108

BUFFALO BILL

That the taste of Fort Wayne amusement
patrons is slowly but surely improving,
we firmly believe. This belief
was materially strengthened
when we noticed the comparatively
slim audience which assembled
last night at the Academy to
see Buffalo Bill, in his very queer alleged
drama, called for convenience
sake, "Prarie Waif." In the past
the mere announcement that Buffalo
Bill would appear in a drama was
sufficient to crowd to the utmost capacity
the largest auditorium in the city,
and upon the occasion of his last visit
here, standing room was at a premium,
and many were turned from the door.
In happy contrast last night, any number
of vacant seats were visible in the
Academy, nobody stood up nor was
turned away, and the house did not
represent over $200 or possibly $250.
The audience, too, was composed
principally of that class who
would not pay 25 cents to see Booth or
Irving in their greatest successes. Of
the play and its performance little can
be said that would flatter the author or
the actor (?) "Prairie Waif" is the result
of a distorted imagination of John
A. Stevens, and is probably as bad as
that exceedingly bad dramatist could
make it. There is absolutely nothing to
it. The plot is almost entirely forgotten
in the weary movements of performers,
and what little is left, is lost in the
specialties that are unexpectedly fired
at the audience. Why it is that "Prairie
Waif ever survived the first night we
never can nor expect to understand. It
is tolerably well mounted, but that is all.

Buffalo Bill, the leading
character is just as bad as he
probably could be, and we are proud
to say, that to his credit, he himself admits
that he has some doubts as to his
histrionic abilities. His marksmanship
with a rifle, which is introduced as a
special feature, is anything but remarkable.
There is a young man in this city
who, at same distance--twenty feet--