It was bitterly cold in Chicago in December of 1872.

For two weeks, the temperature didn't rise above freezing, and a record low of negative

24 degrees Fahrenheit was set that lasted more than 100 years. Temperatures like that usually

meant the people stayed in their homes by a warm fire. But on December 16th, a large

crowd waited in the cold outside Nixon's theater. Inside the theater, it was warm and bustling.

The place was filled well beyond capacity, and more than 2,000 men, women and children

filled the floors and balconies. Just off stage, two men waited in the wings to make their

entrance. On the stage, a famous writer named Ned Buntline warned the audience about the

dangers that lurked behind every tree and every hill on the frontier lands of the American

West. There were rattlesnakes he told them. There were thieves, and worst of all, he said,

there were bullets, arrows and tomahawks of savage warriors who could only be defeated

by the best and bravest of men. Ned was supposed to bang the butt of his rifle on the stage

as the cue for the other two men to step out and join him. But just before he could do it,

he was interrupted. A drunk from the audience wandered down the aisle and jumped onto the

stage. The audience didn't know if this was part of the show or not. Buntline threw

the drunk into the orchestra pit and warned the crowd about the dangers of what he called

firewater. The audience listened as he lectured them on the benefits of temperance as the intruder

was dragged away by the police. Buntline finally banged his rifle on the stage and the pair

of waiting men walked nervously out in front of the stage lights. They were dressed in

fringed, buck skin coats, leather pants, tall cavalry boots, and wide brimmed stetsons.

The audience cheered. Eventually the cheers died down and the theater grew quiet. Neither

man spoke. Nervous laughter came from the crowd. Every second felt like an eternity as it

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