The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-08-10

haps score In state of freedom.
It was In the late COS that Cody took
the trail, and surely he was Buffalo
Bill.
You can see him, can't youthe
tall. slim, powerful form; the long
mustache; the dark. flowing locks;
the buckskin coat, with wonderful
fringes and trimmings. and trousers
slit below the knee; the SLOUGH hat,
broad of brim; the belt of cartridges:
the long hunting knife, the Winchester
slung over his shoulder or socketed by
his saddle. See him caracolea hand
some. splendid figure OF a man seat
ed as one with his horse. always a
good one.
Buffalo Bill knew the frontier, and
hence he knew two very different
types of men-the army folk and the
Indians. With the Sioux. the Crows,
the Blackfeet, who then were thick on
the plains. he was at home and spoke
their tongues. He was q chief by
adoption with the ogallalas What
they knew OF woodcraft he had learn
ed. Among the army people Cody
was an early favorite, always willing
as he was to take service for special
scout work or even to drive team at
an army post II 1t would oblige any
body-and was fairly paid.
For the opening years of his expert
ence he was simply a frontiersman
like many hundreds others. His long
hair and his buckskin fal-dals were
traditional. The Indians admired
long haired men because 1t betokened
that spirit OF manly defiance which
led them to leave the long scalplock
on their own otherwise bare noodles.
And then long hair differentiated
them sharply from the close cropped
army men and the body Of ordinary
civilians.
Bill had an easy, affable address.
He was never noisy. Attracting much
admiration from his appearance and
his prowess, he early took to posing
that seemed unconscious and that
again marked him still further apart
from his fellows. He was in fact a
bit of frontier dandy.
Thus was he preparing for his great
emergence from the ruck OF trappers,
scouts and teamsters around him, a
figure OF far nobler, finer cast than
the cowboy Of latter days whom our
novelists, dramatists and movies
make so much OF. He was the daddy
OF them all.
In November, 1871, the Grand Duke
Alexis, son of the car OF Russia
came hither with a squadron OF three
warships commanded by Admiral
Popoff Russia then was our old ira
ditional friend-old despotism ant
| young republic much valued by vi
as manifold unfriendly British doings
during the civil war were still adding
their bitterness to public opinion, and
an old enemy Of England might turr
up as an ally in case OF trouble. Any
way, Alexis had great reception II
New York-balls, receptions, excur
sfons, what not? Then on to Wash
/ ington for more receptions by Presi
dent u. S. Grant, General Sherman
| General Phil Sheridan and the rest.
| OF course Alexis, a tall, blond
| princely young fellow, saw Niagara
but what more natural than that h,
should want to take glimpse of thu
! opening west? So off they packet
I prc -. ~ N11v cyvo
the gallant Phil for a buffalo hunt
/ All eyes were on Nebraska: tn,
4 the papers all sent correspondent
and when Buffalo Bill in all his brav
cry was presented to the Grand Duk,
everybody knew It, The hunts tina
followed were Homeric-such bill
herds, such big bulls, such skillfu
placing OF important people that the.
got the maximum of chance and tn
minimum OF danger. There were evel
sketches Of Buffalo BilI-s life in tn
papers.
That was the beginning of his ma
tion-wide fame. and the years KEEP
adding to 1t. When Phil Sheridan ha
a hunting party, when General Fol-
syth, he who rode the twenty mile
1 into the fray" beside Little Phil a
Winchester, wanted a trusty scout 4
his Indian fighting which was hot an
continuous In those days-who bu
| Buffalo Bill was the man for the job
And Bill Cody grew. A fine articl
of self consciousness grew under hi
modest bearing.
When General TER, after the Gus
| ter massacre at the Little Big Hor
In 1876, led his punitive expedition Vi
to the Missouri through Montana But
falo Bill was his chief of scouts an
made good 1t was on this trip tina
he killed and scalped an Indian chic
which act found public representation
later on.
Even then the west was beginnin
/ to close in The wild was attacke
from the east, west and south. TIL
/ big game was moving to the Rookie
and the Importance of the scout wa
I / Jacc a,5 loca ThQv I3f