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told a lot about the part Kate played and there were never any denials.
Then about the toll bridge. We visited the place where it stood, only a few stones are left now. The logs of which it was made had crumbled to dust or been carried away. Rock Creek is just a little stream and in {Begin deleted text} [?] {End deleted text} crossing one hardly knew that they had crossed a creek. It wasn't a bad place at all just a little work without a bridge would have made it far better than hundreds of other places on the old trail that they had to cross. But the toll charged for crossing brought in a lot of money to McCanles. To the north a little ways was a good crossing but if the travellers attempted to cross there some one would appear with a gun and insist that they were trespassing and they would have to go back and pay to cross the bridge.
Out in Cannon City, Colorado, where an old friend of ours lives, is a [?], [?] Blancett by name, who's father had a station on the Oregon Trail farther east from the McCanles station. He knew both Wild Bill and McCanles and knew of the Wild Bill, McCanles affair. Later he became a plainsman and a scout. To help pass the time away, he tells of his early day experiences to a friend who writes them up for a Colorado paper, The Sunday Post. In one of the articles appears the following:
"In 1860, my father, my brothers and I were keeping the stage station at Ashpoint, Kansas. He said Wild Bill was inclined to be reticent, talked little of himself or about others, he was a man of action not words. His duty was to guard the cash box on the coach that carried it. I never saw him without his feet off this box. This box was the particular trust of the guard and he was under orders to guard it with his life. Bill handled a pistol with the speed of lightning. When talking, wishing to emphasize something he had a way of throwing his right or left hand towards you with the trigger finger pointed at you. His hands moved with incredible swiftness and I believe he practiced this mannerism with such purpose that it became a part of his nature and probably resulted in making him the fastest two-gun man of his day. He was not a wanton killer and used his guns only in line of duty. He had plenty of opportunity to kill oftener than he did, knowing that he could start a graveyard at any time and the government would pay all funeral expenses. We never knew him to be intoxicated and never knew him to kill but one man except in line of duty. The exception was a man names McCanles who kept the Rock Creek Station near the little Blue river. The two men got into a dispute, no one seems to know for sure and Bill drew his gun first. My father and McCanles were friends and were both station keepers. In closing, Mr. Blancett says: "Anyone who wanted to make the acquaintance of Wild Bill, and would mind their own business, not get too inquisitive, would find him a perfect gentleman in every way. In those days he was not known as "Wild Bill", that name did not become general until in the early 70's at which time I had lost track of him."
From the Fairbury Journal of sometime ago we take the following: George [?]. Jenkins of Bellingham, Washington was in Fairbury this week accompanied by his wife visiting places of interest with which he was familiar in an early day. Mr. Jenkins is a son of the late [?.?.] Jenkins, who came through here in 1858 and brought his family out here to live in 1859, remaining until 1884. His family was the first to permanently locate in this country. George [?]. Jenkins was born in the house where Wild Bill killed McCanles, year of birth, 1864. His father [?]. C. Jenkins, were the second county superintendent of schools, Justice of the Peace and county commissioner and member of the Legislature. Referring to the McCanles tragedy he recalls hearing his father and mother tell about it many times. Jenkins says his father told him McCanles had made threats to run off livestock from the ranches of the settlers for the benefit of the Confederacy and that the settlers were organized to resist such attempts, that his mother expressed extreme relief when the news reached them that McCanles had been killed, that his father helped bury the bodies of McCanles, Woods and Gordon, what the talk always was at the Jenkin's home that McCanles was a wild reckless man and a Southern sympathizer."
Another story published in the DeWitt Times News, a few years ago covers a little different phase and was told by the foreman of the state stations.
This man tells it about this way: "At the time of this affair I was at a station farther west and reached this station just as Wild Bill was getting ready to go to Beatrice for his trial. He wanted me to {Begin inserted text} /go {End inserted text} with him and as we started on our way imagine my surprise and uncomfortable feeling when he announced his intention of stopping at the McCanles home. I would have rather been some where else, but Bill stopped. He told Mrs. McCanles he was sorry he had to kill her man then took out $35.00 and gave her saying: "This is all I have, sorry I do not have more to give you." We drove on to Beatrice and at the trail, his plea was self-defence, no one appeared against him and he was cleared. The trail did not last more than fifteen minutes.
From an old history of La Salle County, Illinois we take the following: [W?]. A. Hickok, father of Wild Bill came here from Grand Isle County, Vermont to Union Grove, [?] County, Illinois in 1833, June 16, 1834, to Baileys point with Rev [?]. Gould and Isaac Fredenburg then to Troy Grove, La Salle county in Nov. 1836, was deacon of the Presbyterian church, opened the first store kept at Homer. He was a worthy man and died may 5, {Begin deleted text} 1852. {End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}
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