She was the stock-tender's wife, and had been
attacked the by gang as soon as they had slain her husband.
The passengers of the Overland stage, which rolled in as Bill was
reviving the terrified woman, were given a view of Western life which
none of them ever forgot.
Bill was the hero of the occasion, and a real hero he was, for probably
never has a man won such a victory against such terrific odds in all
the history of the war against the ruffians of the West.
It was at Springfield, Missouri, that Bill had his celebrated fight
with Dave Tutt. The fight put an end to Tutt's career. I was a personal
witness to another of his gun exploits, in which, though the chances
were all against him, he protected his own life and incidentally his
money. An inveterate poker player, he got into a game in Springfield
with big players and for high stakes. Sitting by the table, I noticed
that he seemed sleepy and inattentive. So I kept a close watch on the
other fellows. Presently I observed that one of his opponents was
occasionally dropping a card in his hat, which he held in his lap,
until a number of cards had been laid away for future use in the game.
The pot had gone around several times and was steadily raised by some
of the players, Bill staying right along, though he still seemed to be
drowsy.
The bets kept rising. At last the man with the hatful of cards picked a
hand out of his reserves, put the hat on his head and raised Bill two
hundred dollars.
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