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Herald sep 3

ANOTHER KIND OF "BILL."

While congress is engaged in discussing the details of the dry, dull bill intended to relieve the financial stringency that prevail in the country, Chicago and all of her visitors are discussing a "Bill" that is neither dry, dull nor uninteresting. This "Bill" is Buffalo Bill, and from the unanimity with which he is supported there is no prospect of his ever being repealed. Temporary closure will be applied Nov. 1, but until that time the discussion will grow warmer and warmer, and the stampede from the opposition ranks, if there is any opposition, will be so great that his success will be unprecedented when the roll is called. Like many other good measures this "Bill" has been improved somewhat by the Cossack amendment, proposed by the representatives from Russia; the Arabian amendment, supported so strongly by the Bedouins and Syrians; the soldier amendment proposed by the originator of the measure, Nate Salsbury, and so strongly supported by the representatives from the German, French, English and American armies. The original "Bill," that embraced the Indian, cowboy and Mexican features, was considered very good. Amendments have improved it, and the final one recently adopted, and which provides for the perpetuation in the hearts of the people of a monument to the gallant Custer and his brave soldiers, ensures the support of all classes and the eternal popularity of this already favorably received "Bill."

Seriously speaking, the entertainment furnished by Buffalo Bill and his Wild West company is without question one of the most popular of the kind ever put before the American or any other public, and the merit of its many features and of the exhibition as a whole is such that the patronage bestowed on it is full deserved, and Colonel Cody and his managers must feel justly proud of the strong endorsement they have received. Two performances will continue to be given every day, at 3 and 8:30 p. m.

Tribune Sep 3

Still Flocking to Buffalo Bill.

It is an old story, and one always received with pleasure, that Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders at Sixty-third street is being patronized twice every day to the fullest capacity of its grandstands. For eighteen weeks this entertainment has been before the people. Starting in at an unfavorable season, when the night winds were biting and when rain fell nearly every day, the patronage then was large, and it has steadily continued to increase until the popular approval of the “Wild West" attested by thousands every 'day. The [?] of "Custer's Last Charge; or, The Battle the Little Big Horn" to the already interesting program seems to have served to increase the appetite of the public for this form of amusement. The great influx of strangers into the city to attend the World's Fair has had a marked beneficial affect on all classes of amusement, and proportionately so on the attendance at the "Wild West," where there are daily assemble more people than could be accommodated in all of the downtown theaters. This is because of the novelty, the strength, and the merit of the exhibition given by the company.

Chicago Democrat Sep 8

THE BOOM IS GROWING.

The newspapers all over the country are endorsing THE SUNDAY DEMOCRAT in starting the popular boom to make "Buffalo Bill" the next governor of Nebraska. The following from The Banner Weekly of New York City, shows that the boom is spreading east as well as west.

"The newest thing in politics is the suggestion of the Chicago Sunday Democrat that "Buffalo Bill" shall be a candidate for the governorship of Nebraska in this fall's campaign. This idea seems to have struck a popular chord, for The Sunday Democrat is now getting responses from leading men all over the state whose consensus of opinion seems to be that Cody would receive a superb vote and be the next governor if he permits his name to be used in the canvass."

Times Sep 4

Buffalo Bill Shows to 15,000 People.

Buffalo Bill and his rough riders entertained an audience of 15,000 persons at their performance yesterday afternoon. Owing to Col. Cody's energy the Illinois Central ran its world's fair express trains during the afternoon and evening for the benefit of the Wild West's patrons. The trains helped swell the audiences on the Midway quite as much as they did at the Wild West show, which made Supt. Tucker of the department of admissions very grateful to Col. Cody. The Wild West people were obliged to guarantee the Illinois Central the expense of running trains before they could obtain the service, but so heavy was the traffic that the road will probably resume its regular Sunday express service to Jackson park.

CAGING NEW ANIMALS. TRANSFERRED FROM A OIROUS TO HOMES IN THE PARK MENAGERIE. Crowds Watch the Pleasing Function on the North Side That Is Full of Novelty and Excitement-Interest Centers on a Prospective Contest Between Elephants, but Harmony Prevails Without an Introductory Battle-Some Desperate Conflicts Caused by the Newcomers. All that was lacking yesterday to make the frequenter of Lincoln Park think he was at the circus was the canvas roof, the center pole, and the loud-voiced vender of the "double-jointed California groundnut." Everything else was there, including the clowns. The menagerie display was particularly strong; not in the noxious odors of damp sawdust and red lemonade "at five, at five, with the matrimonial strawberry," but in the exciting scenes of the exhibition. There were desperate struggles between men and wild beasts, and short, sharp, and bloodless, combats between savage brutes of the same species. The show was incidental to the

[Image] PERSUADING THE SPOTTED CAVY.

transfer of a lot of valuable wild animals from the wagon cages of Irwin Bros.' circus to the dens in Lincoln Park. In consideration of the benefit the animals will be as exhibits the Park Commissioners have provided the greater and better part of the menagerie with a winter home. The cages were hauled to the park night before last and grouped about the animal house. The big elephant, Alice, was led through the streets and chained to a stake in the peacock yard. It's easy enough to transfer an animal from one cage to another, if said animal has no yearning for human flesh, no inborn hatred of humankind, and is willing to be transferred. Yesterday, for instance, one of the circus men picked up a raccoon under one arm and "Toby, the educated hog," under the other, and carried them from wagons outside to cages inside, and no harm came to him, even if Toby did bawl most lustily. The same circus man carried the "dry land hippopotamus" snugly in his arms and is still able to mingle freely with his neighbors. The cockatoos and monkeys were handled expeditiously, and the ant-eater, a curious, pretty, and costly little quadruped, was carried by the "scruff" of the neck. The tapir, a rare beast, and in this

ESCAPING THE BABOON TO HIS NEW QUARTERS. case a beautiful and docile specimen, was as gentle as a sheep. The spotted cavy, a curious little creature from South America, was somewhat reluctant to leave his home, and had to be snared behind the forelegs and carried at the end of an iron pole. To transfer an untamed carnivorous quadruped from a cage to a den, a "shifting-box is highly essential. This is simply a strongbox with a sliding iron-bar door at one end. That end is placed opposite and close to the door of the cage, both doors are opened, the animal is "shooed" or poked into the shift- ing-box, the sliding door is closed, and the box and animal are carried on men's shoulders to the den, where the unloading process is simple enough. Yesterday the spotted leopard and the mountain lion were transferred without any demonstration other than an angry growling and showing of teeth, but the black leopard proved to be a troublesome customer. When the men approached her cage she flew at the bars and bit and scratched them. She refused to leave her quarters and fought long and dexterously against the process of snaring. The rope once around her neck she fought as a bulldog never thought of fighting, split her claws, broke her teeth, and cut her jaws on the iron rod that carried the running noose. Even when dragged from the cage into the shifting box she retained her hold

MOVING THE "DRY LAND HIP." with paws and jaws upon the bar and clung sys tenaciously that her mouth had to be pried open with other iron bars before her hold could be broken. When placed in a den be herself she sought the farthest corner and spat out defiance and hatred to her heart's content. Her ill nature is overlooked because she is a rare and valuable animal. The babboon, which is as large as a good chunk of a boy and has the strength of several: men and the ferocity of a lion, made a stubborn, noisy resistance. He was not put into the shifting-box, but was snared and dragged from his cage and led and hauled into the animal house and chucked into a stout wire cage where he could think over the performance and come to such conclusions as he saw fit. Probably the most interesting of the animals is the African beast known only as the "dry land hippopotamus." It is about as large as a yearling pig, has a rough, flesh colored hide, sparsely covered with bristly, red hair, a head shaped like a brick, and a hare lip of magnificent proportions; large, beautiful dark eyes, short ears, and webbed feet. Even the circus men do not know the proper name of the amphibian and no one who saw it yesterday had ever seen its like before. Fun for the crowd did not céase when the work of transferring had been finished. The old leopard and the jaguar, in whose den the new spotted leopard had been placed, resented what they regarded as an intrusion and each of them "took a fall" out of the stranger just to show her that she was not to be boss. They did not injure her, but frightened her

and at the same time gave the spectators an idea of how leopards begin a tussle. Each grabbed her at odd times by the throat and, with a movement that would win the championship for any Græco-Roman wrestler, flopped her on her back so quickly that she didn't know what power had thrown her, The reverse order was observed in the mountain lion's den; the newcomer was boss. The three old residents essayed, each in turn, to convince the stranger that he was to be fourth in importance, but the circus lion had seen so Each The much "scrapping " in his time that he felt self-reliant and before that he had been an hour in his new home he had convinced

[image] LASSOING THE BLACK LEOPARD.

his comrades that, although they answered very well as exhibits, they were not " in it " when biting and scratching were allowed. In justice to the Lincoln Park trio it must be stated that they gave the stranger fair play, fought him one at a time, and accepted defeat gracefully. It was expected that the elephants would maul each other when put in the same inclosure. All the morning Ducbess had been uneasy; she seemed to know that a sister elephant was near. Keeper Devry concluded that if the big pets were to have a contest for supremacy the matter ought to be decided at once, About 2 o'clock he led Alice to Duchess' inclosure. The latter snorted and raised her trunk aloft, and a battle seemed imminent. Having passed the age of 25– she is now 28 years old–Alice had tusks. These gave her an unfair and perilous advantage over the other elephant; so Keeper Devry S sawed the tusks off close to her trunk before opening the gate of the yard. Then Alice, who is a kindly beast, stalked in. The crowd was pleasantly disappointed. Duchess a refused at first to make friends with her b new found sister, but, under the persuasive influence of the sharp iron prod, was induced to "mile up" and stand quiet at Alice's side. Presently the two thick-skinned monsters,

[image] BILLY WELCOMES THE NEW LEOPARD

which are as near as can be of one size rubbed noses and trunks and peace settle over the elephant shed. Two of Buffalo Bill's expert Mexican lassoo throwers were on hand to assist in the boxing of the buffalo bull. His shaggy lordship declined to be captured, but the Mexicans flirted one rope over his head and others around his hind legs, and then threw him. Before this he led his captors a lively chase around the yard, and when cornered he bellowed and pawed the ground savagely enough to terrify a tenderfoot, and with one rope around his neck he dragged his captors from tree to tree with lightning rapidity until the lariat was made fast to a stout oak, After his lordship had seen that no harm was intended and had become somewhat reconciled to captivity he was hauled into the big crate, boards were nailed across the top, and the monarch of the plains was packed like a piano. The crate was loaded into a wagon and driven off to the circus tent where another buffalo bull took his place and was hauled back to the park and easily turned loose among the herd. As the matter stands today the park's collection of zoological curiosities is richer by one elephant, one tapir, one black leopard, one mountain lion, one spotted leopard, one dry land hippopotamus, one anteater, one babboon, one spotted cavy, five fine monkeys, a lot of cockatoos, a raccoon, and a pig. The Park Commissioners have an option on the animals and may buy them, as it is their intention to greatly enlarge the number of specimens in the zoological department and provide new houses for all the species.