170

the exciting drama with the deepest interest, and
when the accident occurred was leaning far over the
railing. Near the close of the last act there was a
trial of skill between Buffalo Bill and other scouts in
the troupe at shooting glass balls sprung from a trap.
The rifles need in shooting at the glass calls were
loaded with bullets, but the charge of powder was
supposed to be so small as not to give
the bullets any penetrating power, except at
such a short distance as the width of the stage.
For some reason, Buffalo Bill was not fortunate in
his aim on the opening night. Owing to want of
practice, short of range, or the way in which the rifles
were loaded, he did not strike the balls as often as
expected, and this circumstance seemed to disturb
him. During the shooting he missed six balls in
succession, and misses appeared to be the rule and
hits the exception. The contest was then stopped,
and Buffalo Bill, mounting his pony, waved adieu to
the gathered Indians and scouts, and rode up an
ascent representing a mountain, taking his victorious
leave, as it were, accompanied by the plaudits of
the encampment. As he rode up the mountain
he fired two shots from the rifle with
which he had been shooting at the glass
balls. The two shots were fired upward. One of them
did no damage, the bullet probably going into the flies
above the scenery, but the second one struck the boy
in the gallery, entering near the shoulder and passing
backward going through the left lung and lodging
somewhere in the back. The ball is so far inward
the doctors have no hope of finding it. Whenever
the wound is exposed the air from the lungs can
be seen passing through it. The boy is kept under
the influence of opiates, and during yesterday weakened
very much.

Mr. Cody, in an interview last night, said that the
shooting was an accident which gave him genuine regret.
He had been shooting at the glass balls with
his Springfield rifle, and the cartridges he used had
small charges of powder, just enough to make the
bullet break the glass. he had no idea that the charge
of powder was sufficient to carry the bullets from one
side of the theatre to the other. He had tried them
yesterday just to satisfy himself, and found that the
bullets did not even penetrate a piece of wood as thin
as the side a cigar box.

In firing at the glass balls he always stood rear the
footlights and shot backward, the bullets lodging in
a large target of some wood suspended in the rear
of the stage. The firing at glass balls had ceased, and,
mounting his pony, he proceeded to make his final
exit, going up a "run" at the back of the stage representing
a mountain. The Indians of his troupe had
not been doing as well as usual, as it was the first
night, and they had not been properly stirred up.
They are a very excitable people, and the least little
thing that starts their enthusiasm. For the purpose of
stirring them to such a show of wildness as would
make the close of the performance exciting to the audience,
he shouted as he urged his pony forward and
fired two shots in the air.

He had two kinds of cartridges in his belt to use in
the rifle. One which were blank cartridges, and the
others which he had used in shooting at the glass
balls, had bullets in them. By mistake, he says he
must have got hold of one of the wrong cartridges.
Still, if the boy had worn a coat, the bullet
probably would not have scratched him. But as he
was in his shirt sleeves it penetrated the flesh. It
was one of those accidents that happen once in a lifetime,
and he was really and truly sorry for it. He
had been to see the boy, and spent some time with
him. He had been informed on good authority that
the wound was not at all dangerous, and he intended,
with the consent of the parents, taking the boy along
with him as soon as he recovered. He was very sure
that the reported dangerous character of the wound
was an utter mistake.