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Buffalo Bill's Entertainment.
The opera house was filled with an audience numbering upwards of a thousand persons Saturday night, to witness the performance of the frontier play of the "Prairie Waif," by Buffalo Bill and his company. The play was very satisfactorily presented, with its attendant thrilling border scenes, by the company, Mr. Frank Thompson giving a pleasing cornet solo, Mr. Cody himself exhibiting his rare skill as a marksman and the real Indians executing their unique war dances. Mr. Jule Kean's fun and the donkey Jerry's eccentricities brought down the house occasionally, and the audience generally decided the evening had been enjoyably spent.
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BUFFALO BILL'S DONKEY.
A Lively Performance at Beardsley's Livery Stable.
Buffalo Bill and his "Prairie Waif" combination reached Chicago yesterday, and with them came that specially-announced member of the troupe "Jerry, the trained donkey." Bill went to the Tremont House, and Jerry registered at J. H. Beardsley's livery stable on Randolph Street, between Dearborn and Clark. At this place last night Jerry gave a special performance to a select audience of about a dozen of the stable hands, two of whom paid dearly for the entertainment. This donkey is a gray-haired and demure-looking specimen of the long-eared tribe, and is very diminutive in figure, appearing not much heavier than a large Newfoundland dog. He may be a "trained donkey," as advertised, but his training has evidently been of a vicious character, as the sequel will show.
The performance last night opened at a rather late hour - about 10 o'clock - and lasted only some thirty minutes. Jerry had been [?] a basement stall, and was thought [?] been securely tied. Only a short time [?] had rung for oats and a pitcher [?] and when these were furnished him [?] to settle down for the night. the [?] all up-stairs. Suddenly a terrible rattle was heard in the basement, and the next moment Jerry came, tearing up-stairs with the speed of a locomotive. His ears were thrown straight back a foot or two toward the stationary end of his tail and his eye glared like the locomotive already alluded to in the first act. Jerry's appearance was greeted with a cheer. One of the audience wanted to bet $1 that if the halter had not slipped off the animal would have dragged the basement up-stairs with him. No one would take him up. But everybody tried to take the donkey down. The latter shot across the floor toward the office, but was headed off by a boy, who jumped on his back. The donkey then tore down the stairs again, and in the descent brushed off his burden by rubbing up against a post. This ended another act. The hands all rushed down stairs now and
MADE FOR THE DONKEY.
He threw his ears back another foot and made for them. He let fly his heels and tipped two of the men over, and then waltzed up stairs again. Once he was driven down, and finally two men got near enough to get hold of his head. One of these men was Jum Killoan, whose left arm Jerry suddenly took into his maw with a vise-like grip. Jim yelled bloody murder, and with his right hand tried to pull out one of the donkey's ears; but it stuck fast, and the harder it was pulled the harder Jerry bit and chawed. Every man in the stable armed himself with a club at this point, and commenced belaboring the animal on the head and ribs. It only to tickle him, and his battery in the rear was continually at work. Suddenly Jerry let go his hold of Jim and made a jump at Pat Houlihan, the night-watchman, who had joined in the scrimmage. Pat's arm got into exactly the same place that Jim's had been, and Pat being a very light weight and Jerry just commencing to get down to work, the man was dragged in the most violent manner across the stable floor. Things were now looking serious, and the crowd determined to do something. Heavier clubs were procured, and also a rope provided with a slip noose. Jerry, observing these preparations, inadvertently opened his mouth to smile, and Pat took advantage of the opportunity to draw out his arm. At the same moment the slip noose was slipped over Jerry's head and hauled up so tight that the donkey's tongue actually protruded. The other end of the rope was tied to the nearest stall, and with this
THE PERFORMANCE CLOSED.
Houlihan's arm was lacerated in a most frightful manner, adn bled profusely. The loss of blood, together with the shock, so weakened him that he was unable to stand. Dr. C. S. Eldridge was summoned, who, after dressing the wound, and pronouncing it quite serious and not unlikely to cause lockjaw, had the man conveyed to his home at the corner of Wright and Maxwell streets. Killoan's arm was also badly cut by the animal's teeth, and had to be carefully dressed. The owner will not be able to use it for some time.
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Buffalo Bill had published a card saying that Wild Harry is "a fraud and a liar." Sometimes that is regarded as fighting language, but most always when a dime novel hero is wanted you have to look in a dime novel for him. These fellows with fierce names are just as likely to be cowards as any Algernon Augustus in the land.
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Yesterday morning marshal Thompson received a very handsome present from Buffalo Bill. It is a handsome and costly target pistol, manufactured by Stevens & Co., Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. The mountings are of gold, handle beautifully tinted pearl, while the glittering steel barrel is most artistically and beautifully carved. It has engraved on the handle "From Buffalo Bill to Ben Thompson.", it is the only pistol of the kind in the city, and is a marvel of skilled workmanship.
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NEBRASKA'S STAR,
Buffalo bill, who Looms Up as Brilliantly as Ever in the Theatrical Firmanent
Omaha Republican. Hon. W.F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) arrived in the city yesterday afternoon from his home at North Platte, and leaves this afternoon for Chicago whence he goes to Lanesboro, Minn., to witness the [sun?] dance and the corn dance of the Winnebago Sioux Indians, it being his intention to secure some Indians to travel with theatrical tour during the next season.
Dr. Frank Powell, formerly of Omaha, and who was an army surgeon in the military department of the Platte, will travel with Buffalo Bill in charge of these Indians Dr. Powell resides at Lanesboro, where he is the surgeon and oculist at a celebrated sanitarium. He is a great favorite amond the Winnebago Sioux by whom he has been made the chief medicine man, and he is the first white man who ever this position.
Buffalo Bill's company is already engaged in Chicago, and will meet on the 1st of August in Davenport, and regearse there until performance of the season will be given. The troupe will then play in Rock Island September 2d, Clinton 3d, and then in Chicago for one week beginning September 3th. The route then lies through Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. The will appear in Omaha on October 3rd, and from here they go to Lincoln and Nebraska City, and thence down the Missouri to St. Louis. Bill expects a more profitable season than ever before, He is one of the most successful stars now before the public, and being a Nebraska star, and a self-made one at that, the people of the state take a great deal of interest in his career.