56

... his name was one day mentioned in
Washington and he was appointed chief
of United States scouts under Genls.
Custer and Crook, Cody guiding the expedition
into the Black Hills during the
gold excitement, his companions and next
to him in rank being the celebrated
"Texas Jack," who has since died at
Leadville where he was buried with military
honors, and Capt. Jack Crawford,
who subsequently succeeded Cody and
has since distinguished himself as the
pursuer and reputed slayer of the
great Apache chief "Victorio." Buffalo
Bill was first brought into general notice
through his biographer, the celebrated
Ned Buntline, in the columns of the New
York Weekly. The stories and Cody's
existence were at that time little credited,
however, until the Grand Duke Alexis,
of Russia, came to this country and
engaged in his memorable buffalo hunt
under the guidance of Mr. Cody. This
first established him as a practical reality
and excited public interest in his career.
He was then elected state senator to the
Nebraska legislature, and served several
terms with honor to himself and his constituency.
One day Fred Maeder, the
dramatist was seated in the lobby of the
Bowery theatre, in New York, carelessly
scanning over the columns of the Weekly
for dramatic material, when his
eye was attracted by the title of a story
by Ned Buntline, which so excited his
curiosity that he procured the serial in
full, read it and sketched from it the
situation and details of the drama. Ned
Buntline heard of Mr. Maeder's project
and one day interposed a vigorous protest
on the grounds that he reserved all
rights. Dramatist and novells entered
into correspondence and the result was
that Buntline volunteered to go west and
secure the original Bison William for the
cast. He kept his word, Buffalo Bill on
the opening night of the play witnessing
its rendition from a box in his buckskin
toggery and in full view of an immense
audience. He was called for, and hand
in hand with Maeder and Buntline
stepped before the footlights to exhibit
himself to one of the most intensely interested
audiences that ever gathered in
New York, for Buffalo Bill, by reputation
at least, had by this time become as well
known in New York city as possibly on
the western plains. That inaugurated
his career as a dramatic artist, and as
Bill says, it suited him so well that he
concluded to stick to it. Wild Bill and
Texas Jack were afterwards added to the
cast, but Hitchcock never felt easy on the
stage and soon retired. Buffalo Bill is
an exceptionally intelligent gentleman,
and to let the secret out entirely, is a
disciple of pupil of the famous Wild Bill
who has since been assassinated in the
Black Hills.