Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1872-02-24
Slaughter Of Buffaloes.

The wan.on killing Of game in. this
country is condemned by every genuine
sportsman, not one Of whom will fail to
endorse the sentiments contained in the
following timely letter, written from
Hays City by General lIazen to Mr..
Henry Bergh, giving some idea Of the
foolish destruction oi this source Of
food
FoRT BAYS, KANSAS, Jan. 90, ~.
IT. Bergh, Esq:
DEAR SIR-Huping 10 interest you, and
through you the people Of the country and
Congress- i would respectfully state that Ihe eK
iraordinary introduction Of railroads into and
across the wi,ds Of our country has made the
vast herGs II Wild buffalo Of the plains &c
ccssible 80 all classcs Of people and each year
vast numbers are slaughtered for sO-cilled
sport, and "a greater number by hunters for
their hides, which net about one dollar each.
haYe seen numbers Of men this winter who
have during the lnsi season killed 1000 each
for the paliry sum Of Gne dollar apiece. the
circasscs being left To rot on the plains. The
buffalo is a noble and harmless animal, tin,id,
ard us easily taken rs COW, and very yilua-
bic as food for man 1t lives upon short
grass which grows luXuTanlly upnn the high,
dryncss unfit for agriculture The theory
that the buffalo should b. killed to deprive the
Indians OF food is ialacy, as thrse people are
becoming harmless under the rule OF justice
In view Of these facts. | would most respect
fully and crrnestly request That you use such
proper infunc-s rs may he at your disposal 20
bring this subject b.ore CnngIess. with the in
tiOn ot having such steps tak'n ~ will pre-.
v'nt this wicked and wanton waste both Of
liv's of Gods creatures and the valuable food
tt furnish. ] am, very res. GO fully, your
,cdient r1ant,
w. B HAzEN, Colonel Sixth Infan'ry.
Brtyet NJ ijOT General United S:ates Army.
The buffilo formerly ranged to the
Atlantic sea-board in Virginia aud the
Carolinas, and as far east as the Hudson
River aud Lake Champlain. 1t is com.
paratively but few years since the prai-
ries of Illinois were feeding ground for
thousands of buffalo. Year by year they
are pressed back into that strip OF land
known, until very recently, by every
school-boy, as The Great American Des-
ert," where they are slaughtered at the
rate of several hundred thousand per
annum. OF this vast number but com
paratively small percentage is killed for
food or fur. Travellers shoot into the
herds from coaches and railway cars.
without expecting to secure the game
which they seldom do more than wound
Hunters will in single run bring down
several, aud a few pourds of meat is all
that is taken from any animal. Indeed,
it would seem that strenuous efforts are
made TO eXterminatG the bison within
the shortest convenient time This is
all very well for the wolves, coyotes and
ravens, but it is neither wise nor sports
man-like. 1t should be here remarked
that army officers generally deprecate
this work. and seem 10 realize that Tn
Gle Sam will presently he called upon ,c
furnish funds from the government purse
to supply beef to Indians who are now
well ted with buffalo beef, which they
are sure never TO waste.
Ndrpsr's TVeesJ.