The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-21
FOR THE MIDWEST SHOW
BUFFALO BILL TELLS HOW HE
MOBILIZEs HIS MIMIC ARMY.
How Soldiers and Horsemen of Many
Nations Are DriIIed-Had to
Secure New Indians.
Reprinted from Golfers Weekly by per-


mission
1 took my station behind the curtain at
| the edge Of the tan bark. Behind and
| about me was phalanx of Indians. Co.'S
| sacks, cowboys, Bedouins Mexicans,
| cuirassiers, Beers. Britons. three hundred
| strong. and all mounted horses paving,
chatting. rearing, riders silent, stoical.
| Through a hole in the canvas on a level
! with my eye made sure that the way was
| clear. 1 gave the signal, and into the
arena Of Madson-square Garden charged
! the sixhundred-while applause to
| lett. right. front of them volleyed and
| Numbered. Not all at once. however. but
In battalions, one at a time. they charged,
| each troop preceded by a single horseman
| bearing the colors. When the three hun
dred were in their places 1 sprang upon
my own charger, dashed 10 the front, and
introduced the Rough Riders of the world.
| 1t was our opening night in New York
the first performance of the eighteenth
season of the Wild West Show.
| Golfers Weekly has asked me to tell
| how this array of dare devil troopers from
| so many corners of the earth-this show
| was put together. Have you ever watched
| q man at work making a mosaic floor?
| Stone by stone, bit by bit, each carefully
selected he adds and adds, putting each
| piece in exactly the right place, the job
when completed being harmonious in color
| definite in form, and meaning something
| Our show is a mosaic of horsemen. Each
| is a picked man, chosen because of his
| record as a soldier or plainsman, his ply
| steal perfection and his ability to be al
ways an integral part of a horse.
The actual work OF preparing this years
| show began in January, when our agents
went east as far as Russia west to the
Great Divide. north to Canada south to
| Mexico, to select material for our human
| mosaic.
BOERS AND BRITONS.
We had to have something new. Cubans
Filipinos, Hawaiians = these had served
their purpose in previous years. 1 consulted
with Nate Salisbury, who has been my
| partner, guide, friend and philosopher In
the show business and other enterprises for
nearly a quarter of a century and always
a potent factor in the shaping of affairs
| We decided upon the principal new feature
| for this year-it should be a representative
| band of Beers and company of Britons,
men who had just come from South Africa's
| battlehelds, who had fought against and
shot at one another in deadly conflict. We
|
concerned in the making of current history.
| Where, first of all, were the Boer soldiers
TO be found? At the seat of war? No, down
there they would be in active service, un-
able and unwilling to accept our offers.
! Holland-here was the place to find them,
for here would come many escaped or re-
leased prisoners and discharged fighters.
Having lost their all--even their families
4 he Drff itch ~
remain here, they would naturally migrate
to the country Of the Dutch tongue. To
| The Hague, then, went our agent, Mr..
| Keene, where he found that all incoming
soldiers who had fought in South Africa
were registered, their names, addresses and
present employment being given. They were
scattered among farms for many miles
around. Keene secured the country, ex-
amined the men physically, testing their
| skill as rough riders verifying the various
| documents they placed in his hands certi-
| flying to- valor in recent bloody campaigns
in the Transvaal Thus our Boer detach-
ment was recruited. Some of these men
were with Cronje, having made their escape
at the time of that generals capture; 9th
| ers had only recently served under De Wet.
| PUPILS FROM SOUTH AFRICA.
|
in charge OF Captain Won der Loo, with or
| ders to meet at the rendezvous of the show
IN New York, in March. Mr.. Keene went
to England to get fighters the British
side. 1 wired Keene: Get Baden-Powell
men," l had been told that this brave
young hero of Mafeking had referred to
me in his book as his tutor in the rough
art of scouting" As he was once my
~
cut of some of my grandpupils. In the
handful of that defended Mafeking
under Powell were a battalion of the
| Bechuanaland Rifles. and a detachment
of this organization, men who had served
! out their enlistment were brought from
| South Africa and are with us this year.
These Baden-Powell men, l should add
were the pets of the British army in Eng
land. and any position the service offered
was open to them. They had but to ex-
press their wishes. They contracted to
come with us. however. because. as they
said, Here's a chance to see the States
and have a holiday" AS for the holiday
that will depend upon their own concep-
ton of the word. If the hard work of two
| performances every day, except Sundays,
for six months and night travel. and one
|
well, perhaps the Brtishers do not un-
| derstand holiday to mean loafing-bee.
With these alone We were not content.
| The Canadians had a hand in lighting the
| Beers, and a representation from Canada
we must have. Major Burke went up
there. hunted east and west. but h could
! not find the right men. He waited q few
weeks. Then, hearing of the return of
| number of soldiers direct from the front,
| he made another trip. and this time cor
| rallied a Canadian contingent. consisting
| of squads of the Mounted Rifles and the
| Strathcona Horse. the latter regiment hav-
| ing been fitted out, l believe, by Lord, or
| Baron Strathcona at his own expense.
RECRUITING REDSKINS
Meantime our representative at the Pine
| Ridge agency. in South Dakota. was busy
| recruiting Indians, chiefly Sioux. Some
people think we have the same red men
year after year. Not so. OF the fifty odd
bucks, five squaws and two pappooses in
the cast this season only few of the bucks
have ever been with US before. Not even
the half dozen old redskins would be re-
| tanned were it not that they are extremely
helpful in coaching the new ones
This annual change serves two purposes