The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-08-30
ACTOR AND SCOUT.
How Buffalo Bill adopted
the Stage.
An account of White Beaver,
the Medicine Chief.

The members of the Buffalo Bill combi
nation, whose dramatic season opens in
Davenport next Thursday evening rendes
voused at that city yesterday afternoon
The rehearsal will be conducted ever,
morning and evening until the openine
night, and finished performance of the
drama Prairie Waif' is promised at Harp
ers Theatre next Friday night when tn,
| troupe appears in this city. The stellar at
traction, the coming season as has beea thu
case in past years will be
| BUF FALo BILL,
or Hon. W. f. Cody, whose drawing abil
tiles as an actor and delineator of scout
life have been fully proved in the past
nine years since which he has adopted the
stage as his profession. In an informal
talk with that individual, a repres entative
of the ARGUS gained the following inter
| frontier1nan was metamorphosed into an
actor and theatrical manager. In the year
| 1871 Buffalo Bill had never been east of
| the Mississippi river and he was at that
time engaged by the federal government as
a scout. He was directly under General
Sheridan, and assisted in all buffalo hunts
given by that official. It Glanced that
several New Workers visited the plains dur
ing that year; and were royalty entertained
by General Sheridan and his scouts.
Among other entertainments given for
their amusement was a buffalo hunt in
which Cody succeeded in making for him.
self a record that gained the approval and
appreciation of the visitors. On breaking
up the hunt the visitors requested Buffalo,
Bill to visit New York, where they agreed
show him the sights of big city. At
ter entertaining, under General Sheridan's
instructions, the Grand Duke Alexis with
hunt Of similar character
Buffalo Bill secured leave of absence and
visited New York While there, he visit
ed the Bowery theatre and saw dramatic
representation of western life, in which
Buffalo Bill' was the leading character.
He was impressed with the play, and was
offered an opportunity to impersonate the
character This he refused, but subse
quently, accepted the Offer and with Tex
as Jack, went TO Chicago to open the
season. On arriving there, it was found
that the piece was about played to death,
and a new drama was decided upon. The
two stars found great difficulty in commit
ting their parts, after the play was written;
and nearly disbanded the company be-
cause of their disregard for cues and the
dialogues generally. They were finally
broken in and soon started out from
the Garden City with their play
Scouts of the Prairie which
proved financial if not a dramatic sue
cess. Several seasons afterwards the pres
ent play "A Prairie Waif'' was written and
this also bids fair to be a pronounced sue
cess.
member of the troupe is
DIR. d. F. POWELL,
the medicine chief of the Winnebago tribe
of Indians, position similar in impor-
lance to the one held by Sitting Bull for
the Sioux. He is known among the Indi-
ans as white Beaver" and is regarded by
them with superstitious awe and reverence.
He has with him four representatives of
the Winnebagoes, among whom are Flying
Cloud, Red Deer, Deco ray and Henew
kaw, the Indian princess.
White Beaver was formerly a post sur
geon of the United States army and first
met Buffalo Bill while they were both on
the plains. Strange as it may seem, DR..
Powell is a graduate of several medical col
legGs, and at one time was professor at his
alma mater in Louisville, Ky. Owing
to some trouble with the whites about
which he is reticent, he left for the west
and since that time has spent all his life |
among the Indians. He escorts the tribe |
Of Winnebago chiefs who appear with the
troupe.
At the conclusion of the general talk, |
he Indians were visited and RECALLED the |
visitors with their songs and dances.