BUFFALO BILL’S “PARDS” OF THE PLAINS.
To gain great local and national fame as a plains celebrity in the
days of old was not an easy task; rather one of the most competitive
struggles that a young man could possibly engage in. The vast,
comparatively unknown, even called great, American Desert of
twenty-five and thirty years ago was peopled only by the descendants
of the sturdy pioneers of the then far West--Illinois, Missouri,
Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, etc.--born, raised, and used to
hardships and danger; and attracted only the resolute, determined
adventurers of the rest of the world, seeking an outlet for pent-up
natures imbued with love of daring adventure. Hundreds of men achieved
local, and great numbers national, fame for the possession of every
manly quality that goes to make up the romantic hero of that once dark
and bloody ground. When it is brought to mind the work engaged in--the
carving out of the advance paths for the more domestically inclined
settler; of the dangers and excitements of hunting and trapping; of
carrying dispatches, stage-driving, freighting cargoes of immense
value, guiding successfully the immense wagon-trains, gold-hunting--it
is easy to conceive what a class of sturdy, adventurous young spirits
entered the arena to struggle in a daily deadly, dangerous game to win
the “bubble reputation.” When such an army of the best human material
battled for supremacy, individual distinction gained by the unwritten
law of unprejudiced _popular_ promotion possessed a value that made
its acquirer a “plains celebrity,” stamped indelibly with an _honored
title_ rarely possessed unless fairly, openly, and justly won--a prize
so pure that its ownership, while envied, crowned the victor with
the friendship, following, and admiration of the contestants. Thus
Boone, Crocket, Carson, Beal, Fremont, Cody, Bridger, Kinman, Hickok,
Cosgrove, Comstock, Frank North, and others will live in the romance,
the poetry, and history of their distinctive work forever. The same
spirit and circumstances have furnished journalists innumerable, who
in the West imbibed the sterling qualities they afterward used to such
effect--notably, Henry M. Stanley, who (in 1866) saw the rising sun
of the young empire that stretches to the Rockies; General Greely, of
Arctic fame, and the equally scientific explorer, Lieutenant Schwatka,
passed their early career in the same school, and often followed the
trail, led by Buffalo Bill; Finerty (formerly of the Chicago _Times_);
“Modoc” Fox and O’Kelly (of the New York _Herald_), 1876; while of late
years the scribblers were initiated to their baptism of fire by Harries
(of Washington _Star_), McDonough (New York _World_), Bailey (of
_Inter Ocean_), brave young Kelly (of the Lincoln _Journal_), Cressy
(of the Omaha _Bee_), Charlie Seymour (Chicago _Herald_), Allen (of
the New York _Herald_), Robert J. Boylan (of _Inter Ocean_), present
in the battle, who were honored by three cheers from “Old White Top”
Forsyth’s gallant Seventh Cavalry, the day after the battle of “Wounded
Knee,” as they went charging over Wolf Creek--to what came near being a
crimson day--to the fight “down at the mission.” That there are still
“successors to every king” is assured by the manly scouts so prominent
in the last Indian war in such men as Frank Gruard, now the most
celebrated of the present employed army scouts; of “Little Bat,” true
as steel and active as the cougar; Philip Wells, Louis Shangrau, “Big
Baptiste,” and John Shangrau; while the friendly Indians furnish such
grand material for any future necessity as No Neck, Major Sword, Red
Shirt, and Yankton Charley.
“WILD BILL” (J. B. HICKOK).
It is a noticeable coincidence that nearly all of the famous frontier
characters are natives of the West, and J. B. Hickok, better known as
Wild Bill, was not an exception to the rule.
[Illustration: WILD BILL.]
Born in La Salle County, Illinois, in 1837, his earliest desire was for
horses and firearms. At the age of fourteen he had become known as a
wolf-killer, for at that time the country where he lived was overrun by
them.
Acquiring a rudimental education he started out to earn his living, and
began as a tow-path driver on the Illinois & Michigan Canal.
Longing for fields of adventure he went into Kansas, where he soon made
a name in the border war then going on there.
It was in Kansas that he was given the name of “Bill,” though just why
no one seems to know; and afterward his daring and adventurous career
got for him the added cognomen of “Wild Bill,” a name that he certainly
made famous.
Serving upon the frontier as wagon-boss, pony-rider, stage-driver, and
then drifting into the position of guide and Government scout, Wild
Bill made a name for himself in each occupation he followed.
It was while serving as train-boss of one of Russell & Majors
wagon-trains that Wild Bill met and befriended Buffalo Bill, then a
mere boy; and the friendship thus begun ended only with the death of
Hickok, at Deadwood, at the hands of the assassin Jack McCaul.
A soldier, scout, and spy during the Civil War, Wild Bill returned to
scouting at its close, the frontier becoming his home.
Constantly he was thrown in the company of Buffalo Bill, and when the
latter decided to go upon the stage he determined that his companions
in the enterprise should be Wild Bill and Texas Jack, and they
accompanied him to the East.
A dead shot, an enemy to fear, Wild Bill was as brave as a lion and as
tender-hearted as a woman, and he will go down in history as a true
hero of the border.
“TEXAS JACK” (J. B. OMOHUNDRO).
Known in his native State, Virginia, as John B. Omohundro, the subject
of this sketch won the sobriquet of “Texas Jack” after service as a
ranger in the Lone Star State.
[Illustration: TEXAS JACK.]
Reared in a part of Virginia where every man rode a horse, and born a
natural hunter, while his parents were able to gratify his desire to
become a skilled horseman and expert shot, Jack Omohundro at an early
age became noted among his comrades as a fearless rider and a dead shot.
When the Civil War broke out, though but a boy, Jack enlisted in the
Confederate cavalry, and during the four years saw much hard service
and was a participant in many battles.
Becoming connected with the headquarters of a Texas general he was made
a scout, and as such rendered valuable services to the Confederate army.
Allied with Texans he went with them to Texas at the close of the war,
going to the frontier, where he joined a company of rangers.
From ranger, in which capacity he saw much service against the Indians,
he turned to cattle-herding, becoming first a cowboy and afterward a
rancher.
Going northward into Kansas in charge of a large herd of cattle Texas
Jack met, at a frontier post, Buffalo Bill.
A warm friendship at once sprung up between the two, which ended only
with the death of the gallant Texan some years ago at Leadville, Colo.
It was through the agency of Buffalo Bill that Texas Jack entered the
service of the Government as a scout and won distinction as such, and
also as guide and Indian fighter.
As a scout he was respected by army officers for his skill and courage,
and he became the warm friend of “White Beaver” (Dr. Frank Powell),
Maj. Frank North, and Wild Bill, joining the latter, with Buffalo Bill,
in the theatrical enterprise which Buffalo Bill continued until he
originated the Wild West exhibition.
DR. D. FRANK POWELL (“WHITE BEAVER”).
[Illustration: DR. D. FRANK POWELL (“WHITE BEAVER.”)]
The life of “White Beaver” (Dr. D. Frank Powell) bears all the colors
and shades of an idyllic romance. His character stands out upon the
canvas of human eccentricities in striking originality, and never finds
its counterpart save in stories of knight-errantry, when hearts,
names, and titles were the prizes bestowed for daring deeds evolved
from generous sentiments. His has been the tenor of uneven ways, with
characteristics as variable as the gifts in Pandora’s box. A born
plainsman, with the rough, rugged marks of wild and checkered incident,
and yet a mind that feeds on fancy, builds images of refinement, and
looks out through the windows of his soul upon visions of purity and
fields elysian. A reckless adventurer on the boundless prairies, and
yet in elegant society as amiable as a school-girl in the ball-room;
evidencing the polish of an aristocrat, and a cultured mind that
shines with vigorous luster where learning displays itself. A friend
to be valued most in direst extremity, and an enemy with implacable,
insatiable, and revengeful animosities. In short, he is a singular
combination of opposites, and yet the good in him so predominates over
his passions that no one has more valuable friendships and associations
than these strange complexities attract to him. He is an ideal hero,
the image which rises before the ecstatic vision of a romancer, and he
impresses himself upon the millions who know his reputation as a brave
and chivalrous gentleman.
A description of White Beaver is not difficult to give, because of his
striking features; those who see him once are so impressed with his
bearing that his image is never forgotten. He is almost six feet in
height, of large frame and giant muscular development; a full round
face, set off by a Grecian nose, a handsome mouth, and black eyes of
penetrating brilliancy. His hair is long and hangs over his shoulders
in raven ringlets. In action he is marvelously quick, always decisive,
and his endurance almost equals that of a steam-engine. His appearance
is that of a resolute, high-toned gentleman, conscious of his power,
and yet his deference, I may say amiability, attracts every one to him.
He is, in short, one of the handsomest as well as most powerful men
among the many great heroes of the plains.
In addition to his other qualifications peculiarly fitting him for a
life on the plains, he is an expert pistol and rifle shot; in fact,
there are perhaps not a half-dozen persons in the United States who
are his superiors; his precision is not so great now as it once was,
for the reason that during the past three or four years he has had
but very little practice; but even now he would be regarded an expert
among the most skillful. For dead-center shooting at stationary objects
he never had a superior. His eyesight is more acute than an eagle’s,
which enables him to distinguish and hit the head of a pin ten paces
distant, and this shot he can perform now nine times out of ten. Any of
his office employes will hold a copper cent between their fingers and
let him shoot it out at ten paces, so great is their confidence in his
skill; he also shoots through finger-rings held in the same manner. One
very pretty fancy-shot he does is splitting a bullet on a knife-blade;
he also suspends objects by a hair, and at ten paces cuts the hair,
which of course he can not see, but shoots by judgment. Several persons
have told me that they have seen him shoot a fish-line in two while it
was being dragged swiftly through the water.
White Beaver and Buffalo Bill have been bosom friends and
fellow-plainsmen since boyhood. History records no love between two men
greater than that of these two foster-brothers.
MAJ. FRANK J. NORTH.
This gallant officer was universally recognized as one of the best
executive leaders and bravest men that ever faced the dangers of the
plains.
Although born in the State of New York (March 10, 1840), he was by
virtue of his training a thorough Westerner. While still a boy his
father moved from New York to near Columbus in the State of Nebraska,
and very soon thereafter was frozen to death at Emigrant Crossing, on
Big Papillion Creek, while searching for wood for his suffering family.
After a short connection with McMurra, Glass, and Messenger, a party of
trappers, he returned to Columbus and turned his hand to anything that
offered.
In 1860, at the age of twenty years, he procured employment with Agent
De Puy, at the Pawnee Indian Reservation. While there he studied
and became thoroughly proficient in the Pawnee language, and in the
following year was engaged as interpreter by Mr. Rudy, son-in-law of
the Indian Commissioner.
In 1864, when the Sioux war broke out, he was commissioned by
General Curtis to organize the Pawnee Scouts. He formed a company of
seventy-seven young warriors, and was made first lieutenant. To Major
North belongs the honor of making the first enlistment of Indians for
regular Government service. In October following Lieutenant North
supplemented his first enlistment by another of 100 Pawnee warriors,
who were equipped as regular cavalry, and he was promoted to the rank
of captain.
In January, 1865, Captain North, with forty of his Pawnee braves,
started in pursuit of the Sioux, who had been committing terrible
outrages in the neighborhood of Julesburg. Death and destruction marked
the trail of the Sioux, and Captain North arrived at Julesburg just in
time to rescue its inhabitants. Still pursuing, he caught up with a
party of twenty-eight of the red devils, and not one of them escaped
his vengeance. This was a part of Red Cloud’s forces, and only a few
days before they had suddenly attacked Lieutenant Collins and fourteen
men and massacred the entire party.
Shortly after this he became the hero of one of the most daring fights
ever recorded. During the pursuit of a party of twelve Cheyennes,
with the intention of punishing them for atrocities committed in the
neighborhood of Fort Sedgwick, his impetuous ardor was so great that it
led him far in advance of his followers. He suddenly realized that he
was at least a mile ahead of his men. After bringing down one of the
fleeing Cheyennes he turned to rejoin his command. Seeing him alone
the Indians started in pursuit, and his horse having been killed he
was compelled to continue his retreat on foot. After having gone some
distance he remembered he had left two loaded revolvers in the holsters
on his saddle, and notwithstanding the danger he boldly returned for
them, and with them fought the Cheyennes single-handed for nearly half
an hour longer, until relieved by Lieutenant Small.
In 1865-66, after the Pawnees were mustered out of service, Captain
North was appointed post trader at the Pawnee Reservation.
In the March following, under orders from General Auger, he raised a
battalion of 200 Pawnees, who were equipped for cavalry service and
taken to Fort Kearney, he being commissioned a major. This battalion
guarded construction trains on the Union Pacific Railroad until it
reached Ogden.
Upon the completion of the road Major North retired to a ranch on
Dismal River, near North Platte, where he went into the cattle-raising
business. He was then a great sufferer from asthma, and had abandoned
all hope of relief.
Buffalo Bill and Major North met for the first time at Fort McPherson,
and served together in several campaigns. They became very warm
friends, and afterward partners in the cattle business under the firm
name of Cody & North.
Major North, besides being a remarkable Indian fighter and a
phenomenally brave man, was a thorough gentleman, of generous and noble
instincts, an honest friend, and popular with all classes. His death a
few years ago at North Platte was deeply and sincerely regretted by the
many who had known and loved him well. To none did the news cause more
sincere regret than to his old “pard” and partner, Buffalo Bill.
SITTING BULL.
[Illustration: SITTING BULL.]
Though nearly a score of years have gone by since the battle of the
Little Big Horn, where the gallant Custer and his brave band were
slain, the name of Sitting Bull is recalled by all; and a sigh of
relief went up all along the border when the news came that the noted
chief had started upon the trail for the happy hunting-grounds.
Those who condemn the Indian for his red deeds should remember that it
is his education to be a savage, to kill and to burn and pillage; that
the greatest slayer of mankind, in the opinion of the red men, is the
greatest hero.
Thus, considering that the Indian has his story to tell as well as the
white man, the mantle of charity should be drawn over their deeds.
Sitting Bull was not a chief in the true sense of the word, but was the
Moses of his people.
He had unlimited influence with his tribe, and among other tribes as
well; and, a mighty medicine-man, he claimed as well to be a prophet.
The career of Sitting Bull was eventful and remarkable.
He was a leader and schemer, and when Generals Terry, Crook, and Gibbon
were sent to capture him he showed great generalship in all that he did.
He checked the advance of General Crook, slaughtered Custer, and
escaped into Canada, where he and his people were safe.
In 1877 a part of Sitting Bull’s tribe surrendered to General Miles,
who pressed them so hard they could not escape into Canada.
In 1880 others of the tribe surrendered to General Miles at Fort Keogh,
and later Sitting Bull and others surrendered to keep from starving.
They were transferred to Standing Rock Agency.
Sitting Bull received tempting offers to go East on exhibition, but
refused all except one from Buffalo Bill--whom he knew as a deadly foe
in warfare and a good friend in times of peace--and so went with some
of his people to join the Wild West, with which he remained for a year.
The killing of Sitting Bull is still fresh in the minds of the people,
and his taking off has been condemned by many.
At the time of his death Buffalo Bill, Surgeon Frank Powell, Pony
Bob Haslam, and others were on their way to his camp to demand his
surrender. Had Buffalo Bill not been halted by the command of the
President and had reached Sitting Bull’s camp, the great chief would
not have been slain; and probably Cody’s influence would have been
strong enough to have changed to a more peaceful settlement the emeute
that culminated in Wounded Knee and Pine Ridge.
“OKLAHOMA PAYNE” (CAPT. D. L. PAYNE), THE CIMARRON SCOUT.
David L. Payne, known throughout the West as Captain Payne, of the
Oklahoma Colony Company, was born in Grant County, Indiana, December
30, 1836. In 1858, with his brother, he started West, intending to
engage in the Mormon War, but reached there too late. He settled in
Doniphan County, Texas. His commercial pursuits there not resulting
in success he turned hunter, and so became thoroughly acquainted with
the topography of the great Southwest. Afterward a scout, he was often
engaged in that capacity by the Government and by private expeditions.
In this way he became acquainted with Kit Carson, Wild Bill, Buffalo
Bill, California Joe, General Custer, and others of national reputation.
During the Civil War he served as a private in the Fourth Regiment,
which was afterward merged into the Tenth. In the fall of 1864 he
was elected to the Kansas Legislature. Upon its adjournment he again
enlisted, and his command was detailed for duty at Washington City. His
service in the volunteer army covered a period of eight years, his
last position being captain of Company H, Nineteenth Kansas Cavalry,
from October, 1868, to October, 1869. During these eight years he
held the positions of postmaster at Fort Leavenworth, member of the
Legislature, and sergeant-at-arms of the Kansas Senate.
[Illustration: BRIGADIER-GENERAL GEORGE A. CUSTER.]
At the close of the war Captain Payne returned to the life of the
plains, and in the spring of 1868 he accompanied General Custer in an
expedition against the Cheyennes, during which he, with two others, was
detailed as special messenger to Fort Hays to secure assistance, and in
that capacity encountered great dangers and privations.
In 1870 he removed to Sedgwick County, Kansas, near Wichita, and in
the following year was again elected to the Legislature. In 1879 he
became interested in a movement for the occupation and settlement of a
district in the Indian Territory which is known as Oklahoma (beautiful
land). In 1880 he organized a colony for the purpose of entering upon
and settling these lands, but was stopped by a decision of Carl Schurz,
then Secretary of the Interior, to the effect that these lands were
open to settlement only to negroes or Indians. Owing to the arrest of
Captain Payne by the United States authorities the colony disbanded.
However historians may differ as to the wisdom or legality of Captain
Payne’s so-called Oklahoma invasion and the court’s decisions upon
the subject, the fact remains that his name is held high in honor
and esteem by the older citizens of the now flourishing Oklahoma--a
monument to his forethought.
NATHAN SALSBURY.
Now to one who if not a “pard” of the plains is a partner in the Wild
West.
[Illustration:
Yours Truly
Nate Salsbury
]
Mr. Nate Salsbury, the partner of Buffalo Bill in his business
enterprise of the Wild West, and his devoted friend, was born in
Freeport, Ill., his parents being in humble circumstances. Nate
Salsbury began to work for a living at an early age, his ambition being
to win fame and fortune by becoming a self-made man. As there was
little to bind his affections to the home of his nativity, when the
war broke out, with all the patriotism of an American stirring in his
bosom, he enlisted as a private in the Fifteenth Illinois Regiment,
though but a boy in years. His career as a boy soldier won for him
praise and promotion, and he was wounded in battle on three different
occasions.
Made a prisoner by the Confederates, he was incarcerated in
Andersonville prison, where he remained for seven months.
Being at length exchanged, he returned to his home and began the
study of law. A few months of office work and attendance at school,
as well, impressed him with the idea that the legal profession would
still have a fairly large membership, even though his name was not
added to the list. Abandoning his intention of becoming a lawyer,
and while attending school he was selected for a part in an amateur
theatrical performance. From the time that he made his first bow to an
audience before the footlights as an amateur, he was seized with the
irresistible desire to become an actor. With Nate Salsbury to decide
was to act, and going to Grand Rapids, Mich., with only a few dollars
in his pocket, he received a position which, though humble, gave him a
start in professional life. After a short season there he went East and
secured a position in the Boston Museum Company, where his histrionic
talent was quickly recognized by the management. His success at this
theater soon attracted to him the attention of managers of other
cities, and he accepted the position of leading man at Hooley’s Theater
in Chicago. His progress was thenceforth rapid. His popularity grew
apace and his salary was added to with every engagement. There was too
much originality in Nate Salsbury to allow of his remaining a member of
a stock company, so he conceived and constructed a comedy entertainment
to which he gave the title of “The Troubadours.”
From the first production of “The Troubadours” the fame and fortune of
Nate Salsbury were assured. His play of “Patchwork” followed, then his
most successful comedy, “The Brook,” which added largely to his riches
and his name as an actor.
Mr. Salsbury went with his Troubadours in a trip around the world,
everywhere receiving deserved praise, and he was the first dramatic
manager who made this hazardous tour with his own company.
The tour took the Troubadours--after going all over the United States,
playing from Maine to Texas, the Carolinas to California--through
Australia, India, Scotland, England, Ireland, and Wales, wherever the
English tongue was spoken.
Meeting Buffalo Bill and learning from him his intention of giving
wild Western exhibitions, Mr. Salsbury became a partner in the Wild
West, and took the active management of that gigantic aggregation,
withdrawing from the stage to do so.
During the tour of Buffalo Bill abroad, at many dinners and assemblages
Mr. Nate Salsbury’s oratorical powers, mimic skill, ready wit,
recitative talent, and facility of expressing sentiment delighted all
who heard him, and invariably made an impression that will long keep
his memory green, while the reputation of Americans for oratory was
well sustained by the prairie-born boy soldier.
As a proof of Mr. Salsbury’s nerve under trying circumstances, he was
about to go upon the stage at Denver when he received a dispatch from
his partner, Buffalo Bill, which told him that the Wild West steamer on
the Mississippi had collided with another boat and sunk. Buffalo Bill
telegraphed, “The whole outfit at the bottom of the Mississippi River.
What do you advise?” Without an instant’s hesitation Nate Salsbury
wrote on a telegraph blank this answer, “Go to New Orleans, reorganize,
and open on your date,” and this Buffalo Bill did.
Some years ago Mr. Salsbury invested heavily in the cattle business
in Montana, and to-day owns one of the most valuable ranches in the
Northwest. It was during his visit to his ranch that he saw the
practicability of an exhibition such as the Wild West, and readily
joined Buffalo Bill in the enterprise. A man of brains, a strict
disciplinarian, a genial gentleman, with genius to originate and
ability to accomplish, generous and courageous, Nate Salsbury stands
to-day unrivaled as an executive of great amusement enterprises, and he
thoroughly deserves the fortune and fame that he has won.
INDIAN NAMES OF STATES.
Massachusetts, from the Indian language, signifying the “country about
the great hills.”
Connecticut was Mohegan, spelled originally “Quon-eh-ta-cut,”
signifying “a long river.”
Alabama comes from an Indian word signifying “the land of rest.”
Mississippi derived its name from that of the great river, which is in
the Natchez tongue “The Father of Waters.”
Arkansas is derived from the word Kansas, “smoky waters,” with the
French prefix of “ark,” a bow.
Tennessee is an Indian name, meaning “the river with a big bend.”
Kentucky is also an Indian name, “Kin-tuk-ae,” signifying “at the head
of the river.”
Ohio is the Shawnee name for “the beautiful river.”
Michigan’s name was derived from the lake, the Indian name for
fish-weir or trap, which the shape of the lake suggested.
Indiana’s name came from that of the Indians.
Illinois’ name is derived from the Indian word “Illini” (men) and the
French affix “ois,” making “tribe of men.”
Wisconsin’s name is said to be the Indian name for a wild, rushing
channel.
Missouri is also an Indian name for “muddy,” having reference to the
muddiness of the Missouri River.
Kansas is an Indian word for “smoky water.”
Iowa signifies, in the Indian language, “the drowsy ones,” and
Minnesota, “a cloudy water.”
[Illustration: READY FOR THE TRAIL.]