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Chicago Daily News

Nate Saulsbury was one of the most brilliant comedians who ever ventured his talents in farce comedy. He was then a clean-shaven, neat, brisk young man, with the quizzing glance and sarcasm of a character-student and a mimic. He was a delightful after-dinner talker and had the wit of current and classic literature at his sharp tongue's end. He was immensely popular and financially little less than a marvel to the average thespic fortune hunter. Now Mr. Saulsbury is joint proprietor of Buffalo Bill's Wild West and a millionaire--has ranches, rentals, lives most of his time in a tent within shooting distance of yelping Comanches and is finely aging with deep-cut facial lines of calculation, a hardy prairie complexion, square shoulders and pointed whiskers. But he is not a whit less entertaining. He is the greatest impromptu story teller I ever knew.

He has forgotten that he ever was an actor but the genius of mimicry and keen appreciation of humor has never deserted him. I caught him this morning in one of his most amusing reminiscent moods. The encouraging weather and the first boot-shine that conscience really could approve since the opening of the Wild West show had mellowed Nathan into a mood embroidered with halos.

He greeted me with a smile worth one gondolier pour-boire and enthusiastically offered me the bouquet of tuberoses and cape jessamine Col. Cody always has in his own tent. I accepted the smile and waited for the celebrated scout's arrival to add some permission to the deed of flowers, then finally attuned Nate's susceptible lyre into the serio-comic. He hummed "Up Went the Price," "I Flatter That I Stutter," and recited scraps of heroic measure from the grander dramatists, then fell into patriotic recollection of his visit to Spain. Apropos the Columbian Exposition he referred to that celebrated statue of the venerated hero of this immediate hour which adorns the Barcelona harbor. Nothing more superb in sculpture has been contributed to art. It stands looking out to sea with such magnificent sympathy, reverence and pride expressed that any wanderer must be arrested by its grandeur.

Maj. Burke and Saulsbury landed as near the port of Barcelona as foreign ships are permitted to come. The harbor is quite a respectful distance from the crumbling-walled vegas of "balmy garlic and guitar," and the morning the doughty major and Nate arrived it was sultry, damp and threatening. Everything was retarded by Spanish vigilance, their show was in custody about eight miles at sea and likely to stay there awhile, Nate was hungry and had not been a howling success in his divers efforts to "hablo" at the surprised natives, so he was not quite in tune with a patriotic vertigo which seized the major at sight of the Barcelona Columbus.

"Yes," vigorously asserted Nate, "it's good, the best I ever saw, but where is the hotel and bill-poster?"

"Saulsbury," orated the major, lifting his hat, "can't you drop the show when in the presence of America's discoverer?"

"That's all right, Burke, but business before the spread eagle."

"Well, sir," said the major with heroic dignity, "if you insist upon shop interest in such an imposing presence permit me to present it to you in another light. There stands our advance agent 400 years ahead of us!"

Nate has a small book of jokes laid up against the major, but this was one instance when the military gentleman had the best of it.

John Mackay gave Cody, Saulsbury and Major Burke a dinner in Paris a year or so ago and a party of tremendous swells belonging to the Mackay set were there to meet the westerners. The subject of Texas outlawry was broached and the major waxed eloquent in the defense of that doubtful state. "Nobody risks any personal inconvenience, sirs, in traveling through Texas. It is the golden state of the union and her citizens are both courteous and law-abiding. Why, talk about necessary fire-arms! I am a soldier and I went through the entire state without anything more than a toothpick."

"Well," said Saulsbury, "that's all you needed. You didn't do anything but eat."

Saulsbury married Miss Ray Samuels, a pretty soprano singer, who had something of a fortune left her by somebody. He has a charming family of boys and girls and they all travel wherever the energetic father goes.

May 15/93 * * * [......... .........?]

Chicago Daily News

Nate Saulsbury was one of the most brilliant comedians who ever ventured his talents in farce cemedy. He was then a clean-shaven, neat, brisk young man, with the quizzing glance and sarcasm of a character-student and a mimic. He was a delightful after-dinner talker and had the wit of current and classic literature at his sharp tongue's end. He was immensely popular and financially little less than a marvel to the average thespic fortune hunter. Now Mr. Saulsbury is joint proprietor of Buffalo Bill's Wild West and a millionaire--has ranches, rentals, lives most of his time in a tent within shooting distance of yelping Comanches and is finely aging with deep-cut facial lines of calculation, a hardy prairie complexion, square shoulders and pointed whiskers. But he is not a whit less entertaining. He is the greatest impromptu story teller I ever knew.

He has forgotten that he ever was an actor but the genius of mimicry and keen appreciation of humor has never deserted him. I caught him this morning in one of his most amusing reminiscent moods. The encouraging weather and the first boot-shine that conscience really could approve since the opening of the Wild West show had mellowed Nathan into a mood embroidered with halos.

He greeted me with a smile worth one gondolier pour-boire and enthusiastically offered me the bouquet of tuberoses and cape jassamine Col. Cody always has in his own tent. I accepted the smile and waited for the celebrated scout's arrival to add some permission to the deed of flowers, then finally attuned Nate's susceptible lyre into the serio-comic. He hummed "Up Went the Price," "I Flatter That I Stutter," and recited scraps of heroic measure from the grander dramatists, then fell into patriotic recollection of his visit to Spain. Apropos the Columbian Exposition he referred to that celebrated statue of the venerated hero of this immediate hour which adorns the Barcelona harbor. Nothing more superb in sculpture has been contributed to art. It stands looking out to sea with such magnificent sympathy, reverence and pride expressed that any wanderer must be arrested by its grandeur.

Maj. Burke and Saulsbury landed as near the port of Barcelona as foreign ships are permitted to come. The harbor is quite a respectful distance from the crumbling-walled vegas of "balmy garlic and guitar," and the mornign the doughty major and Nate arrived it was sultry, damp and threatening. Everything was retarded by Spanish vigilance, their show was in custody about eight miles at sea and likely to stay there awhile, Nate was hungry and had not been a howling success in his divers efforts to "hablo" at the surprised natives, so he was not quite in tune with a patriotic vertigo which seized the major at sight of the Barcelona Columbus.

"Yes," vigorously asserted Nate, "it's good, the best I ever saw, but where is the hotel and bill-poster?"

"Saulsbury," orated the major, lifting his hat, "can't you drop the show when in the presence of America's discoverer?"

"That's all right, Burke, but business before the spread eagle."

"Well, sir," said the major with heroic dignity, "if you insist upon shop interest in such an imposing presence permit me to present it to you in another light. There stands our advance agent 400 years ahead of us!"

Nate has a small book of jokes laid up against the major, but this was one instance when the military gentleman had the best of it.

John Mackay gave Cody, Saulsbury and Major Burke a dinner in Paris a year or so ago and a party of tremendous swells belonging to the Mackay set were there to meet the westerners. The subject of Texas outlawry was broached and the major waxed eloquent in the defense of that doubtful state. "Nobody risks any personal inconvenience, sirs, in traveling through Texas. It is the golden state of the union and her citizens are both courteous nad law-abiding. Why, talk about necessary fire-arms! I am a soldier and I went through the entire state without anything more than a toothpick."

"Well," said Saulsbury, "that's all you needed. You didn't do anything but eat."

Saulsbury married Miss Ray Samuels, a pretty soprano singer, who had something of a fortune left her by somebody. He has a charming family of boys and girls and they all travel wherever the energetic father goes.

May 15/93 * * * [......... .........?]