The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-07-31
ALo BILL
IN Town today
Great Wild West Show on Upper Main
Street Attracted Big Crowd
at Afternoon's
Performance.
ARRIVED ON SUNDAY
stupendous Production Drew Many
Out Of Town People to. keokuk
and the Exhibition &.
10 Great.

The great Buffalo Bills Wild West
and Pawnee Bills Far East is in
Keokuk today the combined shows
arriving Sunday morning and being
welcomed at the railroad yards by a
large crowd which was down to see
the work of unloading from the special
train. The show grounds, opposite
Hubenthal's grove attracted many
people all day Sunday and the per-
Torrance this afternoon is well patro-
nized by Keokuk people and out of
town visitors, there being quite a
delegation of visitors in the city to-
day on account Of the show.
1t was moral and high class en-
tertainment that Buffalo Bill, the sur
vivor of frontier days on the western
plains, afforded. The show was orig
inally large. but since it has COM
bined with the Pawnee Bills Far East
show it is now entitled to the reputa-
ton Of the largest travelling show on
the road. The arena in which the
performance is given is all of two
blocks in length and is one block
wide. Only the seat sections are
covered by canopy, the top Of the
arena being covered by nothing but
sky.
Included in the cast that takes part
In the wonderful performance of skill
is to be found representatives of near
ly every nationality. There is larg-
er aggregation of American Indians
than any other race. there being 12S
red skins on the pay roll.
The program consists of rare west
ern feats and the show throughout
takes the mind of the spectator far
back into the pioneer days when life
on the plains was uncertain
Buffalo Bill, although well ad-
vanced in years. still takes an active
part in the performance. He still pos
sesses his reputation for shooting and
riding and gives the spectators an ex-
cellent exhibition. The show is well
handled in every department and the
crowd was looked after in a most
extraordinary manner.
No Rocking Chair for Cody.
At the end OF this seasons tour of
Buffalo Bills Wild West show the
famous scout and Snowman will re-
tire to his ranch at Cody, Wyoming,
and divide his time thereafter be-
tween the ranges and his mining
property in Arizona.
When asked whether he would
chair, Colonel Cody pulled up abb
ruptly with this answer:
No, sir! No one will ever find me
in rocking chair. AS matter of
fact, I'll be in the saddle during the
rest Of my days more than am now
In this business I'm not going to
settle down and sit in corner. Any
one that comes west looking for me
will be pretty apt to find me on the
back of horse. l couldn't lead any
thing but an active life. never
hang around city when I'm
through with my season / hike for
the Rockies and go hunting and
shooting. That's the life for me-
Although the colonel refused to
say he was tired of life in the arena,
he shot this question:
DO you think man can run on
in this business for 500 or 400
years? Now, I've been pretty
steady man in my public career. 1t
began in 1872 at Niblo's Garden. when
/ appeared In The Scouts Of the
Plains not counting the years was
before the public, in way, as a real
scout Then. in 1883, organized the
Wild West, and I've been keeping it
III ever since. When man has
million dollars worth OF property
around him. and horses eating their
heads off. he's got to keep 1t UP, l
tell you! And two shows a day are
harder on man than long dash
across the plains. But the excitement
Of 1t all has kept me up.
There's no more wild west. The