You know you are from WC...If you take pride in knowing that -- Buffalo Bill Slept here... We know Washington wintered at nearby Valley Forge, another famous American once wintered on Washington Street in WC - William F. Cody, known better to history as “Buffalo Bill Cody” of Wild West Show fame had relatives in WC. His uncle was a Civil War veteran named Colonel Henry R. Guss who had commanded the 97th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment. Guss was once the owner of the Green Tree Inn, at the northeast corner of Gay and High Streets. During his visit Cody did not stay at his uncles Inn, nor did he stay that year (about 1873) at his uncle’s house on Church Street. William F. Cody instead rented a house, the left half of a twin, at 125 East Washington Street, and Buffalo Bill Cody wintered in West Chester. Cody writes about finding his family “in the east” in chapter nine of his autobiography. The story he tells is about a side trip he makes while visiting New York City for the first time. In chapter 9 of his book, Buffalo Bill’s Life Story, An Autobiography, William Fredrick Cody wrote as follows: …During my visit to New York, I was taken by Mr. James Gordon Bennett to Niblo’s Garden, where I saw “The Black Crook” we witnessed the performance from a private box and my breath was fairly taken away when the curtain went up on the fifth act. Needless to say, that was the first time I had ever witnessed a musical show, and I thought it the most wonderful spectacle I had ever gazed upon. The remainder of my visit in New York was spent in a series of dinners and theater parties. I was entertained in the house of each gentleman who had been with me on the hunt. [Referring to a story told in chapter 8] I had the time of my life. After I had had about all the high life I could stand for the time being I set out for Westchester, Pa., to find the only relative I knew in the east. My mother was born in Germantown. Her sister had married one Henry R. Guss, of Westchester. [sic] I found on reaching Westchester that my relative was one of its most important citizens, having the Civil War title of general. I found his home with no trouble, and he was very delighted to see me. An old lady, who was a member of his house-hold, he introduced to me as my grandmother. His first wife, my Aunt Eliza, was dead, and he had married a second time. He also introduced me to his son, Captain George Guss, who had been in the army with him during the Civil War… [William F. Cody (1846-1917) had served during the Civil War too, his ability to ride over difficult terrain caught the attention of General William Tecumseh Sherman, who selected Bill to be a scout and dispatch bearer in Kansas] …It was not until we had talked of old family connections for an hour or more that they discovered that I was Buffalo Bill; then they simply flooded me with questions. To make sure that I would return for a second visit, the young people of the family accompanied me back to New York. I was due for a dinner that evening, so I gave them a card to Mr. Palmer, of Niblo’s Garden, and they all went to see “The Black Crook”. When I reached the club I was given a telegram from General Sheridan telling me to hasten to Chicago. He wanted me to hurry on to Fort McPherson and guide the Third Cavalry, under General Reynolds, on a military expedition. The Indians had been committing serious devastations and it was necessary to suppress them summarily. At the dinner, which was given by Mr. Bennett, I told my New York friends that I would have to leave for the west the next day. When the party broke up I went directly to the Albemarle Hotel and told my cousins that we would have to start early the next morning for Westchester, there I would remain twenty-four hours. When we reached Westchester, my uncle informed me that they had arranged a fox hunt for the next morning, and that all the people in the town and vicinity would be present. They wanted to see a real scout and plainsman in the saddle. Early next morning many ladies and gentlemen, splendidly mounted, appeared in front of my uncle’s residence. At that time Westchester possessed the best pack of fox hounds in America. Captain Trainer, master of the hounds, provided me with a spirited horse which had on a little sheepskin saddle of a kind on which I had never ridden. I was familiar neither with the horse, the saddle, the hounds, nor fox-hunting, and was extremely nervous. I would have backed out if I could, but I couldn’t, so I mounted the horse and we all started on the chase. We galloped easily along for perhaps a mile, and I was beginning to think fox-hunting a very tame sport indeed when suddenly the hounds started off on a trail, all barking at once. The master of the hounds and several of the other riders struck off across country on the trail, taking fences and stone walls at full gallop. I noticed that my uncle and several elderly gentlemen stuck to the road and kept at a more moderate gait. The eyes of the spectators were all on me. I dont know what they expected me to do, but at any rate they were disappointed. To their manifest disgust I stayed with the people on the road. Shortly we came to a tavern and I went in and nerved myself with a stiff drink, also I had a bottle filled with liquid courage, which I took along with me. Just by way of making a second fiasco impossible I took three more drinks while I was in the bar, then I galloped away and soon overtook the hunters. The first trail of the hounds had proved false. Two miles further on they struck a true trail and away the hounds went at full cry. I had now got used to the saddle and the gait of my horse. I also had prepared myself in the tavern for any course of action that might offer. The M. F. H. began taking stone walls and hedges and I took every one that he did. Across the country we went and nothing stopped or daunted me until the quarry was brought to earth. I was in at the death and was given the honor of keeping the brush. At two o’clock that afternoon I took my departure for the west. Mr. Frank Thompson, of the Pennsylvania Railroad, who had ridden my famous buffalo horse, Buckskin Joe, on the great hunt, sent me to Chicago in his own private car…
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 21:55:13 +0000
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