Morning journal and courier., 1882-06-09
Killing the Buffalo.

Montana Letter to Philadelphia Times.l
 The Indians method of killing buffalo is much more exciting and spectacular, but much less destructive than the white mans. civil engineer engaged in the railroad con- struction work, at whose camp I stopped 8 few nights ago, gave me an account of an In- dian hunt he witnessed from the door of his own log cabin one day last winter. It was the great annual hunt of the Crows. The Indians had had their scouts out for weeks in the region north of the Yellowstone, mass ing the small scattered herds into one large body by a method similar to that used in rounding up cattle Having got together herd of perhaps five thousand, they began to push them forward slowly toward the Tel lowstone valley, not stampeding the animals but forming a semi-circle of horsemen around nearly twenty miles of country, and showing themselves here and there to keep the ani- mals from straying of and move them for ward in the desired direction. Couriers were sent to the Crow village and soon the whole tribe was in motion for a small piece of bot tom land on the river, half surrounded by an amphitheatre of hills. Beyond the hill tops the squaws, children and old men were stationed, with some of the ponies and with red blankets. The most skillful hunters post ed themselves, mounted, by the river side. About noon the great herd, urged on by the scouts, came laundering down the hills into
 
 closed up their line behind them, and the hunters dashed into the herd and began the slaughter. Whenever the animals would stampede toward the hills they would be driV en back by the squaws waving the red blan- kets. The hunters rode to and fro, with wonderful skill evading the charges of wound ed bulls, and carrying on the slaughter with little more trouble than they would have had in drove of cattle. When their ponies were exhausted they rode up the hills and got fresh ones from the squaws After two or three hours of this kind of work the chief gave 8 signal, the line on the hills opened a gap, and the survivors of the herd were al- lowed to escape. About five hundred ani malls were killed in all. The tepees were set up and the village feasted for month, while the squaws skinned the dead beasts, tanned the hides and dried the meat
 feel no sympathy with the sentimentalism that laments the rapid extermination of the buffalo. A good fat OK Is a much more yalu- able animal any day than the biggest buffalo bull. The pastures which now support two or three million head of buffalo will support an equal number of cattle, which, as better friends of man, have better right to them than the ugly wild beast that has little to us worth having beside his skin. His meat, I can attest is vastly inferior to an ordinary roast or steak. Let the buffalo go-the faster the better-and let the grassy hills and plains of Montana and Wyoming be covered with herds of good, honest, civilized cattle When the buffalo disappears Indian savagery will disappear too The Indian will have to lay down the rife and take up the plough. He will never work as long as he can hunt and draw government rations. If he is ever to advance in civilization he must have the same incentive to work that impels white men-the love of property and comfort and the dread of starvation.