Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-10-19
Railroads and Hide Hunters Putting an
End to the Buffalo

81. EdAb Et97e sr- ETes9.
During a recent warm day a reporter
strOlled into a Wholesale fur dealers 10
sOiace himself with a view Of the hairy
integuments which suggested winters
cooling blasts. \ large pile Of bison robes
attracted his gaze, and to him the pr0pri-
et0r said:
BETTER 6uy one and frame it, ny boy"
"Frame iti'
eyes. In about I've years from now
they'll be as scarce as silver fox skins,
and five times as useful"
"Why, what was the catch this year:'
-Four"
-Four what? Thousand:'
mo, sir; plain four. In ether words,
there wasn't any catch this year, and our
firm cOrIalled six out Of the l0.C90 Of the
catch OF 1885"
DO you mean to tell me that the bufTa-
10 have disappeared from the face OF
| Dakota and Montana eaTth?'
practically, yes; and from all other
earth in the Northwest as we'll. The rem
nants Of the big band, numbering proba-
| bly, a few thousand, are somewhere north
Of the international line; no one seems to
know clearly where, but probably in the
remote vicinity Of Woody Mountain.
There are a few on the Upper Moreau, and
still fewer on the plains between the
James river and the Missouri and about
y y
recently driven into Fort Meade, along
with lot Of domestic cattle, by the cow
boys. He looked like the last Of his race,
and if he has any fellows they can't be
found"
what did you use to call big yearly
catch"'
well, in the year after the Northern
Pacific was opened through to the Little
Missouri, 1881 think it was, Northwest
ern traders got in about 100000 robes.
You see the railroad let in the hide hunt
ers. and as the buffalo happened 10 be
south Of the line, ana within reaching
distance Of the Missouri and Transports
ton, the output was very large. Thou
sands upon thousands were killed whose
hides were never removed, and Of the
thousands a large majority furnished
only few pounds Of tenderlOin to the "a
paciOus rifemen. We've been talking for
years about the time when the buffalo
would be practically extinct. Now that
time has come. and it's too late for pro-
tectiYe laws. such laws could not have
been enforced against the Indians, but
they might have been against the white
/ hide hunters and the rich sPOrtsmeD, VINO
were the most wantOn death dealers OF
| the lot"
"Can they be bred to domestic cattleY'
''0h. yes, readily enough. But the n.y.
brid, while good enough for meat, is not
Of much use for robes. It's a pity there
wasn't a law enacted a decade or two ago
making II penal ofiense for a white man
/ to even shoot at buffalo. Tie Indians
are not so ruthless in their destruction as
/ has been claimed, and, besides, when
| they get a robe and tan it il is worth
| something. The robes tanned in the East,
or ~ whites anywhere, are incOmparably
/ inferior to those known to the trade al
/ Indian-tanned. The reds take a lot Of
tn s1V n arfafr
while it leaves the hide pliable, leaves it
Of sufficient thicSness ana strength to
hold the hair and Withstand the rough
usage all robes must expect 10 undergo"
4 should be inclined to believe, from
your remarks, that buffalo oYercOat5 viii
be worth a good deal . few years from
now.7
"a good deal? Well, If you call 800 to
$50 q good DEAL 1 agree with you. Seri-
ously, there must be d substitute found
for them, since l am not exaggeraung an
/ iOta as to scarcity"