The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-07-31
CODY'S GREAT SHOW
DELIGHTS THOUSANDS
Thrilling Feats We're Performed by Men
OF Nerve.
ROUGH RIDERS OF ALL THE WORLD
Daring and skilIfui Fellows of the
West, Picked Soldiers from Europe
and Our own Army Men Were
There in all Their Glory and Spien-
did Horsemanship--Ra Fell, but
Did Not Interfere.

has come and gone from Scranton. He
and his Indians, cowboys, fine horses,
crack shots, star riders of the world
and what-rot were in Scranton yester-
day. j. Pluvius and his blanket of
dampness held aloof and gave every
body q chance in the afternoon and
early evening, but during the night
performance the rain fell in torrents
and while 1t did not prevent a display
of the Wild West wonders 1t did some
what interfere with the spirit of the
spectators and speed of the horses.
The rectangle tierings of seats were
filled in the afternoon with about 12,0C0
persons and the evening throng was
as large. A display hat the public did
not pay for but which was nevertheless
feature and a good one was the street
parade in the morning. In 1t were rep
resentatives of all the riding nationali-
ties with the show. 1t was an instruct
i've and entertaining pageant.
But the show-afternoon and even
ing-was according to the rain or
shine announcements of previously is
sued programmes.
CURTAIN-RAISER.
The cowboy band, of which Herr
William Sweeney, who first demon
strated talent as @ musician by his
wonderful playing of the instrument
known as poker, is the leader, played
1.-THE Star Spangled Banner" AS it
rose over the rectangle which serves as
a stage fer Buffalo Bills actors, the
high canvas partition on the fourth
side of the rectangle was drawn back
and out dashed pack of Indians, gor-
geous and hideous in paint and feath-
ers and trappings, their ponies bound
ing over the turf light and swift as
swallows. Following them came Ger
man Uhlans and q detachment from
the Garde Cuirassiers of His Majesty
Kaiser William II. Then came a de-
tachment from the 5th Royal Irish Lam
GERS.
AS body after body of horsemen gal
loped out and thundered down the
field, it seemed as if the armies of the
world were back of the canvas screen
and each had f1ecked a fragment of its
mounted force into the rectanGle for
the people to see.
At signal from Buffalo Bill the
various bodies broke into a trot, then
into gallop, winding and circling in
seeming disorder until suddenly the
whole pack of them turned into a
great, writhing, curving, curling, twist
ing, Vari-colored serpent of soldiery,
civilized and savage.
They vanished through the canvas
screen and out rumbled a battery Of
field artillery with veterans from Cap
tain Thorne's famous Battery d, Fifth
regiment, United States artillery, in
| the saddle and on the carriages. Their
| drill was perfect. Following them Miss
| Annie Oakley broke glass balls until
the crowds hands burned from APP
| plauding. Then came a horse trace be-
tween a cowboy, a Ccssack, a Mexi-
| can, an Arab, a Gaucho, an Indian
and a Spanish Mexican using a brBl-
| cho, Russian, Indian and Arabian hors-
| eS.
One of the old-time pony-express
mail carriers showed how they used to
carry the malls. He flung himself like
a bag of meal from horse to horse,
| Then came a thrilling attack of a
prairie emigrant train on the plains.
Cowboys and scouts repulsed the In
dians. After it was over a group of
Riftian Arabian horsemen illustrated
their style of horsemanship and did 9
lot of tumbling and acrobatic work
Johnnie Baker. the celebrated young
American marksman, was next. He
even went so far as to stand on his
head and shoot with perfect accuracy
upside down. The Cossacks of the
Caucasus of Russia followed Johnnie
If a Cossack wants to commit suicide
he must do it on foot. He never car
do it on horseback. He simply canno
fall off or get hurt.
A LASSOING WONDER.
A Agroup of Mexicans followed the Cos
sacks. The head of these greasers wa.
wonder with the lasso. He seemed
to set at naught all the laws of gravi
tation. He took a lariat 80 feet Ions
and started it whirling until he work
ed a moose eight feet in diameter in 1t
This moose and the rest of the laria
never touched the ground. The Mexi
can jumped through the moose. H
shot it high in the air, he whirled 4
behind him, on all sides of him, up o.
down. He lassoed riders and horse
on the gallop. He caught horse b!
all four legs, by one leg, by any tw
legs, by any three legs, by the neck, b.
the barrel. That fellow could hang
man right off his horse. His fellow
were expert, too, although not so pro
ficient as their leader.
A splendid exhibition drill by tn
Irish Lanciers and the German Uhlan
followed. The Uhlans were splendi
swordsmen. The Irishmen were per
: feet peggers. Both We're expert horse
men. A charge by both detachment
, set the crowd applauding wildly
Then came the best part of the shoN
cowboy fun followed by veterans O
the 9th u. S. Cavalry. The buckine
rolling, rearing ponies and the swarthy
rollicking cowboys drew forth tremen
dous applause. The cavalrymen, rid
ing without saddles, picking up hand
> kerchiefs, falling off and jumping o
> while the horses were at full gallol
a vaulting over one horse onto the Lors
! beyond as the pair raced neck an
neck, riding three horses bare-bac
, standing up, these are but a few {
; their feats. The time honored attac
: on the Deadwood mail coach was mex
There was a buffalo hunt, six bu
faloes, including one calf, galloped on
: and the whole horde of Indians an
y cowboys chased them, firing blan
shots.
The show ended with an attack on
settlers cabin, which Buffalo Bill say