinguished scout yesterday, and obtained of him a few points from his life and several Western "affairs" in which he has participated. He was born in Davenport, Iowa, in 1845, and accompanied his fater to Kansas in 1849. His father was killed in the Kansas troubles of 1856, being a Free State man. Young Cody grew up on the plains in Kansas and Colorado, that vast region being then an unexplored territory. From his earliest youth he was accustemed to frontier life and adventure, He was the first man that rode the Pony Express [scored?] the plains, before the days of railroads or telegraph. He killed his first Indian when 16 years old. During the war he was a Government Scout, acting for many years as chief of scouts for General Phil Sheridan, whose confidence and friendship he still enjoy. He has acted as guide for every exploring expedition that has gone out for many years, guided the Yellowstone Expedition of 1878, under Generals Crook and Terry, when Custer was killed, and has organized and led scores of hunting expeditions.

"By the way, Mr. Cody, what is your opinion in regard to the manner of General Custer's death," was asked.

"General Custer killed himself ," was the reply. "I was not in the fight, though I was withen twenty-five miles at the time. It is the religion of the Indians never to mutilate the body of a man who dies by his own hand. General Custer was the only man out of 338 killed in that fight whos body was not mutilate. That is proof enough that he killed himself rather than being captured or killed by the Indians. Besides, Sitting Bull told me the last time I saw him that the Indians never killed Custer."

"Where did you get the [sobriquest] of Buffalo Bill!"

"When the Kansas Pacific Railroad was building across the plains, I was employeed as their hunter, and in eighteen months I killed 4,280 buffaloes. I guess that's the way the name came."

General Sheridan says Mr. Cody has killed more Indians single-handed than any man living. "Have you ever had any hand-to-hand fights with Indians?" was asked.

"Yes, several," was the quiet reply. "I guess one of the closest fights I ever had was with a Cheyenne chief named Yellow Hand. That was in July, 1876, when I was with General Merritt, in the Black [Bills?]. A party of 800 Cheyenne were on their was to join Sitting Bull, and Merritt was trying to cut them off. I had [word?] scouts and one day. I tried to head off a party of Indains who were pursuing two of our couriers. We killed several of them and it ended in a kind of a duel between me and Yellow Hand. We were about thirty yards apart when I shot the Indian's horse, and almost at the same moment mine stumbled and fell. Then we both commenced firing and advancing on foot. I got the drop on him and fetched him down, but it was close work, I tell you. I got him scalp, but the Indians would have got me if a company of soldiers had not come up just then.