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GENEALOGY OF BUFFALO BILL.
GENEALOGY OF BUFFALO BILL.
The following genealogical sketch was compiled in 1897. The crest is copied from John Rooney's "Genealogical History of Irish Families." It is not generally known that genuine royal blood courses in Colonel Cody's veins. He is a lineal descendant of Milesius, king of Spain, that famous monarch whose three sons, Heber, Heremon, and Ir, founded the first dynasty in Ireland, about the beginning of the Christian era. The Cody family comes through the line of Heremon. The original name was Tireach, w
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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
In presenting this volume to the public the writer has a twofold purpose. For a number of years there has been an increasing demand for an authentic biography of "Buffalo Bill," and in response, many books of varying value have been submitted; yet no one of them has borne the hall-mark of veracious history. Naturally, there were incidents in Colonel Cody's life—more especially in the earlier years—that could be given only by those with whom he had grown up from childhood. For many incidents of h
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CHAPTER I. — THE OLD HOMESTEAD IN IOWA.
CHAPTER I. — THE OLD HOMESTEAD IN IOWA.
A PLEASANT, roomy farm-house, set in the sunlight against a background of cool, green wood and mottled meadow—this is the picture that my earliest memories frame for me. To this home my parents, Isaac and Mary Cody, had moved soon after their marriage. The place was known as the Scott farm, and was situated in Scott County, Iowa, near the historic little town of Le Clair, where, but a few years before, a village of the Fox Indians had been located; where Black Hawk and his thousand warriors had
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CHAPTER II. — WILL'S FIRST INDIAN.
CHAPTER II. — WILL'S FIRST INDIAN.
MY uncle's home was in Weston, Platte County, Missouri, at that time the large city of the West. As father desired to get settled again as soon as possible, he left us at Weston, and crossed the Missouri River on a prospecting tour, accompanied by Will and a guide. More than one day went by in the quest for a desirable location, and one morning Will, wearied in the reconnoissance, was left asleep at the night's camping-place, while father and the guide rode away for the day's exploring. When Wil
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CHAPTER III. — THE SHADOW OF PARTISAN STRIFE.
CHAPTER III. — THE SHADOW OF PARTISAN STRIFE.
OWING to the conditions, already spoken of, under which Kansas was settled, all classes were represented in its population. Honest, thrifty farmers and well-to-do traders leavened a lump of shiftless ne'er-do-wells, lawless adventurers, and vagabonds of all sorts and conditions. If father at times questioned the wisdom of coming to this new and untried land, he kept his own counsel, and set a brave face against the future. He had been prominent in political circles in Iowa, and had filled positi
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CHAPTER IV. — PERSECUTION CONTINUES.
CHAPTER IV. — PERSECUTION CONTINUES.
MOTHER'S fears were well grounded. A few days after father had returned home, a man named Sharpe, who disgraced the small office of justice of the peace, rode up to our house, very much the worse for liquor, and informed mother that his errand was to "search the house for that abolition husband of yours." The intoxicated ruffian then demanded something to eat. While mother, with a show of hospitality, was preparing supper for him, the amiable Mr. Sharpe killed time in sharpening his bowie-knife
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CHAPTER V. — THE "BOY EXTRA."
CHAPTER V. — THE "BOY EXTRA."
AT this sorrowful period mother was herself almost at death's door with consumption, but far from sinking under the blow, she faced the new conditions with a steadfast calm, realizing that should she, too, be taken, her children would be left without a protector, and at the mercy of the enemies whose malignity had brought their father to an untimely end. Her indomitable will opposed her bodily weakness. "I will not die," she told herself, "until the welfare of my children is assured." She was ne
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CHAPTER VI. — FAMILY DEFENDER AND HOUSEHOLD TEASE.
CHAPTER VI. — FAMILY DEFENDER AND HOUSEHOLD TEASE.
THE fame to which Byron woke one historic morning was no more unexpected to him than that which now greeted Will. The trainmen had not been over-modest in their accounts of his pluck; and when a newspaper reporter lent the magic of his imagination to the plain narrative, it became quite a story, headed in display type, "The Boy Indian Slayer." But Will was speedily concerned with other than his own affairs, for as soon as his position with the freighters was assured, mother engaged a lawyer to f
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CHAPTER VII. — INDIAN ENCOUNTER AND SCHOOL-DAY INCIDENTS.
CHAPTER VII. — INDIAN ENCOUNTER AND SCHOOL-DAY INCIDENTS.
WILL was not long at home. The Mormons, who were settled in Utah, rebelled when the government, objecting to the quality of justice meted out by Brigham Young, sent a federal judge to the territory. Troops, under the command of General Albert Sidney Johnston, were dispatched to quell the insurrection, and Russell, Majors & Waddell contracted to transport stores and beef cattle to the army massing against the Mormons in the fall of 1857. The train was a large one, better prepared against
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CHAPTER VIII. — DEATH AND BURIAL OF TURK.
CHAPTER VIII. — DEATH AND BURIAL OF TURK.
THIS trip of Will's covered only two months, and was succeeded by another expedition, to the new post at Fort Wallace, at Cheyenne Pass. Meanwhile mother had decided to improve the opportunity afforded by her geographical position, and under her supervision "The Valley Grove House" was going up. The hotel commanded a magnificent prospect. Below lay the beautiful Salt Creek Valley. It derived its name from the saline properties of the little stream that rushed along its pebbly bed to empty its cl
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CHAPTER IX. — WILL AS PONY EXPRESS RIDER.
CHAPTER IX. — WILL AS PONY EXPRESS RIDER.
AFTER being pounded against a saddle three dashes daily for three months, to the tune of fifteen miles an hour, Will began to feel a little loose in his joints, and weary withal, but he was determined to "stick it out." Besides the daily pounding, the track of the Pony Express rider was strewn with perils. A wayfarer through that wild land was more likely to run across outlaws and Indians than to pass unmolested, and as it was known that packages of value were frequently dispatched by the Pony E
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CHAPTER X. — ECHOES FROM SUMTER.
CHAPTER X. — ECHOES FROM SUMTER.
THE guns that opened on Fort Sumter set the country all ablaze. In Kansas, where blood had already been shed, the excitement reached an extraordinary pitch. Will desired to enlist, but mother would not listen to the idea. My brother had never forgotten the vow made in the post-trader's, and now with the coming of war his opportunity seemed ripe and lawful; he could at least take up arms against father's old-time enemies, and at the same time serve his country. This aspect of the case was present
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CHAPTER XI. — A SHORT BUT DASHING INDIAN CAMPAIGN.
CHAPTER XI. — A SHORT BUT DASHING INDIAN CAMPAIGN.
AS Will was one of the laid-off riders, he was allowed to join the expedition against the Indian depredators, though he was the youngest member of the company. The campaign was short and sharp. The Indian trail was followed to Powder River, and thence along the banks of the stream the party traveled to within forty miles of the spot where old Fort Reno now stands; from here the trail ran westerly, at the foot of the mountains, and was crossed by Crazy Woman's Fork, a tributary of the Powder. Ori
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CHAPTER XII. — THE MOTHER'S LAST ILLNESS.
CHAPTER XII. — THE MOTHER'S LAST ILLNESS.
IT was now the autumn of 1863, and Will was a well-grown young man, tall, strong, and athletic, though not yet quite eighteen years old. Our oldest sister, Julia, had been married, the spring preceding, to Mr. J. A. Goodman. Mother had been growing weaker from day to day; being with her constantly, we had not remarked the change for the worse; but Will was much shocked by the transformation which a few months had wrought. Only an indomitable will power had enabled her to overcome the infirmities
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CHAPTER XIII. — IN THE SECRET-SERVICE.
CHAPTER XIII. — IN THE SECRET-SERVICE.
IN common walks of life to play the spy is an ignoble role; yet the work has to be done, and there must be men to do it. There always are such men—nervy fellows who swing themselves into the saddle when their commander lifts his hand, and ride a mad race, with Death at the horse's flank every mile of the way. They are the unknown heroes of every war. It was with a full realization of the dangers confronting him that Will cantered away from the Union lines, his borrowed uniform under his arm. As
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CHAPTER XV. — WILL AS A BENEDICT.
CHAPTER XV. — WILL AS A BENEDICT.
WHEN Will reached home, he found another letter from Miss Frederici, who, agreeably to his request, had fixed the wedding-day, March 6, 1866. The wedding ceremony was quietly performed at the home of the bride, and the large number of friends that witnessed it united in declaring that no handsomer couple ever bowed for Hymen's benediction. The bridal journey was a trip to Leavenworth on a Missouri steamer. At that time there was much travel by these boats, and their equipment was first-class. Th
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CHAPTER XVI. — HOW THE SOBRIQUET OF "BUFFALO BILL" WAS WON.
CHAPTER XVI. — HOW THE SOBRIQUET OF "BUFFALO BILL" WAS WON.
IN frontier days a man had but to ask for work to get it. There was enough and to spare for every one. The work that paid best was the kind that suited Will, it mattered not how hard or dangerous it might be. At the time Rome fell, the work on the Kansas Pacific Railroad was pushing forward at a rapid rate, and the junior member of the once prosperous firm of Rose & Cody saw a new field of activity open for him—that of buffalo-hunting. Twelve hundred men were employed on the railroad con
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CHAPTER XVII. — SATANTA, CHIEF OF THE KIOWAS.
CHAPTER XVII. — SATANTA, CHIEF OF THE KIOWAS.
WITHIN plain view of Fort Larned lay a large camp of Kiowas and Comanches. They were not yet bedaubed with war paint, but they were as restless as panthers in a cage, and it was only a matter of days when they would whoop and howl with the loudest. The principal chief of the Kiowas was Satanta, a powerful and resourceful warrior, who, because of remarkable talents for speech-making, was called "The Orator of the Plains." Satanta was short and bullet-headed. Hatred for the whites swelled every sq
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CHAPTER XVIII. — WILL MADE CHIEF OF SCOUTS.
CHAPTER XVIII. — WILL MADE CHIEF OF SCOUTS.
IN due time the Fifth Cavalry reached Fort McPherson, which became its headquarters while they were fitting out a new expedition to go into the Republican River country. At this time General Carr recommended to General Augur, who was in command of the Department, that Will be made chief of scouts in the Department of the Platte. Will's fancy had been so taken by the scenery along the line of march that he proceeded to explore the country around McPherson, the result being a determination to make
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CHAPTER XIX. — ARMY LIFE AT FORT M'PHERSON.
CHAPTER XIX. — ARMY LIFE AT FORT M'PHERSON.
IN the spring of 1870 Will proceeded to put into effect the determination of the previous year—to establish a home in the lovely country of the westerly Platte. After preparing quarters wherein his family might be comfortable, he obtained a leave of absence and departed for St. Louis to fetch his wife and daughter Arta, now a beautiful child of three. The fame of "Buffalo Bill" had extended far beyond the plains, and during his month's sojourn in St. Louis he was the object of a great deal of at
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CHAPTER XX. — PA-HAS-KA, THE LONG-HAIRED CHIEF.
CHAPTER XX. — PA-HAS-KA, THE LONG-HAIRED CHIEF.
ALTHOUGH the glory of killing the buffalo on our hunt was accredited to sister May, to me the episode proved of much more moment. In the spring of 1871 I was married to Mr. Jester, the bachelor ranchman at whose place we had tarried on our hurried return to the fort. His house had a rough exterior, but was substantial and commodious, and before I entered it, a bride, it was refitted in a style almost luxurious. I returned to Leavenworth to prepare for the wedding, which took place at the home of
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CHAPTER XXI. — THE HUNT OF THE GRAND DUKE ALEXIS.
CHAPTER XXI. — THE HUNT OF THE GRAND DUKE ALEXIS.
A SPECIAL train brought the Grand Duke Alexis and party to North Platte on January 12, 1872. Will was presented to the illustrious visitor by General Sheridan, and was much interested in him. He was also pleased to note that General Custer made one of the party. Will had made all the arrangements, and had everything complete when the train pulled in. As soon as the Grand Duke and party had breakfasted, they filed out to get their horses or to find seats in the ambulances. All who were mounted we
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CHAPTER XXII. — THEATRICAL EXPERIENCES.
CHAPTER XXII. — THEATRICAL EXPERIENCES.
THE Fifth Cavalry at Fort McPherson had been ordered to Arizona, and was replaced by the Third Cavalry under command of General Reynolds. Upon Will's return to McPherson he was at once obliged to take the field to look for Indians that had raided the station during his absence and carried off a considerable number of horses. Captain Meinhold and Lieutenant Lawson commanded the company dispatched to recover the stolen property. Will acted as guide, and had as an assistant T. B. Omohundro, better
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CHAPTER XXIII. — THE GOVERNMENT'S INDIAN POLICY.
CHAPTER XXIII. — THE GOVERNMENT'S INDIAN POLICY.
VERY glad was the sad-hearted father that the theatrical season was so nearly over. The mummeries of stage life were more distasteful to him than ever when he returned to his company with his crushing grief fresh upon him. He played nightly to crowded houses, but it was plain that his heart was not in his work. A letter from Colonel Mills, informing him that his services were needed in the army, came as a welcome relief. He canceled his few remaining dates, and disbanded his company with a subst
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CHAPTER XXIV. — LITERARY WORK.
CHAPTER XXIV. — LITERARY WORK.
IT was during this period of his life that my brother's first literary venture was made. As the reader has seen, his school-days were few in number, and as he told Mr. Majors, in signing his first contract with him, he could use a rifle better than a pen. A life of constant action on the frontier does not leave a man much time for acquiring an education; so it is no great wonder that the first sketch Will wrote for publication was destitute of punctuation and short of capitals in many places. Hi
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CHAPTER XXV. — FIRST VISIT TO THE VALLEY OF THE BIG HORN.
CHAPTER XXV. — FIRST VISIT TO THE VALLEY OF THE BIG HORN.
MY brother was again bereaved in 1880 by the death of his little daughter Orra. At her own request, Orra's body was interred in Rochester, in beautiful Mount Hope Cemetery, by the side of little Kit Carson. But joy follows upon sadness, and the summer before Will spent his last season on the stage was a memorable one for him. It marked the birth of another daughter, who was christened Irma. This daughter is the very apple of her father's eye; to her he gives the affection that is her due, and ro
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CHAPTER XXVI. — TOUR OF GREAT BRITAIN.
CHAPTER XXVI. — TOUR OF GREAT BRITAIN.
IT was not until the spring of 1883 that Will was able to put into execution his long-cherished plan—to present to the public an exhibition which should delineate in throbbing and realistic color, not only the wild life of America, but the actual history of the West, as it was lived for, fought for, died for, by Indians, pioneers, and soldiers. The wigwam village; the Indian war-dance; the chant to the Great Spirit as it was sung over the plains; the rise and fall of the famous tribes; the "Forw
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CHAPTER XXVII. — RETURN OF THE "WILD WEST" TO AMERICA.
CHAPTER XXVII. — RETURN OF THE "WILD WEST" TO AMERICA.
WHEN the "Wild West" returned to America from its first venture across seas, the sail up the harbor was described by the New York World in the following words: Will had been cordially welcomed by our English cousins, and had been the recipient of many social favors, but no amount of foreign flattery could change him one hair from an "American of the Americans," and he experienced a thrill of delight as he again stepped foot upon his native land. Shortly afterward he was much pleased by a letter
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CHAPTER XXVIII. — A TRIBUTE TO GENERAL MILES.
CHAPTER XXVIII. — A TRIBUTE TO GENERAL MILES.
IN view of the success achieved by my brother, it is remarkable that he excited so little envy. Now for the first time in his life he felt the breath of slander on his cheek, and it flushed hotly. From an idle remark that the Indians in the "Wild West" exhibition were not properly treated, the idle gossip grew to the proportion of malicious and insistent slander. The Indians being government wards, such a charge might easily become a serious matter; for, like the man who beat his wife, the gover
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CHAPTER XXIX. — THE "WILD WEST" AT THE WORLD'S FAIR.
CHAPTER XXIX. — THE "WILD WEST" AT THE WORLD'S FAIR.
EUROPEAN army officers of all nationalities regarded my brother with admiring interest. To German, French, Italian, or British eyes he was a commanding personality, and also the representative of a peculiar and interesting phase of New World life. Recalling their interest in his scenes from his native land, so unlike anything to be found in Europe to-day, Will invited a number of these officers to accompany him on an extended hunting-trip through Western America. All that could possibly do so ac
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CHAPTER XXX. — CODY DAY AT THE OMAHA EXPOSITION.
CHAPTER XXX. — CODY DAY AT THE OMAHA EXPOSITION.
SINCE 1893 the "Wild West" exhibitions have been restricted to the various cities of our own land. Life in "Buffalo Bill's Tented City," as it is called, is like life in a small village. There are some six hundred persons in the various departments. Many of the men have their families with them; the Indians have their squaws and papooses, and the variety of nationalities, dialects, and costumes makes the miniature city an interesting and entertaining one. The Indians may be seen eating bundles o
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CHAPTER XXXI. — THE LAST OF THE GREAT SCOUTS.
CHAPTER XXXI. — THE LAST OF THE GREAT SCOUTS.
THE story of frontier days is a tale that is told. The "Wild West" has vanished like mist in the sun before the touch of the two great magicians of the nineteenth century—steam and electricity. The route of the old historic Santa Fe trail is nearly followed by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was completed in 1880. The silence of the prairie was once broken by the wild war-whoop of the Indian as he struggled to maintain his supremacy over some adjoining tribe; the muffled roar c
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