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

ARRIVAL OF THE WILD WEST IN SHEFFIELD.

PITCHING THE ENCAMPMENT.

The arrival of the Wild West in Sheffield was eagerly anticipated by some hundreds of people who assembled at the Wadsley Bridge Station, and in spite of the great delay experienced waited to see the last of the trucks unloaded and fairly on the road for Owlerton. The weather experienced in Manchester on Saturday delayed business to a great extent, the ground being almost knee-deep in mud, owing to the heavy rain, and rendering the labours of the workmen engaged in taking down the permanent stock laborious in the extreme. Seventy-two railway waggons were engaged to bring through the immense amount ol baggage which is carried from town to town by Buffalo Bill (Col. W. F. Cody), and these were brought through in three trains. These trains were due to arrive at two, three, and four o'clock; but the difficulty of removal proved so great, owing to the rainfall which fell during the whole of the last performance, and soaked everyone of the company, with the exception of the women, that the trains did not arrive until 3.40, 4.50, and 7.35 on Sunday morning. The arrangements for the conveyance of the baggage to and from the trains were conducted by Mr. Jefferson, of Messrs. Thompson, McKay, and Company, the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire agents, and every one of the men worked with praiseworthy determination to overcome the obstacles attendant on the transport. The first train brought the light waggons, the stock, including the cooking utensils, the cowboys, and the famous Deadwood Mail Coach. The second train contained the members of the company, the band, and the Indians, and the remainder of the travelling stock; the grand stand and fittings came on the third train. There were 488 people and 200 tons of baggage. It will give some idea of the care which is taken of the Indians—most stringent conditions as to which are contained in the contracts with the Indian Commissioners—that one hour after the arrival of the baggage on the first train on the ground, the cook-house was erected, and a breakfast of tea, coffee, and bacon and eggs served out, to which ample justice was done. As quickly as the baggage reached the ground it was placed in its position, and the work of unpacking and fixing up commenced the proceedings in the early dawn, being watched by crowds of interested spectators. The Indians set to work at once to rig up their tents, embellished by their own peculiar devices, and picturesque representations of their peculiar animal, the chiefs mingling with the ordinary tribesmen in the labour. The chiefs, Short Bull, who was the high priest of the Messiah in the late disturbances, and Kicking Bear, another of the hostages from the hostiles, worked fraternally with Yanckton Charlie and No-Neck, chiefs of the Friendlies, who were employed on General Miles' staff in the recent risings. In all the long Continental and English tour no experience is to be compared to this last removal, the difficulty in pitching the encampment being no less great than was its removal, for the weight of everything was so greatly increased by the rain. The last of the baggage did not reach the ground until nearly 10 o'clock on Sunday morning, and by noon all the Indian tents, with their numerous poles, were in position, the tents of the cowboys were in order, the ticket-offices and pay-boxes had been fixed, and operations were proceeding briskly with the raising of the canvas roof of the grand stand, a work which was conducted with admirable precision and dexterity. The arrival and placing of the impedimenta were under the direction of Mr. Langen, and Mr. Salsbury, Major Burke, Mr. Parkin, and others were on the ground to watch operations. All during the afternoon hundreds of people thronged to Owlerton to see the little that could be seen in the arrival now and again of officials connected with the show, for little else could be observed outside the hoardings. With remarkable foresight, however, hundreds of others invaded the cemetery at Wardsend, and the bridge was thickly packed during the whole period. Before the afternoon wore out the whole of the grand stand, covering, and seats, accommodating 15,000 people, had been securely fixed, giving the ground an altogether imposing appearance. At the low end of the ground are the pens of the "last of the buffaloes," some magnificent animals; further along is the famous Deadwood Mail Coach, looking very much the worse for wear, and at the lowest corner are three long horse tents, one containing the celebrated bucking horses, whose freaks considerably incommoded the transport from Wadsley Bridge Station to the ground. The arrangements for cooking are altogether excellent, and the dinner of soup, roast beef, and mutton, served out to all alike in the large dining tent was unstinted. Mr. G. C. Crager, a Sioux interpreter, who was formerly connected with one of the Indian agencies, and who during the late rising penetrated the hostile camp and learned the news of the surrender, in his capacity as a correspondent for the "New York World," publishing it in New York four hours before it was officially made known, accompanies the Wild West. He translated the compliments of Major Burke to Black Heart. This gentleman was a happy bridegroom who had given his hand and heart to a dusky maiden known as Calls-the-Name, to whom he was united in the holy bonds of matrimony at Manchester on Saturday morning, in the presence of the whole Wild West and a thronged church. Afterwards there was another ceremonial in the show ground, when Buffalo Bill gave the bridegroom a new outfit and presented the lady with a dowry. The interpreter's tent is a veritable museum of relics of Indian warfare. This morning a small detachment from the show will parade the streets, and the first performance will take place at three o'clock in the afternoon.