101
PALL MALL GAZETTE, JUNE 3, 1887
"MURRAY'S AND "CORNHILL.,"
Neither of these magazines contains any article of special note. Those who find the study of coins interesting will, no doubt, read Mr. Fremantle's article in Murray with pleasure ; Mrs. Craik says a good word for Houses of Rest at which hard-worked shop girls may take their holidays. Colonel "Buffalo Bill" also figures among the contributors, and a more delightful bit of self-puffery it would be hard to find. We quote the account of a hand-to-hand encounter of his with one Yellow Hand:---
In the war of 1876, when I was chief scout under General Carr, we came one day face to face with the Cheyennes, and the two forces were drawn up opposite each other in regular line of battle, about half a mile apart. I had been employed in so many expeditions by this time, that I had acquired a high reputation among the Indians as a 'warrior,' and while our troops were halted preliminary to an attack, the Cheyenne chief, Yellow Hand, rode out in front of his line, and challenged me to single combat. He shouted out that he was the greatest warrior in his own tribe, and honoured me by saying that I was reputed the greatest warrior among the whites. If I dared, he wanted me to come forward and fight it out with him, to see which of us proved the better man. I accepted his challenge, of course, and rode to meet him without delay. We both had rifles, and both our horses were soon shot under us. then we continued the battle on foot, he with a tomahawk, I with a bowie-knife. But I was too quick for him, and at last as he was raising his arm to strike, I seized hold of it, and held him until I could deal a decisive blow, I have his scalp-now; had it ended the other way he would have had mine, for one of us must have been killed. That affair was thought a great deal of by the Indians, for Yellow Hand was a famous chief, and after it I was looked upon as a mighty warrior indeed.
And yet Mr.Cody poses as a modest man. An article on pigeons and a large [word?] of Mr.Baring Gould's novel are the best things in Cornhill,
102
May 17, 1887. THE BAT
DIANA'S DIARY.
MONDAY. -- Went Buffalo Billing at the American Exhibition. One could hardly mistake the nationality of the majoirity of the audience. The enormous headgear worn by the owmen would betray them as Yankees anywhere. One lady, doubtless hailing from the Far West, was costumed in grey alpaca trimmed with black passementerie, wore a big flop black straw hat, with a profusion of black ostrich plumes, and a most marvellously-arranged black tulle veil over her face. Americans have a marvellous knack of putting on a veil over these cumbersome hats, as French women have of wearing high-pointed bonnets, and fixing veils just to keep the wind from disarranging their fringes; Miss McGrigor looked neat in a light grey beige, embroidered in cross-stitch of grey wool, and she wore a most becoming brown bead and tulle bonnet; Mrs. Jopling, youthful and light, in grey and white; and Mrs. Conover, in black, with a drab plush mantle. We couldn't get any seats, and it was such weary workstanding, that we very soon left the "circus" and on our way to inspect the camp met with the American bar. Of course, Bob and Harry rushed up to sample corpse-revivers and such-like. Don't know what they had but they became vastly more agreeable afterwards. Bee and I contend ourselves with a lemon squash. It was quite excellent, and a slice of orange which they put into it seemed to soften the acid of the lemon. Then on to the camp, where, stopping for a moment before Miss Oakley's tent, we were most hospitably pressed to come in and sit down. She showed us the medals and trophies she had won, and also a darling little pistol of mother of pearl and silver; it only looked like a toy, but Miss Oakley implored me not to try and let it off at my dearest friend, if I didn't mind parting with him until the next world.
An overgrown circus sounds an awkward remark to make of the entertainment our American cousins are providing us with, but despite the fact of its being Jubiless providing us with, but despite the fact of its being Jubilee year, and that naturally we are loving every nation and everybody, and also despite Canon Farrar's prayer, Buffalo Bill's exhibition is neither more nor less than a hippodrome on an enormous scale. All the best of it we have seen before, either at Covent Garden or at Olympia. To commencewith Miss Lilian Smith. She shoots at glass balls, and as often as not misses them. Sometimes she hits them, and a roar of applause goes up from the Americans in the audience. But you can't expect English folk, even when primed with lunch and prayer, to sit solemnly gazing at a young woman smashing glass balls.
103
THE BAT
MAY 24, 1887
It is evident that Her Majesty's advisers do not mean this year to let her do things by halves. If it is her gracios pleasure to command a private performance of the latest edition of Sangers' Circus, they see no harm in her going a step firther and offering the hospitalities of Buckingham Palace, and the cachet a presentation is supposed to confer, to a class who cannot be considered much of a remove beyond Buffalo Bill, Red Shirt, Buck Taylor, or their respective squaws. Indeed, Miss Annie Oakley, "Little Sure Shot," has certainly ground for complaint that she was not presented by Mrs. Phleps last Wednesday, and many will want to know why some slight recognition, in th eway of an invitation to the Royal Palace, has not yet been tendered to Mr. "Pony" Moore, as a reward for his years of catering for the public amusement. There cannot be any difficulty in the way of these estimable entertainers being reveived by Her Majesty, after the publication of the recent list of persons who were so honoured last week.
104
Sgdenbam, forest hill, and Crystal Palace Times
SATURDAY, MAY 21. 1887
The glass ball shooting was not first-class, but the young ladies were, perhaps a little nervous. The ...ssoing and riding of texan steers was consided to be cruel be certain idiots hwo were present and fought fit to hiss ; but that is, of course, absurd. It is clearly no easy task to ride a Texan steer as on or two pretty falls resulted. Buffalo Bill's glass ball shooting was distinctly good, and the dramatic scenes of attacks by Indians wee exciting enough, especially the attack on the coach, which is drawn by six splendid mules. The amusing feature of this was the presence of Lord Ronald Gower and certain other celebrities in the coach.
105
Sodenbam, Forest Hill, and Crystal Palace Times Saturday, May 28. 1887.
ROUND AND ABOUT. I have heard it said that if the Crystal Palace Company had been shrewd, Buffalo Bill and his Wild West show would have been located in those lovely grounds at Sydenham. Be it so or not, anyone who has been to the "Wild West" can safely say that Bullalo Bill himself has made a big mistake in not coming to the Crystal Palace. There is a very unfinished, rough, hovel kind of appearance about the show, and do what they can appearances go to prove that it is not the Wild West at all, but a builder's field decorated up.
What would have been more attractive and natural than to have seen the Indian encanp-ment esconsced on the Lower Lakes of the Crystal Palace amid the natural verdure of the beautiful grounds? What a sight to have seen the Sioux and other tribes engaged in a sham attack, by means of canoes, on the lower lake! To have had the cave the home of Mustang Jack, and the Cow-boys located amoung the zoo-logical specimens would have been "Wild" in itself.
The above is now only a vision. The Crystal Palace Company have thrown away a chance that would have made Buffalo Bill and the Crystal Palace Company greater than they are.
I have a little sequel to narrate as to why the Crystal Palace Company did not go in for real red Indians, or rather the Indians for the Crystal Palace. This week I took it into my head to go to the "Wild West." I visited the Indian Encampment and the whole show. My readers will remember that last week's SYDENHAM AND CRYSTAL PALACE TIMES contained some illustrations of the Wild West, and I therefore took with me a dozen copies to show the cowboys and their chiefs what Sydenham thought about them. My little boy being with me, he entered the various tents and distributed the papers, each being received with many thanks.
BUFFALO BILL was unfortunately away, so a copy was left for him, but Nate Salsbury and Miss Annie Oakley, the crack show, were highly delighted with the illustrations. The latter young lady invited me and my friends into her tent, and we then chatted for about half-an-hour. After inspecting Miss Oakley's medals and trophies, she said, "This show ought to have gone to your Crytal Palace." "Yes," I replied, "it would have been more realistic." Well, Miss Oakley said, "I offered to bring a tribe of Indians to the Palace, and give special performances of my shooting exhibition. The Palace Company could only pay a ridiculously small sum, so that I could not think of engaging. Buffalo Bill knowing this, did not trouble himself about the Crystal Palace, or we all might have been there now!"
I EXPRESSED my regret at this to Miss Annie Oakley, and said that the Crytal Palace Com-pany had been brought low by bad management. I added that now there was increased activity, and things were looking more prosperous. Miss Oakley was pleased to hear this, but said it was of course too late. She then took a cabinet photograph of herself and presented it to my little boy. Cordially shaking us by the hand, she bid us adieu.