176
Personalities.
--Buffalo Bill was never a member of the Nebraska legislature, says the Oma-ha World. He once ran in Buffalo coun-ty against a fellow by the name Ashbur-ton and received his certificate of elec-tion. Ashburton contested the seat, how-ever, and won, but before the case was decided Cody had sent in his resignation and made ready to embark in the show business. He would not have served if he had been elected, and he could not have served if he had not resigned; so it is apparent that no man in Nebraska has been further from a legislative member-ship than Buffalo Bill.
178
A CALIFORNIAN IN LONDON.
Observations and Comments at the American Exhibition and Wild West Show
-How California is Represented
The following extracts from a private letter to a gentleman in this city from Major Ben C. Truman, now in London, will be of interest. Major Truman says: "Upon my arrival here I at once informed myself as to what was going on at the American Exhibition, in order to ascertain myself whether it would be judicious to spend time upon it. Contrary to my expectation, it was not long before I saw that much good might ensue to California from the proper kind of work. I found that there were from twenty to thirty thousand people of the very best classes visiting the exhibition daily, and although it was not the exhibition itself that was drawing as the unique performance of Buffalo Bill and his attendant train of Indians and cowboys constitutes by far the chief attraction, as yet every person buying a ticket for Bill's Wild West Show is entitled to admission to the exhibition and all avail themselves of that privilege, the exhibition may be said to have its share. It was in fact, and is a case of the tail wagingthe dog, but the dog is being very vigorously wagged nevertheless.
'At Liverpool, I saw ten pictured of the Yosemite Valley and Big Trees. I had them taken to a frame-makers, and the glass taken out and washed. I had them nicely reframed and hung, and then got some slips printed in good sized capital letters attached to the pictures announcing what they were. The weather during the past few weeks has been as pretty as anything I have ever seen in California, or in any other part of the world, during the same length of time. as it has been warm, sunny and pleasant, with no rain, and daylight from 3 o'clock in the morning until 10 o'clock at night.
"I have two of the Yosemite pictures hung in the conspicuous place in the art gallery and a number of other pictures hung in good places throughout the building. I have also pictures hung in the best place for exhibition in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show near where the royal people and nobility enter. Buffalo Bill's show has today 18,000 people in it, all of whom will come into the exhibition and stay for an hour or two after Buffalo Bill's performance is over. Then there will be from 8,000 to 12,000 visiting the Exhibition at night. These figures present about general daily average of attendance. The entire space in the exhibition is now taken. At the time the enterprise was inaugurated the outlook was so unflattering that the directors were willing to give a great deal of space for nothing to any one who would exhibit. Then they formed an alliance with Buffalo Bill and the backers of Buffalo Bill, and the directors of the American Exhibition formed a syndicate and went in together, each thinking it would be helped by the other. Had it not been for Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show the American Exhibition would have failed within a few weeks after its opening, as no one would have attended it. At the present time even itis not in itself much of an Exhibition, but it is having an immense patronage, nevertheless, which is just the reverse of the New Orleans Exhibition, which was the finest ever known in the world, but the latter was devoid of management, and very little patronage resulted for the outlay"
179
PERSONAL AND GENERAL NOTES.
Mr. Chas. Gans, a young business man of New Orleans, returned from a trip to England on Thursday. The sea voyage evidently did him much good and put him in fit condition.
Samuel Bridgham Curtis, a half-brother of George William Curtis, died at Staten Island on Friday night, aged 53. He was for twenty-five years employed in the New York custom-house under civil service rules.
Ex-Governor and Mrs. Sprague and Colonel Garrit S. Wheaton will entertain the Southern Rhode Island Press Club at Canonchet on Saturday. Aug. 6. The joy of the occasion will be enhanced by an old-fashioned clam-bake and an address by the Rev. Edward Everett Hale, on "Romantic Traditions of the Old South County."
The sociable for the benefit of the charity and building fund of the Women's Social Industrial Association was quite successful last evening. The hall, on St. Charles avenue, corner of Hillary street, was well filled considering the inclement weather. and the variety entertainment and dancing were very enjoyable.
A correspondent who has met Buffalo Bill and his daughter in London describes the latter as a young lady of 19, "inclined to be pretty, but rather conveying the impression that she revels in sucking oranges, chewing gum, etc." One of the curious features of her makeup was a piece of court plaster stuck artistically on the side of her nose.
