The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1889-12-19
HUNTING THE BUFFALO.
A Talk with the Champion Bison Exter-
miuator Of America.

A Talk with the Champion Bison Exter-
minator Of America.
Hon. John G. Jones, the veteran buf-
falo hunter OF America, has just passed
through Denver on his way to his
home in Garden City, Kas.. from Og-
den, Utah, where he recently sold a
one-half interest in his buffalo herd In
Kansas. He is the gentleman who
originated the idea Of raising the buf-
falo for domestic purposes.
In an interview he gave the follow
ing interesting story regarding his
early days as hunter and his pet
hobby of DEMONSTRATING this now al
most extinct race OF bovines:
Il began hunting the buffalo in 1871
at fifty cents apiece. All did was to
shoot them down for company, which
would take the hides to Hayes City
and Fort Wallace and sell them. They
would split the hide down the belly,
cutting the legs little distance down.
They then cut the neck and slipped It
back little. Taking loop in a rope
they would hitch one team of horses
to the hide and one to the horns and
whip the hide of in less time than it
takes TO tell it.
''l have otter killed from forty to
sixty buffalo right in their tracks. I
figured out plan Of my own to corral
them on the prairie. made an effort
to get in front of the herd when they
were travelling, so that they would
come within twenty yards of me in
passing by. l then shot the leader
through the head and dropped her
dead in her tracks. The leader was
generally COW. The old bulls were
lazy and usually Jagged behind. The
herd would fall back in the direction
from which they came about one hun
dred yards, stopping to trun around to
look for danger. In few minutes one
OF the cows led out to go around on one
side or the other, and then l could
drop her as l did the first They
would again fall back a short distance
and huddle up together closely.
''After short pause another COW
might undertake to go around on the
other side and invariably met the
same fate as the other two The herd
after this was sure to form in very
close group upon the ground where
they halted after the first shot Buff
falo retraced their steps only short
distance.
"Now they had trouble on three
sides, and on the other their back
track. / was free to shoot down as
many as wanted, provided l did not
shoot too rapidly and alarm them.
Whenever one attempted to lead away
made sure to kill it, and this taught
the others that it was sure death to the
leaders.
ITO be sure, it was cruel, but could
hear the crack of guns on every hand,
and thought would have my share.
II began to realize that these ami
mails would soon become extinct. and l
turned my attention to saving the rem
nant. / began to save the young to
atone for my slaughter. In 1884 l
began to gather up calves. 1t was very
difficult to raise them. At first l lost
so per cent, but after little expert
ence / could save 80 per cent. Istocked
my farm near Garden City with young
ones as rapidly as Icould gather them.
At the close of 1884 had raised only
four, the next year seven, and the next
year thirty-two, and so on until l had
herd of nearly one hundred. San
Francisco Chronicle.