The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-12-18
CAUGHT BY BUFFALO BILL.
THEwILD VESTS ERRATIc FINANCES
New York Moneyed Men Formed syndi-
cate TO Present the Show to the Gay Pa
risians and Are Now Doing some
Tall Talking For Their Money.

New YORK, Dec. l4-There is q syndi-
cate, composed OF men who do business in
and around Wall-st, who, according to
the EUeainq Sun, would be pleased TO see
Buffalo Bill and the accounts of the "Wild
West" show which he has been giving as
one Of the incidental attractions at the
French exhibition.
About a year ago, Buffalo Bill, accom-
panied by one T. C. Crawford, who had
given up the place of London correspond
ent of the New York World to boom
Buffalo Bills enterprises, appeared in
Wall-st. to organize a syndicate which
should float the "Wild West show across
the sea and land it On the outskirts of the
Paris exposition. Both Buffalo Bill
and his assistant talked with
glibness and confidence that
interested some moneyed men up the
street. They declared that the profits of
the "Wild West" would be enormous, ale
though the expenses would necessarily be
heavy. But they thought that the receipts
would be sufficient TO pay the investors
two or three hundred per cent. upon the
600, and their proposition was that the
subscribers should receive every night 80
| per cent. of the gross receipts and should
be allowed to have an agent on the spot
to take the money out of the cash box and
| deposit it to the credit of the American
syndicate.
Among others who were interested in
the scheme was Commodore Bateman,
who had known Buffalo Bill and Mr..
| Crawford, and who was an admirer OF the
kind of entertainment that Buffalo Bill
himself furnished when he displayed his
| skill in shooting at glass balls and dummy
| pigeons. Mr.. Bateman agreed to help
| them organize a syndicate, and induced
several of his friends to subscribe TO the
| pool. The whole amount of money was
made up, and then the parties met TO sign
the contracts. Buffalo Bills representa-
! tives did not appear anxious to put the
| agreement into any binding form OF writ
/ ing.considering that the sending of an agent
TO collect the money and to receive
the whole amount of the priclpal when
| the show was ended was sufficient security
! for the syndicate. Mr.. Bateman and bis
friends did not do things in that way, they
| insisted upon a contract, and one was
therefore drawn up, but it was so loosely
worded that they refused to sign 1t. Two
of his party who went into it on Bateman's
representation, however, were out OF town
| when the contracts were presented, and
not knowing that their friends had drawn
out, they signed and paid in theiy money.
Mr.. Bateman saw them when it was too
late, and he promised to guarantee them
against loss, promise which will require.
in all probability, the cutting of OF slice
of Bateman's yearly income.
FTNl Il l..
and the "Wild West" organized and went
to Paris without any agent to take the 80
per cent of the box Office receipts each
night. So far the syndicate has not re-
ceived, it is said, a single dollar which
represents its proportion of the gross re-
ceipts and has got back only 80 per cent.
of the principal which was contributed by
il. There are no indications that any
more money is coming to it, and If the
show had been formally bankrupted it
would have pocketed its losses and said
nothing. There is every reason to be-
lieve, however, that in Its earning capacity
the "Wild West" show met the expecta-
tions of Buffalo Bill, and took in a suf-
ficient OF money not tonlyto pay the
80 per cent. gross receipts nightly, but TO
pay back the principal. The entertainment
was crowded every day and night, and the
reports which came from Paris were that 1t
was making money hand over fist The
members of the syndicate here had perfect
confidence in the honesty Of Buffalo Bill.
They say that in his business relations
with everybody on this side he has always
been sqvare, but that he is not a good
Judge of men and Is liable to be imposed
upon by sharpers who have a good ad-
dress. They think it is possible that some
of his representatives may be responsible
for this failure to make good the promises
on which the syndicate was organized, and
it is for that reason that they are anxious
to see Buffalo Bill and the books wherein
are kept the accounts of the receipts and
expenditures of the 'Wild West" show in
Paris.