for the Chicago World's Fair. In 1893, Florenz Ziegfeld entered show business. In 1895, Nate Salsbury staged Black America , the epitome of the black minstrel show, on Staten Island, and David Belasco's Heart of Maryland , a Civil War melodrama, opened. The following year, William Gillette starred in the Civil War melodrama Secret Service . By then, New York City alone had seven vaudeville theaters; to one, Ziegfeld brought the steamy European singer Anna Held. Then, in 1898, the first musical written, produced, and performed by African Americans, and a black revue written by Will Marion Cook, opened on Broadway.
At the same time, events of the 1890s made many Americans desperate for an avenue of escape, however temporary, from their many problems. Beginning with one of the worst depressions in history in 1893, Americans suffered through widespread labor strikes and violent repression in 1894, the Spanish-American War in 1898, and the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901.
During the Wild West's 1901 season, Cody depended on Oakley, now a well-established old-timer, to draw crowds. He issued a
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splendid poster featuring "The Peerless Wing and Rifle Shot" wearing some of her medals, surrounded by vignettes of her Ohio loving cup and such moments in her personal history as her shooting from a bicycle and hunting with her dogs. Unfortunately, accidents bedeviled the company all season. One Bear's tepee burned down, an artilleryman lost his right hand when a cannon discharged prematurely, the wagon carrying the electric-light plant crashed after its brakes failed, and one section of the show train ran into another in a heavy fog. Even dexterous Annie slipped in the arena during one of her performances.
Then, on October 28, 1901, after the troupe had boarded its three-unit train in Charlotte, North Carolina, to head for their last performance of the season in Virginia, came the final accident. The engineer of a southbound freight moved to a siding as the first unit of the Wild West passed and then, assuming it was a one-unit train, returned to the main track. At 3:20 A.M. , he and his crew saw the lights of the second unit approaching. Both crews jumped to safety.
Annie and Frank slept in that second section in their private compartment. The crash threw Annie out of her bed and slammed her back against a trunk. At first, newspapers reported only slight injuries to her hand and back, but further examination showed damage to her spine. Doctors at St. Michael's Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, who performed five operations on Oakley's spine, said they had "never seen such fortitude displayed by any previous patient."
Soon after the accident, Frank Butler announced his and Annie's departure from the Wild West exposition. Although most biographers have assumed that they left because of the accident, Frank's letter of resignation, which is unfortunately undated but mounted with other items from 1901 in Oakley's scrapbook, suggests the existence of long-standing plans, perhaps even known to Cody before the accident. Its text omitted any mention of the accident. Instead, Frank wrote, "It is like giving up a big fortune to leave the dear old wild west, but a better position influences us and we must go." Butler planned to replace Jack Hollowell as northeastern representative for the Union Metallic Cartridge Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and give Annie a chance to try her hand at enterprises other than those in the arena.
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If Frank and Annie exaggerated her injuries from the train crash, as biographer Shirl Kasper has argued, they may have done so to ease their departure from the Wild West. Using her injuries as an unstated but widely understood excuse for resigning would suggest that Annie left the Wild West out of necessity rather than a desire to desert a troubled ship. The couple also attributed Annie's startling white hair to the accident, but other possible explanations exist as well. Annie's
At the same time, events of the 1890s made many Americans desperate for an avenue of escape, however temporary, from their many problems. Beginning with one of the worst depressions in history in 1893, Americans suffered through widespread labor strikes and violent repression in 1894, the Spanish-American War in 1898, and the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901.
During the Wild West's 1901 season, Cody depended on Oakley, now a well-established old-timer, to draw crowds. He issued a
Page 60
splendid poster featuring "The Peerless Wing and Rifle Shot" wearing some of her medals, surrounded by vignettes of her Ohio loving cup and such moments in her personal history as her shooting from a bicycle and hunting with her dogs. Unfortunately, accidents bedeviled the company all season. One Bear's tepee burned down, an artilleryman lost his right hand when a cannon discharged prematurely, the wagon carrying the electric-light plant crashed after its brakes failed, and one section of the show train ran into another in a heavy fog. Even dexterous Annie slipped in the arena during one of her performances.
Then, on October 28, 1901, after the troupe had boarded its three-unit train in Charlotte, North Carolina, to head for their last performance of the season in Virginia, came the final accident. The engineer of a southbound freight moved to a siding as the first unit of the Wild West passed and then, assuming it was a one-unit train, returned to the main track. At 3:20 A.M. , he and his crew saw the lights of the second unit approaching. Both crews jumped to safety.
Annie and Frank slept in that second section in their private compartment. The crash threw Annie out of her bed and slammed her back against a trunk. At first, newspapers reported only slight injuries to her hand and back, but further examination showed damage to her spine. Doctors at St. Michael's Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, who performed five operations on Oakley's spine, said they had "never seen such fortitude displayed by any previous patient."
Soon after the accident, Frank Butler announced his and Annie's departure from the Wild West exposition. Although most biographers have assumed that they left because of the accident, Frank's letter of resignation, which is unfortunately undated but mounted with other items from 1901 in Oakley's scrapbook, suggests the existence of long-standing plans, perhaps even known to Cody before the accident. Its text omitted any mention of the accident. Instead, Frank wrote, "It is like giving up a big fortune to leave the dear old wild west, but a better position influences us and we must go." Butler planned to replace Jack Hollowell as northeastern representative for the Union Metallic Cartridge Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and give Annie a chance to try her hand at enterprises other than those in the arena.
Page 61
If Frank and Annie exaggerated her injuries from the train crash, as biographer Shirl Kasper has argued, they may have done so to ease their departure from the Wild West. Using her injuries as an unstated but widely understood excuse for resigning would suggest that Annie left the Wild West out of necessity rather than a desire to desert a troubled ship. The couple also attributed Annie's startling white hair to the accident, but other possible explanations exist as well. Annie's
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