, 1873-02-16
BISON BUTCHERY.
Tremendous Slaughter Of Buffuloes In
Southern Ekansns-Kboo1ned to Speedy
Exf{nCfiOns

Tremendous Slaughter OF Bufxuioes In
Southern Ikansns-EBoo1nedt to Speedy
Extinction.
I From the Topeka Ean.) Commonwealth.
principal point Of shipment Of buffalo meat and
hides In Kansas. In fact, the trade Of the town,
| apart from it's traffic with camp supplies, con-
eists in the outfitting Of hunters and exchange
of their game The townsis SCARCELY our months
old, md has in that time attained considerable
no:oriety for it's live]ness. While the bison
lnsts, there will DO "meat in the house" in the
Arkansas valley. The terrible arithmetic of hia
destruction would Indicate that this flush season
| cannot last long. Tho railroad reached Dodge
On the Esd Of Sept, 1872, and the following
! is the record of shipments Of hides and meat
! during that time:
|. Shipments Of hides from Sept. o, 1872, to
Dec. 81, 43,039. Shipment Of meat, II cars, or
|. ] 1886 900 pounds.
Each hide counts buffalo slain, and $4,000
hides in throe months convey an idea Of magnifi-
cent butchery that forecasts the speedy ext1nc-
ton Of the prairie denizen, The bufraloes that
ere Killed IN summer or III early autumn in
wanton cruelty 1niscallel sport, md for food for
tho frontier residents, arc not taken into this
account,
The bulk of this meat has been shipped to
Kansas City, though considerable consigQments
have beon made to st. Louis. Chicago, aud
indianapolis. The raw hides OF the buffalo
which aro sent East are tanned and dressed by 3
much moro rapid, but less perfect md effectual
process than that in vogue among the Indians.
and arc not nearly so valuable. 1t is necessary
to kill them ia winter, or the robes hare no
value whatever. The meat market is not open
until the middle Of November, when the weather is
cold enough for its transportation. The aboye
figures, though indicating an immence alaugh-
ter, do not represent the total Of the seasons
hunt. The horse dieeaae has interfered seriously
with the transportation OF hides and meats from
the hunting grounds to the line of road. Tho
disappearance OF the disease has pnt the trade
briskly on its feet again; the weather has mod
eratod and tho returns for the month Of Jan.
will exceed those of the preceding months by 150
per cent, making the grand total Of killing
around the station of Fort Dodge and the neigh
borhood for the season Of 1S72-73 over loo, 900
buffaloes.
The railroads and remorselesa civilization have
invaded the home OF the buffalo before he bad
time to get out Of their way and seek another
ward, till some sentment-monger will immortal
ize the last OF the species in some bulet-scarrod
bull standing On the summit Of Mount Diabolo,
gazing sul1enly and mournfully ont through the
Golden Gate over the blue Pacific.
The buffalo is subscribing great purpose in
tho social economy OF the nation, il tl,ati is any
satisfaction to him. The tide OF emigration
that has rot in to the Arkansas valley has
subsistence until they can open and improve
their farms, and BY the time the last buffalo has
disappeared from Kansas the frontier will be
subdued to civilization, and be self-supporting,
The buffalo will in this, or at the farthost the
next generation, take its place in the natural
history book along with tho dodo, as m inter- |
csting animal no living specimen Of which can |
be found in nature,