The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-01-12
MOTHER, NANCY CODY,
QUITE A CHARACTER
Remarked And Bore Anoth
er Son Who Never Missed
The "Wild West"

Col. William +. Cody, Buffalo Bill,
whose fight against death has attract
ed the attention of the world the last
few days, spent portion of his child
hood i'll the neighboring county of
Licking, according to the Newark
American-Tribune which has the fol
lowing interesting article concerning
the famous scouts residence there:
The fact that the last grains of
very historic, picturesque, useful, sue
cessful and dramatic life are running
out.
That with the fact that he is pass
ing his last moments in a hospital
sanitarium in Denver is incidental. In
his success he built city after his
own broad ideas-Cody, Wyo.-and
the few months of retirement in his
active and thrilling life were spent
there with his wife, family and
friends. Many of the latter were men
of individual worth who had worn
their lives nearly out in the hard
sands of the desert-country, and with
Buffalo Bill"
What little time he had given him.
self for the retrospective were happy
moments-always, for a man truly
great. 1t is interesting to note that
he is a Licking county man. At least
his early life was spent in the county
until at the age of 10 years, he was
attracted from his home in the south
west part of this county to the far
west, then but just recently located
and described by Lewis and Clark,
and later by General John c. FIRE.
mont, the Pathfinder" His mother
was first known in Licking county as
a very talented, rugged and original
woman by the name of Nancy Cody
1t is possible that there are some of
the older people in the county who
recall her. If they do, it was for her
eccentricities and they probably do
not recall the vigorous lines of char
acter which made so good in the al
ter life of her offspring-Col. William
F. Cody-whose spirit is now strug-
Cling to pass.
Mrs. Cody married again, a man by
the name of Wulk. At least one child
of the half-blood was born. He lived
to good age in the southern part Of
the county, and 1t is remembered by
many local people that each time the
Buffalo Bill Wild West shows were
dated near Newark, or in it, the half
brother was pleasantly remembered.
In the west, Mr.. Cody became the
pupil and understudy of Christopher
kit Carson, the historic knight of
the wild, who piloted General FIRE.
mont through the North Pass in the
Rocky Mountains, which presaged
our real dream of empire. In his
younger and more impressionable
days Mr.. Cody, fortunately enough,
was thrown in contact, intimate rela-
tions, with the above names of the
men who made this country reach to
the Pacific ocean. He also was an in
innate friend of the great United
States senator, Thomas Fl. Benton,
who said Beyond the Mississippi
basin are the great plain; beyond that
the Rocky Mountains; beyond that
is the immense and semi-tropic Pa
ciflc coast; beyond that is the Pacific
ocean; beyond that is India. And no
nation ever became great which did
not trade with India"
In such an atmosphere Mr.. Cody,
with his natural intellect and talent
could hardly fail to pass rapidly up
the vagabond life which the border
man is prone to lead. He caught the
spirit Of Benton and Fremont and be-
gan to think In the broader lines Of
human endeavor. In the early seven
ties he was already national celeb
rity and he It was who piloted Grand
Duke Alexis, heir to the throne OF
all the Russians, with his great ret
inue, over the western domain. His
rise from that time on was rapid and
marked. His dreams were beginning
to come true. Loose from the entan-
clements OF family tradition he as.
pired to tell to the world, and not