"...I will not go to Church on Sunday, and pray openly to God, and cheat my neighbor in a horse trade Monday. I will not live a hypocritical life..."

Autograph letter signed by William "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846-1917), to his sister Julia Cody Goodman (1843-1928). Terre Haute, Indiana, 20 May 1901. 3 pages, 4to. On gilt "Buffalo Bill's Wild West" letterhead. Signed "God Bless You, Brother." 

An illuminating and deeply personal letter written by Buffalo Bill Cody (1846-1917) to his sister Julia Cody Goodman (1843-1928), evidently in response to her asking for some sort of financial assistance. 

He opens his letter with a lengthy discussion on "accepting Christ" and his own personal morality: "You speak about the prominent land and my accepting Christ...no one wants to do right more than I do. And I propose to lead an honest life, doing good helping my fellow creature when and where ever I can, and will do all the good I can + while on Earth. Wronging no one knowingly. and will try to make every one else better than I am my self. Restrain vice + wickedness when ever I can help the poor and needy. I will not go to Church on Sunday, and pray openly to God, and cheat my neighbor in a horse trade Monday. I will not live a hypocritical life. If I am too wicked to pray to God, I will ask my Angel Mother and children, who are in Heaven, to speak a good word for me to God for my self. Its been this way all my life."

Cody continues in response to her request with a revealing passage of vulnerability: "you should have written me how you have arranged the payments. So I could begin planning how to pay them. But no one ever thinks of me, or wonders if I can do it. They just take it for granted that I can. And let me all[?] the suffering. Last winter I promised May money to build her another house, but I can't do it this summer. Your need was more than she."

While providing his travel details, including a hunt, he remarks that, "I will have some wealthy Englishmen with me."

An excellent and extremely personal Buffalo Bill Cody letter. 

[Western Americana, Western History, Western Expansion, Wild West] [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs]