89

The Buffalo Bill Combination.

St. James Hall last evening held an audience
in size seldom equalied since the Centennial
Exhibition and the hard times conspired
against amusement managers. Every part of
the hall was filled with standing room even at
a premium. The reader will perhaps not be
slow in rightly surmieing that this large gathering
was in respect to Hon. William F. Cody,
more familiarly known as Buffalo Bill, who
improves his hours of leisure from the healthful
pastline of the war-path by mounting
the Thespian stage and from thence
instructing the interested public in the
benign policy pursued with such signal success
by our government toward the copper
colored children of the west. Buffalo Bill's
identification with the campaign immediately
following the massacre of Custer and
his command has brought him into greater
prominence than ever, and last evening the
audience was ready to greet with thundering
acclamations the called of the unlucky Yellow
Hand.

Mr. Cody is supported by quite a numerous
company, with "Captain Jack Crawford, the
Poet Scout of the Black Hills," as "leading
men," and some of the members indicate the
possession of a good degree of dramatic talent.
The drama which was presented for the first
time in this city bears the euphonious and
encrimsoned titles of "The Red Right Hand, or
Buffalo Bill's First Scalp for Custer," and is
in five acts representing incidents of the late
Indian war, and particularly those in which
William had a real or imaginary part. Of the
performance we cannot speak in a critical
way, our education in Indian warfare having
been largely and perhaps inexcusably neglected,
but we are informed by connoisseurs, who
are supported by the authorities we have consulted,
that Buffalo Bill's encircling and graceful
sweep about the crown of Yellow Hand
was only exceeded in dexterity by the scientific
twist with which he snatched bald-headed
that luckless chief.

Opening with a scene in the Black Hills,
and at last closting with the death of Yellow
Hand and an allergerical tableaux, the play is
a continuous succession of exciting scenes and
situations, abundant with war whoops and
burnt powder. The audience seems to enjoy
it all immensely, and applauded everything.

A second and last performance will be given
this evening, and it is safe to assume that
those who want seals must attend early.