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-Buffalo Bill to night.
- Border's curative pads at E. E. Fuller's
-The season of profanity and unrest incident to putting up stoves has come.
-The store room of Col. Shelley, next door to J. E. Corey's, is being fitted up for F. Sievers, who will occupy it shortly
-The special election in Cedar township to vote upon the question of a tax is aid of the North Road, takes place next Saturday.
- Exchanges state that the Pawnee Indians with Buffalo bill eat their beefsteaks raw, and are very fond of vinegar as a beverage.
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Knight of Plains.
Buffalo Bill, supported by a strong company, will present his new play, "The Knight of the Plains," at the Opera House this evening.
"This combination has never failed to draw a crowded house in Keokuk, and there is no reason to believe it will in this instance. The play is new, thrilling and entertaining, and the company is one of the very best that Mr. Cody has ever had with him. The Hartford Vourant, in a notice of the new play, says:
"Col. Prentiss Ingraham's new play, written for Buffalo Bill, was submitted at the Opera House last evening to public criticism for the second time. It is essentially a drama of the plains, in its salient features, resembling those with which theare-goers are familiar, yet far above the average in plot, in situations and in dialogue. These merits were broughtout by a company of more than the excellence ordinarily found in performances of this particular character. Last evening "The Knight of the Plains" was presented with special scenery, good costuming, and a spice of reality was added by the introduction in the opening act of a troupe of Nez Perce and Pawnee Indians and their interpreters. The galleries were crowded as might have been anticipated; but for that matter so were the dress and parquet circles, and indicative that Buffalo Bill and his combined
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novelties in his new drama has a fascination for adults as well as the youthful portion of the community."
Reserved seats may be secured at Ayres Bros. We predict a large audience.
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The Knight of the Plains 1879
Buffalo Bill, his Indians and his scouts succeeded in attracting to the Opera House last night an audience large in numbers and demonstrative in applause to witness the presentation of the drama of "The Knight of the Plains," which is one of the most sensational kind and abounding in thrilling situations, hairbreadth escapes and dramatic enough to arouse the enthusiasm of readers of ten cent literature and weekly sensation papers to the highest pitch. The play is similar to those already presented here by this famous scout, but is minus the glare of red fire and the continual crack of the rifle which have heretofore been characteristic of his dramas.
Buffalo Bill assumed four characters and shows no improvement in his acting over his former visits. The parts of Ralph Royston, Shyster, "Wild Nellie" and Rose Melton were well taken by Messrs. Louden, Bravely, Misses Donier and Jones, while the others were hardly up to the average. A little more attention to stage setting would have produced a more realistic effect. A prairie on fire with the stage floor covered with a red carpet is hardly the proper thing.
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Buffalo Bill's Drama.
The melodrama in which Mr. Cody appeared on Thursday night is properly named, for no one holds a better right to the title "Knight of the Plains" than he does, for he has long been distinguished in the army, and on the frontier as the "Prince of Prairiemen."
Though essentially a border play, Colonel Prentiss Ingraham, the author, has so interwoven social life with wild scenes upon the prairie, and introduced into it the refining element of lovely woman that it is toned down from the "blood and thunder" of the stereotyped frontier drama.
Buffalo Bill as "himself" exhibit a fine bit of acting, and the character he impersonates of English noblemen and detective, are exceedingly natural and good.
"Wild Nellie," the border heroine, and a wild, passionate outcast of the plains, is strongly taken by Miss Lydia Denier, who also has the advantage of being a handsome woman as well as a good actress.
Miss Nellie Jones, as "Rose Melton," is simply perfect- the refined, lovely, high-spirited girl she represents, while Mr. J. J. Louden as the designing villain, sport and outlaw, "Ralph Royston," proves himself a dramatic student who fully grasps the character he has to play.
The millionaire, "Mushroom Melton," is well acted by Mr. Harry Melmer. "Noel Marmaduke, the fop and puppet of the Jew most cleverly taken by Mr. Charlec Wilson, and "Red Eagle," Pawnee chief, a natural impersonation by Mr. Delaney Barclay. In fact, Mr. Cody has a star combination this season, and with his marvellous fancy rifle shooting, the war dance of the red skins, and the attractions of the frontier heroes Eddie and Charley Burgess, the play will without doubt crowded houses at every performance.