Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1888-10-18
RloiMcA BUFFALO.
How . Western Hunter Won Fame and
Eifty-DOllar Bot.

How . Western Hunter Won Fame and 0
Eifty-Dollar Bot.
In November. 1882. north Of the
Yellowstone river between Dry Fork
and Red Water streams. the buffaloes
were very plentiful. and the slaughter
of them was prosecuted with unre-
lenting vigor That was the section
where Vic Smith. Doc Yahl mis-.
souri, Jim." Jim Blake. George Brown
and many others followed the buffalo
like an avenging Nemesis. and. sad to
say. never let up. until this noble
game was wiped out At that time Q
young man named Chas w. Rock.
better known as Dick Rock. was
acknowledged the quickest buffalo
skinner on the range; he could easily
skin forty five buffaloes in one day. q
well.proportioned six-footer. and the
best horseman I ever saw. He
claimed that he could ride and
stick" any thing that wore hair un-
less it was grizzly bear Il was
seldom that he spoke of his proves
unless bantered by some of his com.
panions. At that time he was hunting
on tributary of Dry Fork. close to
Vic Smiths cemp One evening in
camp the subject of breaking horses
and wild animals to ride came up. and
Dick offered to bet fifty dollars. that no
could ride buffalo. His money was
quickly covered and Sam Bicknell
chosen referee and stakeholder. The
conditions We're that ne should ride a
buffalo half an hour. barring &C.
cidents. such as the buffalo falling
down or running under limbs Of trees
that skirted the small streams. The
next morning one of the party rode
over to Smiths camp and acquainted
him with the facts of the wager. and
required his assistance in securing the
animal on which Rock was 70 ride
Vic acquiesced. and soon all hands
rode out in search of the game. They
approached within about two hundred
yards of about dozen buffaloes,
and all hands stopped. with the ex-
ccptiOn of Vic. who crawled on hands
and knees within one hundred yards
and. selecting fine fat COW. took
careful aim and accomplished what
was intended-that is. shot her through
the muscles of the neck and knocked
her down, feat that is called ''creas-
Ing. At the crack of the rifle Rock
on his horse sped like the wind to
the fallen COW and. quickly dis mount
Ing. sprang upon the bruie's back. who
had already recovered consciousness,
and away they went full tilt after the
balance of the herd. which were about
a quarter of a mile distant. His large
spurs. which he had sunk deep in the
cows sides. served to enable him ia
his seat, while it served also
to irritate the brute; she beloved and
bucked in q frightful manner while
Rock applied the ''guirt" They soon
were among the herd of buffalo. and
as it may appear the
other buffaloes did not seem fright
ened at coming in contact with man,
but. on the contrary. endeavored to
unseat him by hooking viciously at
his legs. The balance of the boys
soon separated Rock and his animal
from the reg. # the herd and ran
Them in n circle until time was called,
when half-breed Baptiste shot the
buffalo and Il ock laid down on the
ground for about twenty minutes 70
search for his lost wind that had been
pumped out of him by the terrible
oucking and jolting that he had re.
,eived. His legs were badly bruised
rom the horns of the herd. But there
litter his ability TO ride was never
Questioned and the palm was &C.
corded him as the boss buffalo
iler. -Bilin1s or ~ Gazette