The Holly chieftain., 1902-02-07
NOW GOING TO- WASHINGTON.
Colonel Cody viii Give the Old Dead
wood Stage Coach to the
National Museum.

Washington Post: Colonel William
lF. Cody. better known as buffalo
Bill, i" spent the past few days in Wash
ngton on Il mission Of more than ordin-
Iry interest. For some time past Col
onel Cody has contemplated present.
ing the old and historic Deadwood
stage COACH To the NATIONAL 1nuseum,
md. Yesterday he called on Professor
Langley. superintendent Of Il le Smith
sonian IntitutioI@ and National Mus
cum, {to strange for the placfbg of the
historic relic in one or the sther of
the institutions. ~ -
Shortly after his Interview With Pro-
fossor Langley, Colonel Cody %as seen
by a reporter, and in reply u the lat
ter's inquiries, he stated that the Ma
ton museum officials were teiighted
with The proposition, and tfat they
were quite anxious TO secur&this re-
markabIe relic OF the days Nhen the
pioneers were, winning iiIetYyest from
the red man. Speaking of this famous
vehicle. Colonel Cody said:
The old Deadwood stage was built
In 1863 by the tirm of Abbot. Downing
& Co. Of Concord. New Hampshire.
In those days travel was mostly By
stage coach and this firm made a spe-
rialty of coaches for the overland traf-
he. The coaches built for this over
land travel were of peculiar pattern
and somewhat different from the old
English or tallyho coach They were
put together with u view 10 combin-
ing a maximum Of strength with
minimum Of weight, and We're known
rs Concord coaches just as we to-day
4 III Ia 1.I.a md
baker wagons.
This firm numbered each and every
one of the coaches. turned out VI their
shop. and in addition kept lccord of
where they went and to whom they
were sold, and by reason of this | was
able to trace the early history of the
Ueadwood coach back to its origin. The
same year. 1863. the Deadwood coach
was sold to and shipped around Cape
Horn to a firm in san Francisco, who
used it IN stage line they had estab-
lShcd between Frisco ana points in
Nevada.
From there the coach drifted east.
and in 1874 was placed in operation
and running between Cheyenne, Wyo-
ming. and the Black Hills. This was
the famous peadwOod route. At that
dime gold had just been discovered III
the Black HIS. The excitement was
ut fever heat. and the coach was EN-
ployed from the outset and for the spe-
clad purpose of transporting the gold
mined il the Black Hills region to the
Union Pacific railway at Cheyenne, for
shipment east to the mints.
From the day the coach commenced
cunning on this route it passed through
one continued series of holdups, rob
berries. murders and pitched battles,
until finally in 1877 the coach was at
tackled by Il band OF Sioux Indians.
and in the battle that followed the en-
tire crew of drivers and guards We're
killed. Thishappened at place called
Hat Greek station, and there the coach
was abandoned and left to so to rack
after the fight.
Il heard of it soon after this hap
pened. proceeded Ito Hat Creek. and
found the coach, with one wheel brok.
en-, lying by the side Of the trail, right
where the Indians had left it after
killing the crew and looting the coach"
Colonel Cody stated that he had, in
addition to this coach, seven others,
but none of them quite SO old and SO
famous as the Deadwood coach.