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TEXAS JACK
The White Kind of the Pawnees.
The hero of this sketch, J. B. Omohundro, better known as Texas Jack, was born on James river, in Eastern Virginia, in the month of July, 1847, and is, therefore, twenty-seven years old. He was a wayward child and at the early age of nine years ran away from home, but was captured and brought back by his fater, and remained at home discontented until eleven years of age, when his second attempt at decamping was successful, and he wandered around among the drovers and stock-raisers until the breaking out of the war, and being of Southern blood, espoused the "lost cause," returned to his home, and entered into the Confederate service under Floyd. Afterward he was assigned as a scout under Major General J. B. Stuart, then in command in Northern Virginia. He had delivered a dispatch to General Stuart but a second before he was killed.

He served during the entire war, and, at its close, returned to Texas and entered upon a sailor's life, cruising along the eastern coast, thence to the West Indies and South America, embracing a period of eighteen months. Was wrecked on the coast of Florida and worked his way back to Texas. This was in 1866. He then becamse a "cowboy," acting as guide to the drovers between the Colorado and Rio Grande Rivers. He had the reputation of being the best guide in the country, and his services were sought after by every drover of that region. The Texas cattle trade then took a northward direction and Jack opened the first route and drove the first herd of cattle, numbering 3000 head, through the Indian terrritory to Western Kansas. He then guided herds to Abilene, Kansas, and to a point on the North Platte, in the state of Nebraska.

These journeys were long and tedious, and were attended by danger at every point. Bands of hostile Indians infested the entire route, and to baffle these lurking, murdering fiends required not only a man of bravery, but of judgment and cunning superior to that of the savages. In this he was eminently successful. When all other means fialed, Texas Jack was worth a regiment of soldiers in an attack, and his myell when a charge was made is said to haave been heard for miles, and to have carried dismay into the ranks of the red devils. In 1870-'71 he hunted in Nebraska and made the acquaintance of Buffalo Bill. He joined the Government scouts in February last, and during the past season bad command, by order of General Walker, of 3,200 Pawnee Indians on their summer hunt.

The writer of this article received through General Walker the information that Jack had managed the Indians better than any of his predecessors, and that his report was the most acceptable of any received at the Indian Office. So highly did the Indians regard him that he earned the title of "the White King of the Pawnees."

His hairbreadth escapes from the death at the hands of the redskins have been numerous, and to him on one occasion was Buffalo Bill indebted for his life. It happened in May, 1872, on the Loup Fork river, Minnebraska, where a band of Sioux Indians stole some horses. The red theives were pursued and overtaken by Bill and Jack, who each killed an Indian. A third redskin had just drawn a bead on Bill, when Jack's quick eye caught the gleam of the shining barrel, and the next instant "the noble red" was on his way to the happy hunting ground, his passage from this sublunary sphere being expedited by a bullet from Jack's rifle, at a distance of one hundred and twenty-five yards. Another of the tribe was brought to the ground and apparently killed, but as Jack went sweeping by, the red rascal raised himself and began popping at the scout with a six-shooter, that made Texas mad all over; to think the "big Ingin" had been playing possum on him riled himso, without any ceremony he gave the copper-colored aborigine his quietus and then raised his hair, and the scalp now hangs in Ward's Museum, at Rochester. N. Y.

The first Indian ever killed by Bill was when he was about 14 years old, and as a somewhat singular coincidence Jack was only about the same age when he performed a similar feat.

Hundreds of incidents could be recited of Jack's skills as and Indian Fighter and his wonderful exploits would fill a volume. His appearance is decidedly prepossessing, his frank, laughing countenance, his wealth of dark, curly hair, and his merry, hazel eye make him a general favorite with the fair sex, and coupled with his fine physique and immense strength constitutes him a prince among men.

AMUSEMENTS.-Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather last night the theatres were well attended. At Holliday Street there was a perfect jam, every seat being occupied, and all the standing room. Miss Bessie Sudlow, in the interlude of Jenny Leatherlungs, was received with immense applause, and Ned Buntline, Buffalo Bill, Texas Jack, Molachi and the Pawnee Indiands, in the drama of "The Scouts," were recieved with perfect furore. The bill will be repeated to-night.

HOLLIDAY STREET THEATRE.
Whatever the merits of the "Scouts of the Prarie" as a drmatic composition, it is evident that it has the elements of popularity in it, for its audiences are large and emonstrative to an unparalled degree. The presence of such celebrities as Texas Jack, Buffalo Bill and Ned Buntline has, of course, great attracting influence, but there is a great deal of rude impressivences in the play itselt that is well calculated to hit a popular, although not very cultivated taste. "Jenny Lind" is a very laughable farce, and adds much the the enjoyableness of the enterainment.

Another rush at Holliday Street Theatre last night, and "The Scouts of the Praries," with Ned Buntline, Buffalo Bill, Texas Jack, W. Fletcher. Miss sudlow and the Pawnee Indians [in large principal characters], was admirably played and [lavoushly concieved?]. The piece will be played and the mattinae today and also to-night.

HOLLIDAY-STREET THEATRE. - The humorous and the sensational ruled the hours at Holliday Street Theatre last night, and a crowded audience was present. The performance opened with the laughable comedietta, "Jenny Lind," which did not fail to elicit frequent applause, and it was followed by Ned Buntline's great drama, "The Scouts of the Prairie." The play is essentianally sensational, as its name suggests, and there was no lack of what is calculated to excite and sustain the interest of the lovers that class of amusement. Ned Buntline was himself as Carl Dug, and the two other leading characters, Buffalo Bill and Texas Jack, were well taken by Messrs. Cody and Onrohundro. Mr. Walter Fletcher as Carl Pretsel, was noticeably faithful, and his Teutonic comicalities were most agreeably diverting. The dressing was remarkably good, and the entire play was gien in a style to commend it strongly to popular favor. The Indians, warwhoops, and war(?) were decided features, and contributed largely to the success of the piece.
MR. J. M. BELLEW. - On the 6th and 8th

THE
THREE
WONDERS

NED BUNTLINE.

BUFFALO BILL.

TEXAS JACK.

The Indians Capture Richmond
THe city was full of "Live Indians" yesterday. A fiery untamed brave, apparently of the Modoc breed, galloped through the streets all day long to the delight of Young America and the terror of youthful Africa, and at night we never have seen such a crowd as crammed the Theatre from pit to gallery. There were all sorts of people there, every grade of society being fully represented. On the stage those heroes of a hundred Indian fights, and their historians, Buffalo Bill, T exas Jack, and Ned Buntline, attracted much attention. Their appearance was hailed by with vociferous applause. They gave very dramatic, and, we have no doubt, quite truthful representations of scenes through which they had passed in their wild frontier life. Those fond of "blood and thunder" fun--and who does not like a little of it now and then?--can get a surfeit now at the Theatre. We fear, however, these enticing pictures of life in the wild West will do more to innoculate the young imagination with a desire for adventure than ever the dime novels, and may make more hunters and scouts than Marryatt did sailors.

INDIAN DRAMA AT THE ARCH.

The Scouts of the Prarie, the drama produced at the Arch Street Theatre last night, was written by Mr. "Ned Buntline" for the purpose of affording two genuine scouts an opportunity to tread the boards and win to tread the boards and win historic honors and dollars. As might have been expected, the play, considered as a literary work, is beneath contempt. It is written with a purpose, down to the very low intellectual level of the boys and the adult children who obtain enjoyment from he perusal of [dune] novels. There are skirmishes and scrimmages, captures and resues, love passages with maidens of a brick dust color, war danes, scapling, and all the stuff whereof the popular Indian stories are constructed. But the heroes of the play, rather than the play itself, are the attraction. The part of "Buffalo Bill" is taken by William himself, while "Texas Jack" is performed by that identical exile from the Lone Star State. This arrangement at least has the merit of novelty. Imagine Julius Caesar playing his own part in the tragedy named after him or Richelieu himself interpreting Bulwer! It would
be very interesting, and yet if we thought that either of these gentlemen could possibly have acted upon the stage as badly a these two persons from the far west, we should rejoice that death had made such a terrible mischance impossible. Nothing could be worse from an artistic point of view than the performance of Buffalo Bill and his friend and there never was anything worse of its kind since Thespis bellowed from a cart-tail. This is one of the first fruits of the pacification of the Indians. The operations in hair conducted by Buffalo Bill, were interrupted. Having no Sioux to scalp, he nightly scalps the muse of tragedy. If the establishment of the peace policy of the President is to be followed by such consequences as this, every lover of the drama will at once become an enemy of the administration and demand war to the knife against the red man.

The lines allotted to Buffalo Bill are not arduous, and no vast amount of study and intellectual effort is required to unfold their meaning to the audience; and yet the wild and ineffectual struggles of the actor with them would make a contrary impression upon the uninformed. Imagine a boy of ten years, at school, explaining the unnecessary filial piety and devotion of Casablanca, and a very correct idea of the Buffalo's methods of treating the English language will be obtained. It is absolutley picturesque in its absurdity. Texas Jack speaks rather more naturally, although with a certain awkwardness which, even in the author's finest passages, impresses one with the conviction that the actor is perpetrating a somewhat clumsy gag. The most effective members of the company are two or three Indians, who, when they are not executing a war-dance, or brandishing tin tomahawks, stand grim and silent, looking as gloomy and sad amid all the hurley-burley and noise, as if their squaws and papooses had just been ushered to the happy hunting grounds at the very moment when those last fragments of baked dog disagreed with the bereaved relatives.

But it is undeniable that a certain interest does attach to the two white men apart from their absurd attempts to act. They are both fine-looking men, Buffalo Bill particularly, having an exceedingly handsome face and noble carriage. And then, when we see them rush in with pistols and rifles and slay a dozen Indians at a time, or watch the dexterous gentleman from Texas throw the lasso with delicate precision, observe both of them tear the red-flannel scalps from the heads of their fallen enemies, it is comfortable to know that they have done this kind of thing all their lives in deadly earnest. The excitement in the gallery during these passages was something wonderful to witness. There was not one boy of all the thousand present who did not scream and yell whenever there was a genuine war whoop upon the stage or a shot from Buffalo Bill's own rifle, until the very savages themselves must have felt that the battle-cries of their forefathers were, to the vociferations of these young pale faces, as the croaking of a frog to the screech of a fog-whistle. It was a gala night for the urchins who have fed upon Ned Buntline in the story papers, and if every boy of them did not, last evening, firmly and finally resolve to become a scout and a slaver of Indians at the very first opportunity, the nature of boys has changed wonderfully.

The subordiante members of the company are not much more efficient than the stars, but the two ladies who represent the Indian maidens do tolerably well, one of them singing in a very creditable manner. The Scouts of Prairie will be produced again to-night.

HOLLIDAY STREET THEATRE.-- The celebrated frontiersmen, Buffalo Bill, Texas Jack and Ned Buntline, take leave of Baltimore to-night, appearing for the last time in the romantic drama of "The Scouts of the Prairie." Their success has been the greatest of the season This combination play in Washington next week, and proceed from thence to Richmond and Norfolk. Texas Jack being a Virginian will doubtless be heartily received in his native State.