Title: Letter from William F. Cody to George T. Beck

Date: July 5, 1896

Author: Cody, William Frederick, 1846-1917

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[drawing] F. E. Van Devort,
E. H. Bunstine.
Hotel Beckel,
Under New Management.
Dayton, Ohio.

July 5th 1896 [1]

My Dear George

The contracts for Sweeney. [2] Berch. [2] Snyder. [3] Baker [3] & Polhamus [4] arrived and it will be attended to morrow Monday. would be done to day but its Sunday. You say to Send the $640 to Alger. I may not be doing right. And if so correct me— These parties want E. R. Goodman to act as their agent. And Goodman expects to get the commission. But I dont think the agent should take out but half his commisssion on the first payment So that the company should get something out of it. Now if its not right for Goodman to have the commission. You explain   the reason to him. And dont give it to him. But if its right that he should have it give him half of the first payment and he can take half of second payment. You see those parties are going to have Goodman build houses for them & look after it. they are now corresponding with him. As Goodman is to be their agent I dont see why he cant have the commission. But if its not right. let it go I dont want to do a thing that is not agreeable to every one of our co—

Yours—

W. F. Cody

PS. How I would like some photographs of things out there. Irma. [5] Shoshone [6] &c—

Col

Note 1: Buffalo Bill's Wild West performed in Dayton, Ohio, on July 6, 1896; no performance was held on Sunday, July 5th. The day's entry in the 1896 Route Diary: "Dayton, Ohio. / Sunday, July 5. Arrived in town at 3.30 A. M. Two-mile haul to lot. Everything was put up in the morning. J. T. McCaddon, Jule Keen, Fred and Charles Hutchinson, and Orator J. J. McCarthy went to Cincinnati and paid a visit to the Pawnee Bill Wild West Show. They were entertained by Pawnee Bill, May Lillie, and Chief of Cowboys Heck Quinn, who is an old Wild West man. Annie Oakley remained over in Piqua last evening and joined us again to-day. James P. Anderson was seen sitting in the marque to-day for several hours figuring faithfully: he left the ground covered with paper and one piece was picked up containing the following figures: 4 days 96 hours, 5,760 minutes, 345,600 seconds. It was passed around the camp all day and no one solved the problem until it came to Mrs. George Fursman, of the Annex; to her, she said, it was as plain as day, and that Mr. Anderson was going home to Columbus, Ohio, next Friday, to see his wife. She was correct, for he left on Friday for Columbus. Heavy rain at 2 P. M., which lasted until 4 P. M. Orders were issued to-day that no employee would be allowed to ride on wagons either to or from lots." [back]

Note 2: "Sweeney" is William Sweeney (1856-1917), a cornet player who organized and directed the Cowboy Band in Buffalo Bill's Wild West and was with the band from 1883 to 1913; "Berch" is George Burch who was Chief of Cowboys for Buffalo Bill's Wild West during 1896 and later. Cody sent his own money and directed Horace Alger to pay the water rights and state fees for both Sweeney and Burch for Big Horn Basin land parcels. [back]

Note 3: "Snyder" is William "Okie" Snyder (b.1856), one of Cody's men and a cowboy in Buffalo Bill's Wild West during 1896. Snyder and Johnny Baker were the next two people for whom Cody paid water rights and state fees for land parcels in the Big Horn Basin. [back]

Note 4: "Polhamus" is not identified but may have been next in line to receive a land parcel courtesy of Cody. [back]

Note 5: "Irma" may refer to Irma Flats, an acreage in the South Fork Valley outside Cody, Wyoming, that was named after Cody's daughter, Irma. [back]

Note 6: "Shoshone" likely refers to the Shoshone River or the area lying along the river. [back]

Title: Letter from William F. Cody to George T. Beck

Source: University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center, Buffalo Bill Letters to George T. Beck (Acc. #9972), ah031360-61

Date: July 5, 1896

Author: Cody, William Frederick, 1846-1917

Topic: Buffalo Bill's Wyoming

People: Beck, George Washington Thornton, 1856-1943 Sweeney, William, 1856-1917 Snyder, W. O. "Okie" Baker, Lewis H., 1869-1931 Burch, George Goodman, Edward Robert, 1868-1949 Alger, Horace Chapin, 1857-1906 Polhamus, M. F.

Place: Shoshone Irrigation District (Wyo.)

Sponsor: Supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.

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