AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT SPEECH
[1898]. Manuscript. Original AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT of a speech given by Buffalo Bill on 31 August 1898 in Omaha during the Trans-Mississippi Exposition on Cody Day, a day of tribute to the man and his Wild West show, about two miles from where its first performances were held in 1883. A total of five pages on four sheets of 6" x 9-1/2" stationary from the Henrietta Hotel in Chillicothe, Missouri, the final page written on both sides, all in Cody's hand, unsigned. The entire speech, with some variations from this manuscript, was first printed in the 1899 book LAST OF THE GREAT SCOUTS THE LIFE STORY OF COL. WILLIAM F. CODY ("BUFFALO BILL") AS TOLD BY HIS SISTER HELEN CODY WETMORE, and later Henry Sell and Victor Weybright reprinted part of this speech on page 212 of their 1955 BUFFALO BILL AND THE WILD WEST. Cody was introduced to the crowd by Senator John Thurston of Nebraska: "Colonel Cody, this is your day. This is your exposition. This is your city. And we all rejoice that Nebraska is your state. You have carried the fame of our country and of our state all over the civilized world; you have been received and honored by princes, by emperors, and by kings; the titled women in the courts of the nations of the world have been captivated by your charm of manner and your splendid manhood." As an example of the many differences between the manuscript and the printed version, the manuscript reads: "We men who are called old timers cannot forget the trials, the conflicts with natural enemies that we had to encounter in blazing the road for a march of civilization and national prosperity." Printed version: "we who are called old-timers cannot forget the trials and tribulations we had to encounter while paving the path for civilization." Some excerpts: "How little I dreamed in the long ago that the lonely path of the Scout and Pony Express rider would lead my footsteps to the place you have assigned me today.... The whistle of the locomotive has hushed the howl of the coyote, and the barbed wire fence has narrowed the range of the Cow Puncher." Cody concludes, "I will call upon the Wild West and Congress of the rough riders of the world to join their appreciation of the honor you have conferred on the Wild West today." At that point, his Wild West Show began. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody (1846-1917) made his mark in many ways. At the age of 15 he became a rider for the Pony Express. He fought with the Union in the Civil War and later as a civilian scout for the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars, for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. Cody received his nickname, "Buffalo Bill," as a result of his slaughter of thousands of the animals. An exceptional and unique piece of Western American history. Occasional light stain, minor wrinkling. Near Fine. Item #013012
Price: $60,000.00