The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-04-23

drama that Ned Buntline had fixed
up for Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill and
Texas Jack, in which his part was to
do fancy shooting. But the show did
not last long. Texas Jack thought
the red light played on Wild Bill too
much, and Wild Bill had some no.
tiOns of his own about the way Jack
was putting on dog and Buffalo Bill
knew he had more sense than the
whole shooting match. So the COM
binstiOn broke up aud Diamond Dick
drifted back to the range and out
ameng the Sioux trapping and hunt
ing and CONTEMPLATING with the medi-
cine men. He was only seventeen
when the notion struck him to go into
the medicine business himself. So he
got some Indians and a buck skin
suit and some roots and things and
struck out for Boston, of all places in
the civilized world But Ned Bunt-
line had already written up lot of
his adventures (Which he never had)
and had dubbed him Diamond Dick,
so the name was familiar; and In
dians were scarce in Boston; and boys
with buckskin suits and broad hats
who could split a rifle ball on the
point of a tack were scarce also; so
perhaps Boston was as good place
as any. Anyway the boy got on
there, went to school there and at
Philadelphia long enough to get
some kind of a medical diploma,
then went to Keokuk, Ia, and got
another diploma, and then travelled
around New England with his In
dians and his rifle and his YARDS"
That is the way he got his start
And he has been at it ever since.
Some times he takes flyer at some
thing else. for recreation, but always
in the show line, and always with his
medicine business somewhere near. |
AT the Worlds Fair, for example, |
where he had an Indian Village down
on the Plaisance and an office up on
Michigan avenue. And then at the
Atlanta Exposition where he had
something of the same kind. He went I
to Europe once with Buffalo Bill, and
he has the concession at the great
Paris Worlds Fair of 1900 for another
Indian village. Won't the boulevards
60 wild over him?
The Doctor declares that the talk
he makes about having learned from
the Indians the secret of compound
ing we'll known herbs in such way
as to make of them specifics for certain
diseases is no fake. He says that
Sitting Bull, who captured and killed
Custer, and Two Strikes his first
cousin, were famous medicine men.
He was with the latter for number
of years and learned from him things
that are not taught in any of the books
and that he has tried with success too
often to be in doubt about. He is q
great admirer of the Sioux, declaring
they are a big, brave brainy lot of
men.
Speaking about his skill with a
rifle, the Doctor says it is a natural
gift. His father was an expert and
one of his brothers, now living in
Alabama, is famous pistol shot. He
does all his shooting with little 80
which probably cost
about So but which he would not
lake $1,000 for. He is good shot with
\ shotgun also, having made record
Of 81 out of 100 at the traps, but he is
not proud of that for he thinks 'sany-
body can shOotwith shotgun"
One of the most singular things
about Diamond Dick, seeing he is a
Doctor, is the fact that he takes his :
,wn medicines. He never had an
Iche or pain in his life, but every
Ipring he takes two months course ,
# medicines '.just to keep in trim"
lie is six feet one and One-half inches
all and weighs from 185 to 200 pounds, {
md to look at his splendid athletic !
igure and clear eye and skin one can !
'asily believe him when he says he
vas never ill. Just to show how well [
lie is, it may be remarked that during l
he Worlds. Fair he looked after his
so Indians, gave the parade each
lay, sold tickets, started the show,
made his own contracts for advertis-
ng, etc., spent two hours in his up