Cherokee Bill ( William Verne) came to David several times over the years. He could shoot, throw knives, ride horses. snap cigarettes from the boy's mouths with his bullwhip!ll I rec'd the following from Cherokee Bills grandchild. Additional Information appreciated. William Verne married someone from the David area, so some of you may have information:
"MY GRAND-FATHER WAS THE "THE GREAT CHEROKEE BILL" HE WAS BORN IN THE YEAR OF 1901 AND DIED 2 MONTHS BEFORE I WAS BORN IN APRIL OF 1978. IF U HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON HIM, I WOULD APPRECIATE IF I COULD GET THAT. I DO KNOW FOR A FACT THAT HE WAS BORN ON A RESERVATION IN OKLAHOMA AND IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!! I ALSO THAT JESSE STUART WROTE EITHER A BOOK ABOUT HIM OR IT WAS A CHAPTER IN A BOOK!!
John Anderson: He shot a cigar out of my mouth with a 22 cal rifle, and also cut off a piece of rolled up newspaper from my mouth with his whip. This happened in or about 1952-55 when he appeared at the Strand Theater.
Judy Bussey I'll make sure to notify his granddaughter who's watching these comments--Billie Jo McRoberts. She's anxious to know more about her famous grandfather and didn't have any of these pix until I sent them. I'm trying to write a piece about him...will let you post it on "My Floyd County" if I ever get it done!
Judy Bussey:I also talked to my son, Tommy, who found it hard to believe we had such a man as Cherokee Bill in our childhood....wonderful, unbelievable in today's world. And, I bet he used a real 22 didn't he!
Billie Jo McRoberts: hey it's me Billie Jo. i need u to call me, im here with my dad and i need to show him that link to your blogs.
Judy Bussey I haven't added to them, Billie Jo, but you're inspiring me to get busy. I'll call shortly....I need to write this story with all the photos. Maybe I can do an abbreviated version and someone else can expand it.....I'll tag my published novelist friend, Jawahara Saidullah...for advice...maybe she'll help me....♥
Linda Morefield
I just signed up to follow your blog, too, Judy! I didn't come from the same area but a lot of the memories of mountain life are the same. Carr Creek in Knott County is now somewhere under Carr Creek Lake but you can still see a small section of road right in front of where our house was in Carr Creek right below Carr Creek Hill where the old high school stands. We left there when I was 11 in 1968 (well, that just told my age but I'm not changing it!) but many of the mountain ways and the love of my Appalachian history came with us. Thanks for starting this - I'll get online and catch up to your current postings soon. I'm looking forward to it.
Judy Bussey @ Linda: Great to hear from my old Buddy! We always had much in common...so many good conversations...Daddy's first job was in Carr Creek Coal Company...
Linda Morefield I read that! I just closed your blog down and read every post! If the location and names were a little different, it could have been my family in almost every post. . .We may have been born miles apart but a lot of our experiences growing up were the same. I was the first of the children born in a hospital, too! I have enjoyed reading everything. Thanks for sharing all this.
I grew up in Wilmington Ohio and remember Cherokee Bill and seeing his car with the horns and the pa system just like that one.
ReplyDeleteI came in contact with the wife of one of his sons recently in Hillsboro Ohio. DG
Great to hear from you! The blog has improved and I can now reply to you. It's so good to have him validated since his show was so unbelievable. If you're on facebook, look up some "Vernes" they are his descendants. I appreciate your comment and have no idea why I couldn't reply until today. Please check back in!
Deletehttp://wnewsj.com/main.asp?SectionID=42&SubsectionID=367&ArticleID=205981
ReplyDelete...Then, one day, a man rode into town in an old Cadillac. The car had large bullhorns mounted to the car's grill, with huge twin fender horns on each side. These were not bullhorns used for voice amplification, but real bullhorns - ones that at one time had sat on the head of a long-horned bull somewhere in Texas or Oklahoma.
ReplyDeleteThe man was dressed in a brown cowboy hat, western shirt with an ascot tie, brown and white cowboy boots and western pants that would have made Roy Rogers blush.
Strapped around his trim waist were twin Colt .45 revolvers.
Cherokee Bill was a Native American born in 1901 on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma. He left the reservation at about nine years of age to travel with the Wild Bill Wild West Show. His job was to throw potatoes in the air while riding a horse backwards, as another trick-shooter rode behind on another horse, shooting the objects in mid-air.
After a few years, he started his own Chief Cherokee Bill Show. An expert sharpshooter, he traveled the country entertaining school kids, county fairs goers and anyone that gathered in small towns to watch them perform. Cherokee Bill didn't merely tack a paper bull's eye on a board. His marksmanship brought you to the edge of your seat. As a volunteer from the audience would throw a nickel 20 feet in the air, everyone gasped as Cherokee Bill put a hole in it before it hit the ground. Bill could shoot, throw knives, ride horses, and even snap a cigarette from a volunteer's mouth with his bullwhip 10 feet away.
In his shows, Cherokee Bill would ask an audience member to step to the stage as he bent at the waist, cracking his whip just above their head. The whip would gently wrap around their necks ever so slightly, like a water snake catching minnows.
A man from a bygone era, Cherokee Bill played spoons on schoolchildren's heads, balanced a ladder or chair on his chin, and threw knives shearing off the tips of cigarettes from the mouths of nervous volunteers. He even shot cigarettes in half as the glowing butt dangled from their shaking lips.
One summer evening, Rita remembers Cherokee Bill announcing that he would be performing a portion of his show for the North Spring Street neighbors. He asked one of the neighbors, Mary, to be his partner for the special neighborhood show.
Rita said the neighbors were antsy. At that time in his career, it was rumored Cherokee Bill's eyesight was beginning to fail. As good neighbors do, however, they diligently tromped over to his side yard and waited for the show to begin.
Mary stood calmly with a cigarette in her mouth and her eyes closed, as Cherokee Bill aimed his pistol at her. To the delight of the adults and children alike, he shot off the end of the smoking cigarette right before their eyes.
Then, Cherokee Bill threw a dime into the air and shot at it. He then picked up the dime, which had a hole in it.
"The most amazing trick was about to happen as the crowd began to grow," Rita said as her hands began to sweat.
Mary was calm as she jumped in front of a large board as Cherokee Bill began to throw knives around her. Before long, Mary's body began to shake like Don Knotts as each knife commenced to outline her torso. With each additional throw, the neighbors began to groan.
As he threw the last knife, Cherokee Bill yelled, "Oh, no!"
The knife headed directly toward Mary's midsection. Suddenly, Cherokee Bill began to laugh. He showed the crowd the knife he had just thrown at Mary was a rubber knife.
Every once in a great while, you run across a man who you never forget. Cherokee Bill was such a person.
Cherokee Bill Verne, a very nice man, died on April 25, 1978 from heart failure and pneumonia.
What a great story, Chris! It validates my memories and now I know he wasn't a figment of my imagination. Chris, please visit my blogspot again...I just now have become able to "reply" Love your story..you can find Vernes on Facebook. Several of his descendants have commented on his photos in my account--Judy Bussey---hope to hear from you again. The story you wrote is great!
DeleteMy name is William Robert Michael verne and i am a proud grandson of cherokee Bill.i just wanted to say happy fathers day to my grand daddy. I will always remember you.
ReplyDeletemy grandfather had a restaurant during the 30s 40s and 50s and he kept a guest book that visitors would sign. in one of these books there is written in very fancy script,[looks like] Ruth Vern then "Monday Oct. 13th, 1941 Chief Cherokee Bill Indian Intertainer [sic] God Bless America My Country USA Muskogee Okla." i would like to know if anyone can authenticate for me. i am on FB. contact me here.
ReplyDeleteI bet it's authentic Ruth and Bill Verne, best known as Cherokee Bill, as I discuss in my blog. Your comment is signed as "anonymous" so I won't look you up on Facebook. Several Verne descendants have commented on my FB story about Cherokee Bill. Maybe you can contact them for verification. I'm assuming you're in Oklahoma? Good luck getting real verification. Please check back in and I appreciate your comment. Judy Bussey
ReplyDeleteHello Judith my name is Dakota grandson if cherokee bill I am doing research about my family history and I want to find more info about my family I have some Info about my grandfather but would like to know more about my grandmother did he only marry one woman and had all the children with her if so that will help me find the info I am looking for thanks
ReplyDeleteHi i'm emily verne, I'm bill's great great granddaughter. I have heard so many exciting things about him, i wish i couldve met him. Im 15 right now, and all the story i've heard make me wanna time travel to the past just to watch some of his shows.
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn more about him. He is my dad's biological father, but we didn't know until about 9 years ago.
ReplyDeletehis wife was my father's cousin and i did a show with him in Brooksville Kentucky and he threw knives at me and took cigarettes out of my mouth with his bull whip i would hold rolled up paper between my legs and his son held the other end between his and he would cut it in half with the whip
ReplyDelete