The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1917-01-18
last OF FAMOUS SCOUTS GONE.
Col. William +. Cody ("ButfalO Bill')
Died at Denver.

liam meP F. cod Ho'o: Bu 1fn Bill Soldier
hunter. scout and Snowman, the idol
of Juvenile America, died here at
ll2:O5 today at the home OF his sis
ter, Mrs. May Decker.
Colonel Cody fought death as he
often opposed it on the plains in the
days when the west was young, fon
can't kill an old scout he would tell
would show improvement. When the
doctor told him his life was ebbing
Colonel Cody accepted his fate like
stole. , ),
he said after he had talked with ms
family, and everyone Joined, the col
onel laughing and joking because he
was winning.
Since Jan. 9Th, when he was hnrrl-
ed back to his sisters home, in Den
yer the colonel has surprised all who
knew his real condition by his great
powers of resistance and recupera-
ton.
was known to nearly every man,
his long connection with the Buffalo
Bill Wild West Show, was pictures
que type of the pioneer frontlersman1,
and lived to see large cities Dullt
where he once hunted the buffalo
and fought the Indians.
Colonel Cody was native Oh me
HaWkeye state, having been born on
a little farm in Scott county, near the
present town Of LeClaire FEB. 20,
1916: ,
His ancestral stock was Spanish.
English and Irish. His parents moV-
ed west and took up a claim near
Leayenworti, Kansas, when IRON
tier Indian post. when young Cody
was years old.
himself the head OF the family, OWING
TO the death OF his father who was
killed in an encounter growing out
of dispute over the negro slave
question. Young Cody's first en-
ployment was as a courier belWeeh
the Missouri river and the ROCKY
Mountains. In turn he became wagon
master. trapper, hunter, pony express
rider and stage coach driver, all CIV
ing varied experience in scnool,
the graduation from which left the
scholar an adept in every pOsSlple
line of frontier activity.
In exciting experience in the union
army as a soldier. and subsequently
as confident and scout of his COM
manders in the desultory and gueril-
la warfare of the southwest, left him
at its finish well known as an all
around frontiersmaHII competent TO
advise to guide andto lead. These
qualities soon brought him to the at
tentGn OF IS sGt an f. y sSerm nGn
erals Crook, c Cufter, Merritt, Carr,
Royal, Miles, lodge and others. ana
secured his appointment as chief OF
scouts in thsUnited States army dur
ing its numerous Indian campaigns
in the west.
His career in this line identified
him with the great fighting epoch pc
tween the red man and O., th lis, whlte
ter tie civil war, that temporarily
.endei in 1876 and was effectively
finished in the "Ghost Dance war IN
the. decisive battle of Wounded knee,
ir lSJ0-91 campaign wi tn the norm,
ern Sioux. On one occasion ne Killed
the noted Cheyenne Chief Yellow
Hand in the presence OF Indians anu ana
troops
During the construction OF the
Union Pacific railroad Cody attached
himself to camp of United states
troops protecting the laborers,, and
won his sobriquet of Buffalo Bill
by taking contract to supply the
entire force with fresh buffalo meat
fer certain P ger hi;,ffs sL1iing uhuer
%
He became known to JuVeAlie
AmeriGa in the stories Of western ad-
venture written by L. A. G.. Pudson,
who wrote under the non de plume
of Ned Buntline.
With the advance Of CIVILIZATION
finding his occupation on the western
plains gone, Cody went on the stage,
where he remained several years
playing the leading parts in dramas
depicting life on the frontier. IN
1883, in association with Nate SAILS
bury he organized his wild west show
with which he tourned the country
for many years and on one OCCASION
visited the principal cities OF Europe
where he was warmly received ana
entertained by ROYALTY.
In the spring OF lSO9 |Colohesf
Cody Joined forces with Maj. Gordon
w. Lille, "Pawnee Bill. and Tor
several years the combined shows
were known as the Buffalo Bill wild
West and Pawnee Bits Far East.
Colonel Cody was elected to the.
state legislature of Nebraska in 1917,
and in April, 1915, was appointed by
Governor kendrick judge advocate
general OF the military forces or wy
oming. Colonel Cody's home TOR
many years has been at Cody, wy
oming.
Colonel Cody was united in mar
rage 10 Miss Louisa Friedrich 90
March 6. 1865