Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-01-02
Putting m End to the Buffalo.

During a recent warm day q reporter
strolled into . wholesale fur dealers to
solaee himself with . view Of the hairy
integuments which suggested winters
cooling blasts. A large pile of bison
robes attracted his gaze, and to him the
proprietor said:
..Better buy one and frame it, my
boy"
"Frame it.''
'.Yes. In Eve years from now they'll
be asscarce as silver fox skins aud i've
times as useful"
"why. what was the catch this
year?''
f..Four."
'.Tour whatP Thousandf'
.'No. sir; plain four In other worda,
there wasn't anv catch this yesr, aud
our firm corralled six out OF the 10, 600
Of the catch of 1888"
'.Do you mean to tell me that the
buffalo have disappeared from the face
of Dakota and Montana earth?'
sPracticaIly. yes; and from all other
earth in the Northwest as well. The
remnants OF the big band, numbering
probably. q few thousand. are some
where north of the international line;
no one seems to know clearly where,
but probably in the remote vicinity Of
Woody Mountain. There are q few
on the Upper Moreau. and still fewer
on the plains oetween the James River
and the Missouri, and about the forty
sixth parallel. An old bull was re-
Gently driven into Fort Mead. along
with lot Of domestic cattle, by the
| cowboys. 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 a big yearly
catch?" -
"Well. In the year after the Northern
Paciiic was opened through 70 the Little
Missouri, 1881 think it was, North
western traders got in about 100. 900
robes. You see the ra lroad let in the
hide hunters, and IS the buffalo hap
pened TO be south OF the line. and within
reaching distance u the Missouri and
transportation. the output was very
large. Thousands upon thousands were
killed whose hides were never removed.
an of the thousands a large ma ority
furnished only few pounds of tender
loin 20 the rapacious riilemen. We've
been taiking for years ,out the time
when the buffalo would be practically
extinct. = Now that time has come, and
it's too late for protective laws. Such
laws could not have been enforced
against the Indians, but they might
have been against the white hide hunt
ers and the rich sportsmen. who were
the most wanton death dealers of the
lot"
'Can they be bred to domestic
cattle!"
80, yes. readily enough. But the
hybrid, while good enough for meat. is
not of much use for robes. It's O pity
there wasn't law enacted a decade or
two ago making it a penal offence for q
white man to even shoot at a bu falo
The indians are not so ruthless in their
destruction as has been claimed. and,
besides, when they get robe and tan il
It is worth something. The robes tannei
in the East. or by whites anywhere, are
iucomparably inferior to those known
to the trade as Indian tanned. The red.
take a lot of pains, and seem to have q
method which, while it leaves the hide
| pliable, leaves il of suIiicient thick nes.
add strength to hold the hair and with,
stand the rough usage all robes must
expect to undergo"
al should be inclined to believe. from
your remarks, that buffalo overcoats
will be worth good deal 4 few years
from now."
ga good deal? Well. II you call s10C
to $3.50 good DEAL agree with you.
! Seriously, there must be substitute
found for them, since I am not exaS-
| gerating an iota as TO scarcitY."-St
Paul Pioneer Press.