W-1865JC-BCom.DOC

from "THE HISTORY and GENEALOGY of the COMSTOCK FAMILY in AMERICA"

Bill Comstock, Ace of Scouts

In the pioneer days of the early west, Bill Comstock was an illustrious young man - a man of mystery. Because of his reticence, little was then known of his origin and background. Many false rumors had been circulated concerning him. It was said that he came from Kentucky, and that he was part Cherokee Indian.

Bill, whose full name was William Averill Comstock (No 5638, Family 967), was born in 1842 at Comstock, Michigan, a town named for his father. He came of good and highly respected parentage. His father was "General" Horace Hawkins Comstock, and his mother was Sarah Sabina Cooper, a niece of the famous novelist James Fenimore Cooper. Sarah's home was in Cooperstown, New York, where they were married in 1833.

Bill's father owned large tracts of land in Comstock Township, and Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was a wealthy and prominent citizen, a lawyer, and a politician. He was the first Senator to be elected from Kalamazoo County. This was in 1835. He was reelected in 1837 and 1838; and he also served in 1849 as a member of the House of Representatives from Otsego, Michigan. His title of "General" was probably given in courtesy by his associates as there seemed to be no official record of his having that rank. It was understood that he had considerable military experience before moving to Michigan. An historic record of Captain Comstock, in command of Infantry Troops located at Cooperstown, New York, in 1827, doubtless refers to him.

Sarah Sabina Cooper Comstock, the "General's" first wife, was a distinguished gentlewoman. The Township of Cooper in Kalamazoo County, Michigan was named for her.

After Sarah's death in 1846 (when Bill, her youngest child, was four years old) "General" Comstock moved to Otsego, and married again. Later he moved to New York and married a third time. He died intestate at Ossining New York in 1861. His estate was appraised at less than a thousand dollars. The Surrogate's record at White Plains, New York, shows that his minor son, William A Comstock, was at that time of "Pike's Peak, Nebraska Territory," and that Hiram P. Rowel was appointed his guardian.

Bill's oldest sister, Sarah Sabina Comstock, married Judge Eleazer Wakeley, Associate Judge of Nebraska and a member of the Constitutional Convention, when Bill was Twelve years old. A claim by the Wisconsin State Historical Society and the statement of Colonel Homer Wheeler, that Bill was born in Wisconsin, can be explained by assuming that he was living in the Wakeley household in Wisconsin during his sister's residence there, 1854 to 1857.

Bill apparently had little formal education. He probably spent his early boyhood with his father; but later was under the guidance of Sarah, who was a graduate of Eames School of Kalamazoo.

Perhaps Bill's love of adventure, Indian lore, and woodcraft was inspired by the writings of his celebrated great uncle, James Fenimore Cooper. Certain it is that he left for the plains at an early age, and by the time that he reached twenty-one years of age, had acquired an enviable reputation as a hunter and guide. He had served as a Pony Express rider at the same time as Wild Bill Hickok and Bill Cody. He had learned the Indian dialects of the region, could follow trail sign with the best of the redskins, and, in the territory adjacent to Fort Wallace, his prowess with a rifle had earned for him the title of "Buffalo Bill." He was familiar with every foot of the buffalo range between the Arkansas and the Platte and had regularly supplied the soldiery of Fort Wallace with buffalo meat. His knowledge of the Indian languages made him invaluable as an interpreter in the numerous councils and conferences held by the army officers and Indian chiefs.

By the time that Bill had reached the age of twenty-six years he was Chief of Scouts and Interpreter at Fort Wallace. He was the favorite scout of General Sheridan and General Custer, and was nationally known as the "Ace of Scouts."

Being a man of few words, with an even disposition, Bill was safeguarded against the sort of shooting affairs so common on the frontier in his day. Even more of a protection, was his reputation for being lightning quick on the draw and deadly accurate with a revolver. Certainly on one occasion this reputation was proven to be well founded.

A contractor by the name of Weightman, or Wyatt, agreed to pay Bill a certain sum if he were shown the locations where sufficient wood could be cut to fulfill a contract. Bill led him to the location, one of which was Big Timbers, about forty mile from the Post. Several hundred cords were cut and delivered; but the contractor failed to make good his promise to Bill. Weightmen had frequently boasted that he was a member of the Quadrille Guerillas which sacked Lawrence, Kansas, August 21, 1863, and he posed generally as a "bad man." Such action had aroused strong feeling against Weightman, and apparently Bill decided that the time had been reached for a "showdown."

One day the Post trader received word from his friend Bill that on the following morning he would bring a "black tail" for his dinner. Bill frequently brought in game, so the trader supposed that he would be given a black tail deer next day. But it seem that Bill intended to warn him in this cryptic way that trouble was brewing.

Bill timed it the next morning so that he and the "bad man" met on the porch of the trader's store. An old Indian fighter, Charles E. Chase, claimed to be an eye witness, and later reported, "Comstock got Weightman in the store and both started to draw at the same time ... Comstock fired four shots before Weightman ever pulled the trigger. When they turned Weightman over, ever one of Comstock's shots had hit in his heart and the four holes could have been covered with a silver dollar."

The Commander of the Post had Bill arrested and turned over to the civil authorities at Fort Hays, Kansas, for trial. When arraigned before the court, and asked by Judge M. S. Joyce how he would plead, Bill answered, "Guilty, sir." The Judge asked him if he did not wish to alter his plea. The scout replied, "No, sir." The Judge immediately exclaimed, "Ye are a damned fool for tellin' it. I discharge ye for want of evidence."

An account of this and other thrilling episodes in the life of Bill Comstock are recorded in Colonel Homer W. Wheller's book, "Buffalo Days," and also in the Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society, Vol. 17.

The title of "Buffalo Bill," which the officers of Fort Wallace had bestowed on Bill, had also been used by the officials and workers on the western extension of the Kansas Pacific Railroad along the Smoky Hill River, to designate their hunter, William F. Cody. The Goddard Brothers had contracted to feed the railroad laborers and had hired Cody to hunt Buffalo for them. Somehow discussions arose as to who was the original "Buffalo Bill." It was finally decided that a purse of five hundred dollars should be raised, and a hunting contest staged between Comstock and Cody to settle the dispute. And so it was that on of the most spectacular contests ever staged on this continent took place.

A full account of this hunt was published in the Saturday Evening Post of December 24, 1929 in an article entitled "The Shaggy Legion." A somewhat similar account, written by Elmo Scott Watson was syndicated and appeared in a number of newspapers some years ago, under the title of "Who was the Original Buffalo Bill."

Cody, who had been hunting buffalo steadily for months, had his horse trained to a hair, and the animal had been kept in daily practice. Bill's mount was a good buffalo horse but one not used so systematically. Both men were excellent shots but the disparity in their mounts was a serious handicap to Comstock.

The final tally, at the end of the kill, was Comstock, forty-eight; Cody, sixty-nine. Cody won the purse and became officially the only "Buffalo Bill."

Not withstanding this defeat, many of the plainsmen considered Bill Comstock the better man. Charles E. Chase's published comment attests to that feeling. "Bill Comstock could take Buffalo Bill out at night and lose him. Cody was a good man, but Comstock - and I am not alone in this - was a better man." Chase knew both men intimately, and was well qualified to judge.

In a short article, with a picture of Bill and two other of General Custer's famous scouts, Harper's weekly of June 29, 1867 said of him, ".... his qualifications as an interpreter and scout are said by those best qualified to judge to be unsurpassed by any white man on the plains. He is, moreover, a man of tried bravery, and a first rate shot."

A few months after the famous buffalo hunting contest, Bill Comstock and another scout known a "Sharp" Grover were ordered to visit the camp of Chief Turkey Leg of the Cheyennes (who was a special friend of both scouts) to determine if any of the Cheyennes had taken part in a murderous raid in the Saline Valley. Turkey Leg and his warriors were camped on the headwaters of the Solomon. The scouts were coolly received, and Turkey Leg finally told them that they had better leave, since his young men were greatly excited and he could not control them.

Accordingly they started out with an escort which included the Chief's son and six other young warriors, who professed the deepest friendship for them. As recounted by "Sharp" Grover, when they were a short distance on their way, several other Indians joined them. The escort left, but the new arrivals continued on with the scouts. As they were riding along, conversing in a friendly manner, two or three of the Indians dropped back and began firing. Comstock was instantly killed and Grover was shot through the back and left lung. The Indians fled after the shooting. Grover made his way to the nearest railroad station, and was brought into the Post.

General Bankhead sent out a detachment to bring the body of Comstock into the Post, and he was buried there. The grave was the third one south of the north east corner of the Post Cemetery.

There were other interpretations of the killing of Bill Comstock . Colonel Wheeler states that "Some people had an idea that Grover killed Comstock to obtain his position." Apparently that was the opinion of several of the officers at Fort Wallace. Samuel Willett Comstock, in a letter dated October 18, 1928, says, "He was shot by his pal in the fall of 1868, the deed attributed to the Indians." There are some points in Grover's account that do not seem plausible. If Grover was shot through the back and left lung, how does it happen that, just a few days after the shooting, he "joined Colonel Forsyth at Fort Wallace and went with him as scout on an expedition to Sheridan," as recorded in the Kansas Historical Collections, Volume 15, page 541. Men do not recover in a few days from a shot through the back and lung.

Perhaps it is significant that "Sharp" Grover came into possession of the Rose Creek Ranch not long after the killing. This ranch belonged to Bill Comstock by squatters rights, and was a valuable property. Possibly the nickname of "sharp" which was given to Abner T. Grover by his associates was more appropriate than they knew.

In the old Fort Wallace Post Cemetery, in the state of Kansas, Bill Comstock's body still lies, so far as we know, in a grave unmarked and unhonored. He met his death on August 27, 1868, in his twenty-sixth year. For the winning of the west, in such a short span of time, few men did more.

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Bill Comstock's linage:

William 1595 England

Samuel 1628 Providence RI m Ann Tucker

Samuel 1654 Providence RI m Elizabeth Arnold

Daniel 1686 Providence RI m Elizabeth Buffum

d1768 Smithfield RI

Azariah Smithfield RI? m 1735 Zwriah Sprague

d1791 blacksmith Richmand NH

Abner 1747 Smithfield RI m unknown

d1770 drown Conn River age 23

William 1761 Richmond NH m ____ Hawkins

(father Judge)

Major War 1812 later a General

d1833 Walcot Town NY

Horace Hawkins ?? m Sarah Sabrina Cooper

d1861 Ossining NY

William Averill 1842 Comstock Mich. m none

d1868

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