Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-10-18
A COWBOY CARNIVAL.

A COWBOY CARNIVAL.
The Entertainment Buffalo Bill and his Gang are
Setting Out for New Yorkers-Coach
Robbery and q Cattle
Round Up.
About 5000 people were attracted to
Prospect Park fair grounds yesterday.
says the New York World, by a novel
outdoor spectacle. 1t was nothing
more nor less than an assemblage of
cowboys, Indians, scouts, squaws, Tex
an steers, buffaloes, elk and ranchmen.
About 4 o'clock the spectators were
gratified with the most unique caval-
cade. The redoubtable Buffalo Bill
and DIR. w. 4. Carver in wild Western
attire and armed with carbines and re-
volvers rode at the head of process
sion of scouts and savages, the latter in
full war paint and attended by their
papooses, ponies and household appli-
ances. Driven ahead of them was a
herd of genuine American bison and
wild cattle. Anything more pictur-
esque than this strange outburst of bor-
der life in the serene and sandy glades
of Long Island had never been seen.
1t was the new travelling combination
of Buffalo Bill and DIR. Carver. Mr..
Cody, it should be said, has In his en-
terprise outgrown the limitations of the
theatrical stage. Hotel bills are a
serious drawback to travelling troups of
savages and cowboys and reversely cow
boys and savages are a serious draw
back to hotels. Hence the expense
and danger in pursuing the ordinary
methods and routes of travelling shows.
Buffalo Bill has cut loose this season
from all that. He camps his troupe out
on fair grounds and ON race tracks in
their own lodges. He letters his In
dian ponies round the judges stand
He turns his ferocious buffaloes loose TO
nibble the astonished grass in the en-
closure. The he invites the curious
multitude to come and pay so cents a
head to see the fiery, untamed COWBOYS
and Indians where there is space
enough to display their fiery and I'M
tanned spirit without pitching over the
footlights or smirching the bald head
head of the orchestral conductor with
powder.
The whole of the troupe were quart
cred on the grounds and. were accessi-
and communicable. O-ji-al-i-gab-ah
otherwise Moonbiter), notorious
chief Of the Crow tribe, was there in
gorgeous yellow ochre and lard, pricked
out with red lead. He leaned against
the pole of his lodge waiting for the
ceremonies to begin, and spoke to the
reporter with the usual sententiousness
of his race.
''Well. big chief, suppose you do
not speak much Englishp" said the in
terviewer.
NO" he said, impassively. II am
the lone red man and l prefer to be
let alone. But you may say, if you
wish some ideas from me, that my
children have melted away before the
breath of the pale face like the dew on
the prairie grass before the morning
sun. You may have heard the senti-
ment before, but it is true. The white
man has a forked tongue. The Great
Father at Washington is played out. /
have spoken
Mack-atush-ha Qhe baby burner)
was also there. He is a yerv big chief.
He wears blue dab under his left ear,
and has fine vermilion smear on his
manly brow. When in full dress he
carries more broken. crockery than
junk wagon. He remarked to the
reporter, that he was an exceedingly
large chief-much larger, in fact than
anybody else in the party. He sur
prised Sunday school in the south
western village of Coffin Plate, burnt
several benches, and carried off the
books. Further investigation of the
redskin element was prevented by the
opening of the performances. An In
dian pony race was followed by an ex-
hibition of the pony express, and then
came the great feature Of the bill-the
attack on the Deadwood coach. Pop
Whitaker from the judges stand an
nounced to the 5000 people that this
startling and soul-stirring exhibition
was an exact reproduction of the ac-
tual scene, and he said that they would
use the identical coach that was at
tackled near Deadwoodn
Then the coach, drawn by six spirited
mules, was driven up in front of the
grand stand by a no less 5piritcd Jchu
in half-Mexican, half-scout attire.
and patty of well-known gentlemen,
In white hats and Prince Albert coats.
came out of the throng and got into
the vehicle. Two or three lads climbed
up on top. The trunks were frightened
up behind. The passengers inside
leaned out, took off their white hats to
the multitude and waved their white
handkerchiefs; the driver cracked his
long whip and away went the coach,
followed eagerly by $4,000 eyes and
great chorus that rolled down from the
grand stand and sounded like "Sit
down in front!' The Deadwood coach
with its precious burden could be fol-
lowed plainly as it jagged along round
the mile track. Suddenly, when two
thirds the distance had been accom-
plished, there started out of the brush a
band of mounted Indians with a wild,
ringing whoop and gave chase. The
driver of the coach whipped up his
mules to gallop. The dust flew. The
5000 people all cried with one voice.
''Sit down in 'front.'" As the pursuit
drew near, the excitement increased
and coach ald Indians dashed past the
grand stand like a whirlwind. When
ON the first quarter again there was
seen to emerge in the distance band
OF horsemen led by Buffalo Bill, and
there could be heard the shouts as they
struck spurs into their ponies and came
tearing down to the rescue. The In
dams wavered a moment-on came the
lmpetuous cowboys. Then the red
skins turned about, and, pursued by
the brave Buffalo Bill and his men,
dove past the grand stand like the wind
pistols and carbines keeping up fusil-
lade that added to the excitement.
Then the coach came home. The
were lifted carefully out. and
the 5000 applauded with all the lungs
they had. 1t was most spirited and
scene, and completely outdoes
all that has hitherto been attempted in
smaller arenas. The moral obviously
is that for wild Westerns scenes Buffalo
Bill must have 200-acre lot.
Other features of this unique pro-
gramme did not quite reach this in
their effectiveness. Capt. Bogardus's
clay-pigeon shooting was tame in its
and even the chase of the
wild Texan steers and the superb riding
OF Buffalo Bill on a bison could not eff
face the dash of a Deadwood coach.
For shooting, Mr.. Cody and DIR. Car
yer made their accustomed marks, Mr..
Cody riding like Centaur and grace
fully missing nearly every glass ball
that was thrown, and Dir. Carver hit
ting them all with with much less spirit
and grace. Then there was grand