Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-03-23
A View Of the Great Western Plains
~ Inhabited by the Native Buff
falo Decade Ago.
How the Woody Bison has Been Nearly
Exterminatvd and His Place Filled
by the Texas Steer.
The Animals Slaughtered by the Thou
sand and the Hides Prepared
for the Market.

Curiosity shaped our cotirss toward thu
,S,., p,.t " -,
e''"' 80"
Deen toiu tnat hunurtus OF tnoushhus
OF bisons cou q lie seen In q single days
;ou,nev. This beipy IN. secend ve.r
,,,I. -.
VI 'no sioa' SEASON '""' ,eu
TO the ext fminati0n oil tntss native
quadrupad IN TINS section of the
United st .tes, the uninhablted prai-
RES urst OF Olu Fort Phat tom ,Hnl,
pIese nted the app aranoe ~
oNE VAST SLAUGHTER PEN,
Betwetn thT.e AID uye thousand men
ere eng ged in wholesale Killing of
these ANIMALS for the profit that was
derived from the sale OF their hides
The business was carried on In q eys.
| tematic manner and po-se.s.d none oI
the charms that usually attend the
chase All the details were car, fully
| planned and deliberately carried out
| by the intrepid hunters with IN same
| calm CONFEDERATION that would have
characterized their actions in
any other business enterprise.
Each "oufitn WAS organiz d, prf-
visioned and equipped for the season,
which generally lasted from three to
six mouths, drueuding entirely on the
movements of the buffalo. The
hunter WAS the
BOSS OF THE OUTFIT,
kind of n generalissimo, whose or.
drra were the unwritten law during
the expt dltion. His REQUIREMENT,
pai.t.d of "A eair of oypIalla. blue
II ,unel ahirt and duckinp i,cket and
Ro-as-you-plrase hat. He was gen
| asl Il A
calih.r rifle. manufactured esppciall\
Tor thjs trnde ana commonly knowI
ss IN. buffalo pun. In ADDITION n,
yener.lIy carried A Colts .phootel
and a hunting knife. and when en-
payed In killing huff .Io a hundred
enrtrIdqes a. a A r.At..tick
nrxT IN txponTANCa
To the HIM er was the .kInuers, who's,
chiet eu,nlo> ment WAS 10 take tn,
h,d.a IN Inc .nin, ,Is fer IN. hunteI
had sIaught,r a hem The la-,. tut
,,,1 M, Ir..t in,orinnt member OF tn
! ou,ft uas the cook From four l.
Lx man eouInped as desctIb d
for,,e1 n camn near some water no
or sn,in0 within toe "rar re
occunied bv the buffalo. an
, n succe-sfnl in their hum
= secured from Ave to ten ,hol
: and hIdes during the season. Omi
: tiny m. incidents that would ma .ura
I iv attend a innruey of one huudIe
4 and t,ftv N lies over n Wild Wesier
o Country, we will try to give bri
d d.srrtntion Of the manner ard meal
uaed by the Buffalo hunters In slaug
i atiup the animals and prepsiiI
their hides for marke,
THE CAMP
The appearance OF "A buffalo hunter
camp woiIl1 he rather au uninVitii
ul.ce ton frat class house keeper
- promiscuous cor fusion ZIP Is, skille
a. Akipg-ppgs. cartridge nullr, Il u
bacon aud buffalo meat, preets the ~
- at "A sinyie glance. while the di ord
u OF thlnss generally would disgust
CITY chan h,Vopd rprl gy
RuNKISo FoH-THk NIGHT.
" The ,uu xns abuut one hour hiG
wi en- our horzpp shi,d around n pi
Of hides ia front of a tepee, h h
~ composed OF poles and hides On
III one man was In camp, occupied
building a ii q and making piepsi
tions "a, couk supp.r for the outfib II
oln.r membrrs Of this camp had n
re,urn,d from the days han
II After the usual sslutatio
lis we we're invited to camp We at OF
begap 10 unharn.ss "ur horses NJ
as nrep.re TO stay all night. Kuowi
py In. customs among frontIermsn,
did NOT stand on CO emory, aud VIII
ia tue hunters and skinuers arrived
,is were
'ra COMFORTABLY CHARTERED,
within ten wards 1T the tppee, (. eli
Ma much At home ms possible under
ne ei,cumstances. Alter supper had be
o. dIsposed Of the mD-is OF each .
re- Nv engaged IN general conversation
he tonic, of the day The hunters u
DO- cook only were busy rplosdipR
las en,n,y cartridge huIls. preparatory
ar M, motrow'r hunt There Is a v
on nine enjoyment i'm sitting arouD'
,an,,-nrs and drawing The seduct
las 4, fu.nce OF tobacco smoke throu
Dtr th. ~ M Of a pipe, while listeDinp
ri. the warns nuul, by y.ur compani
Id. uutii the dr1wSy god reminds
that n /. time To spread the blank
AR. for the night. Then, upon ~
yrassv snnt near the lire, you sleep
~ 'nn1 benrath the twinkiing stars
H.r zen tbe fIrst sweet s1ngs hat X
III