The chronicle=news., 1913-08-01
"reminiscences Of
Tie Frealier Days

toxromens here on the frontier when
II MAS not always dipiomstis TO call
chap by his riga, name II he ever
rosssssed = Christias app-i,s,ion,
The World has generally accepted
William =. Cody - Buffalo Bill AMI
for advertising purposes In he show
business the handle served very well
for Il brought hin several fortunes
In rapid succession. He came upon
this nom de pinme In . rather pseul-
lar msuner. For . year or more he
had the contract for supplying III ,
Wild beef Of the plains TO Jack
Casem~nt's .radins ereus engaged In
the construction OF the K.nsas-Pa-
eisie railroad on its soi!som. way =,
Denver. The from; had reached Fort
Wallace In 1865 whea on. evening
Cody came In from the hunt and rod.
his fine horse through the camp liz.
where the Scotch cook. Riliy Rhodes.
Was getting supper 10 the open. oh.
lis nothing but that old Buffalo
B!li." said th. cook IL DISCUS, as h.
viewed the Wild ~esi performance on
horseback and from that day to th'.
the bug 1nck and the scent Of the
rose ciinss to IL s,iii.
Cody GOT into tn. show business In
roundabout way. One night IN
1867 the boys ., Nays City on tn.
front OF the Kansas-Pacifie xo, mp an
amateur performance In Cy Got
dard's dance hall sad Bill WAS inv-ig.
led Into the thing to play the hero
The piece Was = spectacular attack
on an emiGrant irsia and Il was
called "Biii Cody TO the Rescue. '
Half . dosen cowboys were risxeJ
out as Indians while Cody. William
Hskock and Texas Jack Aishondro
srp~ared just In time to save the
travellers from horrible fate. They
had real wagons and old Brieh sm
cody's ioan horse had 10 disa q su,sh
h!msei! by lesvia; his card In the
middle Of the stage. George Gard.
ner OF Lake City WAS the promoter
and the foo'-l.Ehts were candles
stuck In beer bottles.
The success OF this realistic OK.
frarasanra never turned Cody's head
for he did not realise wha, vas In
him until yesrs afierward. In 1879
while serving - = government, seou,
AZ Fort SedswSck aesr juicsbura.
Md Bnntiine. wsitlae from CAiesso.
urged him to take up iheairicals ,i.
easness. Cody prsssstsA sAs, propa-
si'!on to !. p. Boyer. the post Autlsr
and that worthy old sport fen TO-
tho plan 60 enthusiastically thai; h.
loaned the moaey to carry Cody ,oI
Chicago. Buhtiine wrote the play,
May Cody or the Prairie Flower.
and early In 1876 1t wAs pu, on ~;
road ~ hal show and started fo-
Philadelphia where the Centennl la,
Exposition was on. The boys-espe-
cially Wild Bill and Texas Jack
were pretty green a. acton bu, go,
out Of the pinch every time they
Missed their lines BY somebody pop.
ping In and yelling "Indians." when
they all stampeded and the cuI;siu
wen; down. The Wild wes, circus,
which went to pieces II Denver las,
week. grew ont OF these thcatrio lis
and was assembled at Sidney. Nebras.
ka. In the spring Of 1889.
The original Buffalo Bill. however.
was not Cody but 4 very capable SO.
OF man whose real name was Wi.
liam Mathewson. He was hide
buyer and robe tanner at For, Larnei
In war t!mes and finally made =,
much money at the business that he
cnxa ,ed as army sutier nt several
frontier posts. One day the old Kic-
VI chief. Satacta. jocuiariy referred
to Mathe~son as Zinbazilba. which
me'Gt strong man." or somebody as
stout as bull. and aa Mathewso,
was in the robe business the folks
reconstructed the soubriaaet I'M,
Buffalo Bill and thus II stuck until
Mathewson's death Is a rich banker
at Wichita few years ago. One
time while he vas post trader at Fort
sill after having established a store
J at Fort Dodge. Mathewson GOT hold
} Of fine bison hide on the innerside
OF which some genius Of an Indian
artist had painted the crude outline
Of a brave taking a bayonet;ed mus
ket away from a white soldier.
Mathewson put up this master
piece OF art on the outside of his
traders store at Fort Sill. otherwis.,
known as Anadarka, and It created n
great fnrore among the Indians wno
came there to barter ard trade Ev-
cry last one of the bucka would step