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KNIGHT OF THE PLAINS.
Buffalo Bill and Company at the Opera House Last Night--A Pleasing Entertainment.

The entertainment last night at the Opera House by Buffalo Bill and his large troupe, was well attended, and had the night been less unfavorable the audience would have been much larger. The play is one of considerable merit. It is, however, greatly overwrought in some parts, and rather bald in others. Still, the audience remembered they were not witnessing a domestic drama, but a represnetation of life on the frontier, where everything is rude, crude, wild and sensational. The veins of pathos and the lines of emotion and sentiment which
ocasionally appeared, stood out upon the groundword of wildness and savagery, in bold relief, and impressed the spetator very peculiarly. To be suddenly transferred from an Indian settlement, with the hideous war dance still ringing in your ears, to the parlor of an eastern aristocrat, is a transformation that conflicts somewhat with the slow operations of an ordinary and healthy
imagination, and has a tendency to bewilder the spetator. There seems to e something unnatural about it. When some of the very characters who sur-
rounded the wild Indians as they danced and played the tong-tongs on
the frontier two thousand miles awayi are seen in the parlor of the eastern aristocrat fifteen minutes later, the play seems to have a good deal of the dime
novel sensation about it.

Then, again, the closing scene was no more than a great burlesque, while it was, doubtless, intended to be impressive and emotional. Royston dies at the hands of Buffalo Bill, struck to the heat by a knife. Wild Nellie, forgetting her hatred of this evil man, as she sees him dying, flings herself upon his breast and utters the most despairing cries, Royston raises upon his elbow, and with a final effort curses her,
and plunges his knife into her heart. She drops by his side, and the two--the
loving girl and her betrayer, --after long years of wanderig and revenge-seeking,
lie side by side in death. The beside their prostrate forms Buffalo Bill and Rose Melton pledge their love. What a trysting place! But the climax is capped when the old Jew, just at the time when the scene is in its tederest phase, ejaculates: "Mowly Hoses"! and the old teamster bawls out: "Change pardners" while the red light is brought into use. This scene was extremely extravagant, and really ridiculous.

But the company was a good one. They were not responsile for the defets in the play. Their ability will rank as average.

Buffalo Bill is a fine appearing person on the stage, and did his work well. His target practice was superior, and elicited loud applause. Dr. Carver can do no better. Nellie Jones is a very good actress---having a good deal of originality about her. L. R. Willard, the Jew, was almost perfet. Alf. Beverly, the shyster, kept the house in roars of lauhter. Altogether, the entertainment was a very pleasing one, and everybody got their money's worth.

Buffalo Bill.

To-morrow evening the Buffalo Bill Combination will appear at the Opera House in "Knights of the Plains," a four-at play written expressly for the chief of the combination. The highest encomiums of the press have been given this new drama, and crowded houses have greeted it in all the principal cities where it has been produced. The Washington Sunday Herald thus comments upon it:

If Giacomo, the Italian bandit, the original of Auber's "Fra Diavolo," were to present himself in person on the stage, there could not be anything more thoroughly realistic than there is to be found in the appearance of the Hon. William Cody---"Buffalo Bill"---in his different roles as scout, guide and hunter, which were presented at the National last week. An incident connected with this was the meeting of this rather remarkable character with his old commander, now General William H. Emory, U. S. A. (retired). The general, with a party of friends, mostly army officers, occupied one of the private boxes, and appeared very much interested during the entire performance, giving vent to their appreciation by frequent, hearty applause. The drama presented, "Knights of te Plains," abounds with startling and realistic scenes, and to those at all familiar with the history of the interminable wars on our frontier, and the daring characters to be found there, know that the entire plot was not in the least exaggerated. Buffalo Bill is as much the hero on the stage or in a private parlor as he is a veritable one on the plains. Courtly in his manners, frank and open in his address, he is, it may be said, truly one of "nautre's noblemen."--

--Bufalo Bill's fancy shooting is unsurpassed. No wonder the Sioux fear him, and that the noted chiefs Yellow Hand and Red Knife fell before him in the duel he fought with them before General Crook's army and Crazy Horse's band of warriors.

--The parade of Buffalo Bill and his "red skins" this afternoon was a strange sight for the streets of a city, but withal intensely attractive.

---Buffalo Bill, with his new singular attractions, that form so strong a combination, cannot be denied as being one of the best drasing cards that visit our city. The rough, wild border life he illustrates, adided by genuine, untutored savages, is not without specific attracting power. The dramatic compay, composed of some twenty odd people, are above the average that generally comprise a traveling organization, and sustained the different roles assigned them creditably. No doubt this, the last appearance of the combination, will be greeted with a packed house, as it I been awarded with crowded ouses all during the week.-----Baltimore Advertiser.

Knights of the Plains.

Wednesday evening, September 10, Buffalo Bill and his comination of 24 actors will appear in new four act drama, written expressly for him, entitled "Kights of
the Plains, or Buffalo Bill's Best Trail." Of this play the Baltimore Bulletin says:

FORD'S GRAND OPERA HOUSE.---A large audiece was present last night to witness the first appearance of the new Buffalo Bill combination. The upper floors were crowded and he parquet and boxes were filled. The drama, "the Knight of the Plains," is one of unusual interest which was thoroughly demonstrated from the fact that the entire large audience remained seated up to the close of the performance. There are in it elements that appeal to the quickest and liveliest sympathies, which grows and increases with the audience until it culminates in a burst of enthusiasm. The wild Indians and their interpreters are a novel feature, and were liberally applauded in their several dances, and wonderful archery, hitting objects with as much accuracy with the bow and arrow, as the best marksman with the rifle. Buffalo Bill also gave a specimen of his ezpertness with the rifle holding he gun in every conceivable position, and indelibly convinced all, with the fact, that he certainly is unrivalle, if equalled.

A Lurid Melodrama.

The reception of the gallant Cody (Buffalo Bill) at the Opera House last evening amounted to an ovation. The house was full, crammed, packed even to the aisles and window ledges. Fully 1,500 people were present--hundreds more than such dramatic stars as Claxton or Denman Thompson, such singers as Carey, and such orators as Philips or Beecher have been able to attract.

That a play nothing short of a well dramatized dime novel should draw such a house naturally causes the query, " Why is this thus?" Undoubtedly the sight of a genuine hero like Cody, who "born and nursed in danger's path, has dared her worst" is an attraction to many people. The Indians were also objects of interest. But it is probable that Zola, the recent French apostle of realism, is right, and that the masses care more for sensation than for art of any kind.

While the play as a drama was beneath criticism, some of the characters were notably well sustained. Of course, Buffalo Bill was fune simply as his natural self, and drew frantic applause from the "gallery gods" by his marvelous shooting and opportune appearance as a guardian angel. The stage Jew was well acted by Willard, and the frontier Judge Shyster, a feeble parody on Bret Harte's "Col. Starbottle," played well by Beverly, drew down the house by his uctuous "I should smile." the tableaux were tolerable, the burning prairie scene was excellent, and the interior of the Cheyenne gambling saloon was probably accurate enough--though the more the Drama is degraded by their presentation. Miss Jones, who played Rose Melton, had a very fine voice and with training would make a sucessful actress. On the whole, "Buffalo Bill" made a dramatic "ten strike" in Clinton.