Omaha daily bee., 1906-06-25
TRIBE OF "DEADWooD DICK
Passing of Dime Novel Characters
Excites Obituaries and Remi-
nIscences in the East.

niNCeuCee IN the Bhsts
The news Of the death Of a real Dead
wood Dick" in Denver induces these re-
marks from the New York Evening Post:
Frank Powell's death, early in May Of this
year, brought out recollections OF the
buckskin brothers Of western romance"
and emphasized the passing Of the "old
days" Powell and his two brothers. with
Buffalo Bill" made up quartet OF plains
men that secured more notice from the
press agents, perhaps, than any other
group Of frontier notables. Yet It was noted
at the time OF his death that the glamor
had faded Frank Powell was practicing
medicine In st. Paul long before he died;
his brothers are physicians of La Crosse,
Wis, and Buffalo Bill" OF course, is no
more than a hgurehead attached to the
Wild West circus that bears his name.
"Buckskln Jim" passed over 'The long
traiI' a year ago; less than three years
since Calamity Jane" died as peaceably
as a plains lady could hope. What most
impresses an old-time bad man" nowadays
is the hard sidewalks and canon-liks streets
of the cities which he visits from time To
time
He mad sand in his craw, but was slow on
the draw,
So we buried him under the daisies.
II was "a poet Of the west" who wrote
that famous old couplet; not a western
poet, be It observed. The frontier took It's
bad men for granted just as New York
takes it's gamblers. II one can imagine
Richard Watson Glider pennng an epic IN
celebration Of Richard Garfield then 1t
would seem plausible that plains bard
should put "Deadwood Dick" into verse.
Those romancers who Nave come from the
alkali fats with their sanguinary tales have
merely supplied an always existing demand
for melodrama. Recently one OF the best
and most restrained OF these transplanted
fiction builders said You know, I'm no
writer What ] really am is a COW hand,
but you've got to work ten or twelve hours
a day at that, every day in the week. Now
find this writing game is easy; / work
two days a week and make more money
than l ever dreamed OF making out in
Texas" The west had no decisions about
the real capacity Of it's semi-legendary
characters. Where one Abilene erects n
monument to Tom Smith, a dozen com
munities change the subject when a
"hero's" name IL mentioned.
Some one has suggested directory Of
western outlaws who have settled down
to the peaceful life. BY all the laws ~
romantic fiction, this should he kind
Of blacklist What business has bad
man to give up being bad merely because
| he prefers a mattress and roof TO blankets
and the sky? Frank James, promoter
/ of an electric railway as doorkeeper
| in the Missouri State house, somehow cheats
/ the man of Imagination, however much he
| pleases his friends Henry Starr, out In
| Indian Territory. to the regret OF the thrill
| ling writer, refuses to perpetuate the glory
! that came TO the name through the adyen-
| lures OF that brilliant and dissipated
| woman Belle Starr. PardOned out of the
| Fort Smith jail for bravery displayed i'm
| helping TO suppress a mutiny among the
| prisoners, Starr is "llving down his past.
| "Cole" Younger and Ben" Cravens are
! avoiding the limeight with the seme scrup-
ulous care. The settings for the lurid pic
/ lures and staccato melodrama manufHc-
/ tured for the messenger boy have changed
/ from Dead Mans Gulch". and "Cornered
/ in the Canon" TO the fresher fields on which
! Chicago's "Car-Ba Murderers' won
| glory, or where the Riddle brothers per
! ished Kit" Carson dropped out Of view
ten years ago in another ten years
| white Beaver and "Deadwood Dick
| will fade into obscurlty.
After all the west gets or as easily as
could have been expected With no delu-
! sions OF its own about its actual state or
| wickedness and with material future
/ that included farmers and mechanics and
/ clerks and timid men Of finance 70 look
! after. that region took its outlaws and cow
] boys merely as the incidents Of a rapidly
/ changing life. As a range rider with the
| Gift OF song once limited, there was nothing
really new about the west, for It only re-
peated history:
| odd Abraham emigrated IN search OF a
| range,
When water grew scarce and he wanted
! change
Also, he remembered that Jacob punched
cows for his father-iu-law." When It's
/ attention il directed TO such byproducts
! OF the plains as "DesdWood Dick once
was. the west merely remarks that bad
J whisky has ruined many a man. The
| sort OF pioneer whom II prefers TO talk
| about was the late Rev. Jerome c. Berry
man, the FIRST settler among and mission
AIRY to the Kickapoo Indians, who went
/ TO the site Of LesyenEorth, kan in 1888.
| Another product Of the west who did more
/ 10 make IT, character than "Deadwood
! Dick" was the Rev. A. A, Saylor who
died Al Newark few days ago al the age
| Of nincty-three Kansas was the theater
~ his activity, and in that states history
he Is a bigger hgure than any OF the old
marshalls OF Dodge CITY