The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-16
AS BUFFALO BILL SEES IT.
TuE PASSING SHOW IN GREECE,
ENGLAND, AND AMERICA.

Buffalo Bill and Col. William Cody are two diff
t.rent persons. Buffalo Bill puts OH wild Western
clothes, mounts his horse, and goes out at the
head OF n show. Col. Cody, between perform
nnccs, dons his citizens clothes, and is an agree.
able. wcll-iniormed man. lie was Col. Cody
when n SUN reporter called on him In his drass-
ing room about an hour before the . o'clock per
formance. A burly fellow wearing q big SOM
brero was trying to convince tho Colonel that no
he'd something which, Il introduced into tho
Wild West show, would make 1t ten times
wilder than 1t already was and consequently
far more captivating.
well" said tho Colonel for tho seventeenth
timo without q show of impatience, "if you
would only give me an inkling OF what II is"
Il wrote you," the man interrupted every
time, and then the Colonel would explain:
Bat you didn't toll mo what it was you
wanted to do"
Finally the man unrolled a parcel and out
dropped a huge pile Of closely written papers.
Then he Owed Town into his capacious inside
coat pocket and hauled out another mass OF
written matter. and next he proposed to read 1t
all so that Col. Cody could get an inkling of his
great scheme.
Go over those papersi' exclaimed tho Colonel.
"why l couldn't spare the President Of the
United States O whole hour, and that would
take half a day." and before the man could say
Caterpillar" he was being bowed out, papers
and all, with nothing to console him but regrets
and two passes to the show.
That's the way 1t is all the time" said Col.
Cody, seating himself and lighting q cigar.
"More cranks como here wanting to run my
show than l could kill in o year; and as for
letters-well, l get hundreds of them every day
from all sorts of people, wanting me to do all
sorts of things for them. Only yesterday got
one from the grandniece of an Emperor wanting
me to back her in q theatrical venture. She
wants to 60 on the stage. II I backed all the
stage-struck people who apply to me for assist
ance more stages would have to be built. I'm
thinking"
What do you think about tho European
war r. the reporter asked.
ITO tell the truth l am not up on that war as
I ought to be-" answered the Colonel. 81 have
not had the time to keep informed, but I'm in
sympathy with the Greeks. They aren't getting
there. though. as l thought they were going to,
and the reason they've been so numerically
whipped is because they were SO badly differed.
My idea of a war of that kind Is that it ought
to have been fought Indian style. The Greeks
knew they weren't strong enough to whip the
Turks, and they ought not to have come up and
made one great battle, but should have hit 'em
on the TANKS. They ought to have divided and
kept the Turks on the run and cut off their
supplies, and got EN- first on the left flank and
then on the right, and cut off their retreats, and
so on. Bad officers are at the bottom of it all.
"Whv do l think that all Europe is on the
side of the Turks, while all men and women here
are on the side of the Greeksi A country is
just like a man. When q mans pocketbook Is
at stake he Is going to be on the side that will
save it, and so 1t is with a country. That's all
I've got to say about that. One woman on the
other side synpathized with the Greeks. though.
Imean the Princess of Wales. She is a splendid
woman, a fine woman, and her husband is q
prince OF good fellows.
A I going to the Queens jubileei Well. 1
should say not. My tour ia all arranged for this
country and won't get over there. The Wild
West Show is the only regular performance that
the Queen has ever witnessed since Prince AL
bert's death. She, came to see us the first week
That was the year OF her other jubilee. When
Ms p 5sslr ns to '" pisy n on the {Sssf 1sn iatst gs sa u ss@ Of
Windsor Castle. I conversed with her on both
e ssies : a u The I prin 1Ss of nser%sosan1essnssss ed Ie to ions
HsaaG =, $a1 ,a5u ,%s in, i%ss Pa ps %f ! > n hs go vi II
the sufferers. The Prince not only showed his
Interest hy buying six boxes. hut sent me word,
feet liberty to use his, name; and you may be
sure it was Of great benefit; and I appreciated
and I Just know If England was a republic. and
the people had to elect a President. he would be
tne one eleCLeu.
note eH which ma a n sssa ING f0i bronEh h.pD Az" he
went on as a smile spread across his face; " from
like her. She is a beautiful woman, and you
always lind her the same. Yes. like, her, he
repeated TO himself as he answered her, note,
land I'm glad she wants to see my show
is the show business as good in America as
I've been in the show business twenty.four
years; answered the veteran. Yes just two
round dozen years, and 1t is as good as or better
To- Law than IL ever was. if Won have the right
attraction. That's all you want. II you furnish
something worth seeing. people will see IT."
Another note" interrupted the messenger.
This time it's from a society w9man.,'e x.
Claimed Col; Cody, with a laugh; She says my
worklnsman.' that work eighteen hours out Of
on me ami don't want to take too busy to como
as a sufficient excuse for my not accepting their
He lighted another cigar and seemed to find 1t
eL,absorbing, until the visitor asked what he
Il don know anything about the tariff" he
answered, Jerking out every word emphatically.
i've too much business on hand to bother over
study OF it. couldn't influence It either way,
and il fT nin heard sri,, OF T it for v the last six Years
and it don't work. | get a new one. say,
ffFn R az ,ss iii ,nT'1 IAN and let W 'Sm start start on neT deal deal.
give a snap whether they give the people beer
and cheese on Sunday or not; I have found
ana beer gardens are kept open on Sunday.
People try lots harder to get a thing which Is
kept from them by force"
Another letter" said the messenger, hand
Ing IN a great thick one this time.
bly, George !, calculated the Colonel, burying
hiInself In is contents. this is a begging letter.
derbilt s6 Or Astors as they do buffalo Bill They
t camss Hil is an easy mark. ! suppose it Is be
proaGh me personally and by letter in their own
DENIAL, and persons connected with all kinds of
charitable institutions lay siege on me. A dozen
have been here to-day. 1t costs me $5 every
Tune walk from here to the Hoffman House.
the visitor.
Yes. know; but l Just make up my mind to
give up five every time | cross the square, 80 I
naye i changed into quarters and 50-cent
pieces before starting out. When I'm playing
ohe.night stands l put aside 5000 every week to
give away. This Is in self-defence. Tho minute
strike a one-night stand q man or IA woman
comes to me and gives mo a song-and-dancc
SPOUT how i take so much moucy out of the town
that ! ought to be willing to give something TO
The hospital or library or church or school or
ahy old thing. can stand men off better than
can women. When a woman comes at me
take my pocketbook out right OFF, and it's the
EHnp WAY with hnnly AuAnta r btr cha hnnlu