The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-01-25
COLONEL CODy'S GIFT,
TO DONATE DEADV0OD CO4CH TO
 THE NATYON4L MUSEUM.
The Famous Vehicle That Operated Between Cheyenne and tho Black

Between Cheyenne and tho BIacl Hills to Go to Washington.
 Colonel William F. Cody, bette
 known as Buffalo Bill" spent the pas few days in Washington on a mission
 of more than ordinary interest. Fol
 some time past Colonel Cody has con
 templated presenting the old and his
 torc DeadWood stage coach to the Ma
 tonaI Museum, and yesterday he called
 on Professor Langley, superintendent
 of the Smithsonian Institute and Ma
 tional Museum, to arrange for the
 placing of the historic relic in one or
 the other of the institutions.
 Shortly after his interview with Pro-
 lessor Langley Colonel Cody was seen by a representative of the Post and
 in reply to the latter's inquiries he
 stated that the National Museum off,
 cials were delighted with the proposi-
 tion and that they were quite anxious
 to secure this remarkable relic of the
 days when the pioneers were winning
 the West from the red man Speaking
 of this famous vehicle Colnel Cody
 said
 "The old DeadWood stage was built in
 1868 by the firm of Abbot, Downing & Co, of Concord, N. H. In those days travel was mostly by stage coach, and this firm made a specially of coaches for the overland traffic. The coaches built for this overland travel were of a peculiar pattern and somewhat diff ferent from the old English tally"ho coach They were put together with a view to combining maximum Of strength with minimum of weight, and were known as "Concord coaches, just as we of to-day speak of Columbia bicycles, or studebaker wagons.
 "rhs firm numbered each and every one of the coaches turned out of their shop and in addition kept record of where they went and to whom they were sold, and by reason of this I was able to trace the early history of the Deadwood coach back to its origin. The same year, 1868, the DeadWood coach was sold to and shipped around Cape Horn to a firm in San Francisco, who
 used it in a stage line they had es- tablished between Frisco and points in Nevada
 From there the coach drifted East and in 1874 was placed in operation and running between Cheyenne, Wyo., and the Black Hills. This was the famous Deadwood route At that time gold had just been discovered in the Black Hills, The excitement was at fever heat, and the coach was employed from the outset and for the special purpose of transporting the gold mined in the Black Hills region to the Union Pacific Railway, at Cheyenne, for shipment East to the hints.
 From the day the coach began run ming on this route it passed through one continued series of holdups robbaries, and patched battles, until finally, in 1871 the coach was attacked by band of Sioux Indians, and in the battle that followed the entire crew of drivers and guards were killed This happened at place called Hat Creek Station, and there the coach was aban- doned and left to go to rack after the fight
 I heard of it soon after this hap pened proceeded to Hot Creek and found the coach, with one wheel broken, lying by the side of the trail. right where the Indians had left it after kill Ing the crew and footing the coach.
 1t has remained in my possession aver since and has crossed the A Atlantic .hree times, When I first went to Eng and with my show in 1887 royalty turned out in force. and before the first performance was given the Prince of Wales sent word to me that he wanted Q ride in the coach through the per ormance, and that he desired that I should drive When the time came drove around n front of the royal box and the prince md four companions stepped down to he coach, The four whom I did not ,noW got inside, while the prince stated hat he preferred to ride with me in the lriver's seat I assisted him up, we tarted off; the Indians attacked us, l ccording to programmes then the cow ] 'oys came to the rescue. . After the smoke had cleared away l he prince on leaving the coach with ! he other folu, who happened to be the I Kings of Belgium, Saxony, Sweden and I ireece, said: q We'll Colonel Cody, l suppose this $ the first time you ever had four ings on your hands, U No, your highness,' l replied, but it the first time l ever held four kings ' nd the royal joker V "The prince knew enough of poker to U ae the point q once Y Colonel Cody stated that he had, in |, 1dition to this coach, seven others, but It one of them quite so old and SO fa- u ous as the Deadwood coach. U Later in the day Colonel Cody-Who, e' y the way, lives when at home near a' le Yellowstone Park-called on Preai- U ant Roosevelt regarding matter ul hich he stated he felt sure would i'm u rest the nations chief a' a' Owing to the protection afforded by = le government to game in the YelloW- one Park, bears, both black and ~ 'izzly, have increased enormously and p 'e preying upon the young elk to such :" l extent that unless their numbers , e thinned it will not be long before i e elk in the park will be eXterminat- - From the Washington Post. - .,
 
 CFNTR AT, CAN'T STOP IT -