Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-03-24
BUFFALO BILL ENAMORED
OF A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN

/ OE a bEAU1 IL jill w OmAN
North Platte. Neb. March 24.-In-
terest excited by the announcement
| that divorce proceedings had been
| instituted by Col. W. +. Cody against
Louisa Cody does not abate. Every
| where that old-time westerner re-
sides the Cody troubles are an unend-
! ing topic of discussion. But Mrs. Cody,
home loving and quiet. with nothing
of the spectacular in her life, living al
ways outside the light of publicity,
has her friends, and they are warm
ones.
One of the things that puzzles those
who best know Col Cody is the in
difference he has shown to the dying
wishes of his daughter, Mrs. Arta
Cody Tharp. Col. Cody was always
thought to have great love for his
children: in fact. one reason ascribed
for the divorce proceedings is his de-
sire to have male heir. And yet
within a few weeks of his daughters
death the father had instituted pro-
ceedings against the mother, although
Mrs. Tharp's last prayer was that
reconciliation could be effected. In
deed. those who saw her in her last ILL
ness say that though death came Just
as the outlook for n happy life was
most promising because of her recent
marriage to Il man of thoroughly con
| genial tastes. her greatest thought
was of her parents rather than of her
husband-that in the hope of bringing
about a reconciliation she most want
ed to live.
During her last illness she wrote
to her mother telling her what she
hoped to accomplish. When she heard
that her father was determined to
seek a divorce she wrote. despairingly
asking Has God forsaken us?" She
died tightly clasping her fathers pic
ture and praying that he might give
up his determination. Anxious friends
believed that when he learned his
daughters fondest wish he would re-
consider his intentions, but they had
no weight.
There are many close family friends
in Cheyenne and from these comes
the report that Col. Cody has come
under the sway of woman who has
determined to become the wife of the
old scout. buffalo Bill now nearly
60 years old, but rumor has it that he
is completely infatuated with Il young
ana extremely beautiful woman. y
resident of Cody, prominent in poll
tics during the last campaign, and Il
close friend of the colonel. says the
woman is remarkably attractive.
Concerning Col. Cody. a great diff
ference of opinion as to his true char
acter seems to exist among the old
settlers who have known him since the
country was young. Some maintain
that he is a sterling character and
that he is entitled to the great credit
and hunors that have been heaped up
ON him during the last 20 years. They
say he has endured much from Mrs
Cody. who, though a fine woman. has
many ways that are unspeakably try
ing. They say she has Inundated him
in the presence of friends repeatedly.
But there are others. and they are
men who know the life of the from
tier and Col. Cody's connections with
it. who assert that his early life will
not bear close Investigation.
Perhaps Col. Cody did not realize
that with the filing of n mere paper
in the little court house in Cody he
would spring into public notice great
er than he ever reached with all his
DARING IedtS. IefHdpS he QlI not I'M
agine that his wife would come for
ward with counter charges. But April
?. her attorneys. Wilcox q Halligan,
win file an answer and cross COM
plant. Absolute denial will be made
to the charge that the wife tried to
/ poison her husband. In fact. this
! charge is deemed so ridiculous that it
is likely little attention viii be paid to
lit That the attorneys intend to make
good fight and a detailed one is evil
denced by the work already done.
John f. Halligan, one of the attor-
neys for Mrs. Cody, arrived here and.
though refusing to discuss the case.
admitted that he had been in Colorado
for the purpose of securing deposit
ltions from certain witnesses. He said
that the answer on which he is work
ing viii fully set forth Mrs Cody's
side.
II is said Mrs. Cody has a great
| fondness for Denver and that she NAV
perhaps locate there after disposition
of the 10000 acres of ranch land in
i North platte which X bpr share Of