The William F. Cody Archive: Documenting the life and times of Buffalo Bill

"BUFFALO BILL."

A DANGEROUS GAME.

An inquest was held at Paddington Tuesday morning on the body of a boy named Grant, aged eighteen, who met his death while playing with other boys a game known as "Buffalo Bill." Detective-Inspector Bryan, of the F Division, seated that he had made inquiries, and found that the deceased was playing at a new game that had started since the opening at Kensington of the Wild West show. It was known as Buffalo Bill. The boy who was the "buffalo" had to allow all the other boys to butt him in the stomach, after which all of them ran away and the buffalo gave chase, and the boy whom he caught had to be "buffalo" next. The witness had been unable to find the boys whom the deceased was playing with. One of the house surgeons of St. Mary's Hospital stated that he found that death was due to collapse following peritonitis, caused by severe injury to the abdomen. The coroner said that the game was a dangerous one, and it would be well for boys not to indulge in it. The jury returned a verdict of Accidental death.