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

ROUGH RIDERS OF THE WORLD.

Horsemen of Many Nations to Show Their Skill at Buffalo Bill's Show.

The announcement that Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World will begin its long Summer season at Thirty-ninth Street, South Brooklyn, next Saturday, May 12, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, will be welcome news to lovers of outdoor amusements, whose expectations have been aroused by the reports of the magnitude of this always popular entertainment.

Since Col. Cody and Nate Salsbury last gave their exhibition in this vicinity, some six years ago, they have traveled through all the large cities of Europe, and by their experience with the representative horsemen of the world they have added greatly to the interesting character and attractiveness of their exhibition, picked riders from all nations of the world being employed to show features of their daily or military life. One of the particular features of this entertainment as at present organized is a grand musical military ride and drill, participated in by over 100 picked representatives of the four great cavalry armies of the world, including representatives from Gen. Custer's old regiment, the Seventh United States Cavalry, from Fort Riley; the Fifth Royal Irish Lancers, Emperor William's Imperial Garde of Germany, and the First Garde French Dragoons. These men were all selected for their proficiency in horsemanship and military evolutions, and the contrast that naturally arises from their appearance in the arena at the same time, giving exhibitions of the various manoeuvers of the armies of their particular countries, is not only an interesting feature, but a most instructive one.

In addition to this feature is the introduction of the horsemanship of the Cossacks of the Caucasus, who are known throughout the world as the "life of the Czar," and their daring skill as riders is the wonder of the Old World. Other new features will be the presence in the arena of Riffian Arabs from Morocco, several of whom have lately been engaged in desperate conflicts with the Spanish at Melilla, and also South American Gauchos, a mixture of cowboy and soldier from the Argentine Republic, all of whom are expert horsemen and throwers of the lasso and bolas, and are the first of their kind ever seen north of the equator. With these will naturally be all of the old familiar and popular features of the Wild West, the Indian warriors, the American cowboys, the Mexican vaquero, all magnificent horsemen, lassoers, and shooters, who will perform the most interesting feats of their peculiar life and represent the main peculiarities of life and warfare on the western frontier.

Col. Cody will himself take part in every entertainment, and the enormous inclosure, with its magnificent grand stand, seating 22,000 persons, at Ambrose Park, South Brooklyn, will, no doubt, on and after next Saturday, become the Mecca to which the eyes and feet of all amusement seekers will be turned. Two performances will be given every day in all kinds of weather at 3 and 8:15 o'clock P.M. The grand stand, in addition to being capacious, is thoroughly protected from the elements, and every seat is under cover.