I attended Felicity Franklin School since consolidation had removed me from Moscow and I got to choose this school to attend. I found I liked Felicity, the school and the students I went to school with and enjoyed my years there and to this day I look back and think of some of the greatest events in my life happened there. Maybe four times or five a year an assembly would be held and the entire student body got to attend and enjoy whatever the presentation might be. A couple times a year we saw animals from the zoo. Maybe once or twice there would be a magician spinning his magic before our very eyes. Representatives from the Department of Agriculture came to lecture us on safety in the home (boring). But in my senior year there was an assembly that I will never ever be able to remove from my memory. The most bizarre event I think that ever took place and never will again.
I’m speaking of the “Cherokee Bill Wild West Show!” As it was announced over the public address we all looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders as if to say I have no idea what this show is. These assemblies normally occurred on Fridays since that day was probably the least at education getting much done anyway so it was thought these shows might enlighten us a little. As we left our class rooms and walked to the gyms’ front door all eyes focused on a pale green 1959 or 60 Chrysler with the huge fins and mounted on the grill a pair of Texas Long Horns. They were huge beyond belief but this car as much of an attention getter as it was paled in what we were about to see.
After all entered the gym and were seated and settled in the principal walked on stage and began by explaining that we were in for a true and real Wild West Show and hoped we would enjoy it. Then he introduced the star of the show Cherokee Bill! We all applauded as the principal encouraged us to. But as we were clapping onto the stage walked a man maybe 6’ 1” dressed in western garb and in his mid-70s. He had long hair and a ten gallon hat on and a pair of the most ornamental cowboy boots I think I’ve ever seen. From his first appearance it was easy to gather where he got the word wild for his show. He looked anything but. In his hand he was holding a book. He began to introduce himself to us and he explained the book was one written by Jesse Stuart a well-known author from Greenup Kentucky and explained that one chapter of the book was about him and a wild west show he had done for a school for Mr. Stuart in which he tamed a misbehaving student through a bull whip trick that had since made him famous.
With this introduction I will say we were interested in the trick but even though I had read the book I was not impressed. Mainly because the event happened 35 to 40 years before and my feeling as many others was his skills surely had eroded. He picked two boys from the audience. Buddy Disher and Jack Downs. I think both were freshmen and they gladly went on stage so they could be seen by all. But next is where we all became more than interested. On a small table on the stage laid hatchets and knives and a bull whip. Real ones! On the other side of the stage was a sheet of plywood with the outline of a person on it. First he stood Jack in front of the board and told him to stand still please. He then threw three knives close to Jack to which brought us all to a silence and had our full attention. Next he brought Buddy in front of the board and picked up three or four hatchets. As he prepared to throw them a loud scream came from the crowd. It was Buddys’ older sister Glenna. She was objecting that her brother have hatchets thrown in his direction and she wasn’t going to stand for it and we all knew it. Cherokee Bill stopped and ask the audience to please refrain from screaming. To which Glenna screamed at him that she would stop when he let her brother leave the stage.
Now for the rest of us this made this Wild West Show much more interesting. First off we didn’t know if he could be accurate with the hatchets and second we knew if he wasn’t Buddy’s sister would charge the stage and the show would be worth more than any of us had ever expected. Now as much as she wanted her brother to be safe her brother wanted to remain in the show and was yelling for her to stop the fuss and she saying stop the show. Finally Glenna sat down and the show resumed. Bill threw the hatchets and was just as accurate as he had been with the knives. He then got the whip out and snapped scarves out of their hands with great precision. He continued and methodically did knife, hatchet and whip tricks with great ease and I must say we all were more than just impressed we were amazed.
As the show concluded the boys (grinning from ear to ear) got to take a bow and then Cherokee Bill who by then looked like he was exhausted took several bows. With Buddy safe and Glenna calm our assembly came to its conclusion with a loud applause! In this day there is no way a show with sharp weapons and students mixed in would ever happen. But to have been witness to the most outrageous assembly ever held in Felicity is forever memorable and beyond any of my expectations!
Rick Houser grew up on a farm near Moscow in Clermont County and loves to share stories about his youth and other topics. He may be reached at houser734@yahoo.com.