River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-10-26

a few minutes Pay the cabman ST. These
New York cabmen are regular holdup men
and your driver may want to charge you more,
but don't pay him any more than 81 under
any circumstances.
Il was glad Wild Bill was coming l hadn't
seen my old pal for long time and l looked
forward with pleasure to meeting him again.
/ told everybody about the Brevoort hotel that
Wild Bill was coming and in the evenings as
l sat about the lobby recounted some OF his
wonderful fights and adventures. 1 wanted
Wild Bill to feel easy as soon as he arrived at
the hotel, and told the proprietor If l didn't
happen to be around to welcome Bill and make
him feel at home.
wild Bill arrived in New York on schedule
time. He had my last letter in his pocket
and had committed to memory my instructions
as to what he should do AS soon as his train
arrived he stepped into cab and ordered the
cabman to drive him to the Brevoort house
When the cab drew up in front of the hotel
and Bill stepped out he handed the driver a
So bill He was bent upon following my in
structions to the last detail.
"'Here's your pay he said
"tPay nothin,' said the jehu. My charge
is S.
"'Well So is all you're going to get' said
Wild Bill
"'WeI RUDE, I'll just take the rest out O.
your hide said the irate cabman, and he leaped
Bill punched him around the sidewalk
mercifully and wound up by knocking him
under his cab horses, where he lay unconscious
until pulled out by onloOkers. Wild Bill walked
quietly into the hotel The proprietor, who
had witnessed the fight, came running up to
my room where I having a nap and
thumped at my door
"'Say Mr.. Cody he shouted, I guess that
gentleman you have been expecting has ar
rived
wild Bill was bad acuo& most anywhere,
but he was an especially bau actor on the
stage Jack Omohundro, known as Texas Jack
was with the show and when the curtain fell
at the close of the first act he and l and Wild
Bill were supposed to stand out near the front
of the stage clasping rescued maidens to our
breasts in the white glare of the calcium. But
Wild Bill was never out there where he be-
longed. He invariably hung back in the shad-
ows at the rear or remained half-hfGden behind
a painted tree or rock. He was poor hand
to pose or show off and hated to have lUS
of people staring at him. One night when
the spot light found him leaning against
gnarled oak in the background it made him
mad, and he took a shot at the spotlight ma
chine in the central aisle of the balcony, shat
tered the bulls eye and broke the machine.
The play had to go on to the end without the
usual calcium effects.
wild Bill remained with the show three ar
four months. BY that time he had demon
strated that he was impossible a member
of travelling theatrical company. | tried to
make him do better, but | couldn't do any
thing with him and he was released. He was
glad of it and turned toward the west with a
light heart.
"a little while before Bill joined the show
he had killed Phil. Cole wealthy Texas cat
tleman of Abilene, Kan. Bill was marshal of
Abilene and Cole, who was a desperate him.
self, had threatened to kill him just to show
the frontier he could do 1t. They met on the