The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-05-24

to use pitchforks to control them,
adopting methods similar to those used
to subjugating elephants. The pitch
forks were soon exchanged for brads
or goads, which finally needed only to
be shown to command respectful
obeyance from Mr.. Buffalo.
The cunning brutes we're quick to
learn whether a person appearing
among them was armed with the goad
or not, and no sooner did the intelli-
gent animal find that he was not than
he began at once an aggressive cam
psign against the intruder.
Many of the men carry small goad
under their coats, which if shown is all
sufficient. The females are almost as
docile as domestic COWS and are regu-
larly MIXED by the attendants. One
thing that attracts the attention OF the
visitor to their winter quarters is the
entire absence of any kind of shelter.
Throughout the whole of the last
severe winter the herd has not had q
board to shelter them from the most
rigorous days. They love the storm
and go wild with delight s7er driving,
whirling blizzard.
This band of buffalo kzown as the
Jones herd is the largest as1ection OF
these animals in the world, and is truly
the last hopc for the perpetration of
this noble race. Its existence is almost
wholly due to the energy, pluck, and
patriotism off. G. Jones-better known
as Buffalo" Jones-an old time buffalo
hunter and contemporary of Buffalo
Bill, with whom he is entitled to divide
honors both in Europe and Amerina
Mr.. Jones is an experienced plainsmnn,
and made his home in the haunts OF
these animals in the years gone by.
Always an admirer of this noble ami
NAL, their pitiless fate enlisted his
sympathy. With such man as Buf-
falo Jones to think was to act, and he
resolved to rescue the last of the buffalo.
To this end he established ranch and
built corrals at Garden City, Kan, as
case from which to make excursions
to their haunts in the far southwest, in
order to secure animals from which to
perpetrate the race. On his first ex-
cursion he and his assistants captured
grown animals, but these soon died,
apparently determined not to live in
captivity. In their fury they often
broke their necks in frenzied charges
against the walls of the corral. Satis-
fed that the grown animals were a
failure, Mr.. Jones resolved to capture
young calves, but at first this plan too
was unsuccessful, as the condensed
milk upon which he was obliged to feed
them did not agree with them, and they
also died.
All of these experiments took valua-
, BILE time, and the hunters and Indians
were driving the scattering herds OF
buffalo farther and farther into the
southwest. But such difficulties never
daunted the spirit of 'Bufalo" Jones.
In 1888 he organized an expedition at
Garden City, which he determined
should be and which was successful.
The expedition started April 1 and re-
turned in July of the same year. They
captured thirty-seven calves and saved
thirty-two of them, all of them under
six months old.
Buffalo" Jones took with him on
!! this expedition twenty fresh milk COWS
to feed the captured calves. No per
son who has not crossed these arid
lands, stretching into the illimitable
distance with nothing but sky and
plain, without tree or hill, no birds,
no noise, only the silence of the desert,
can comprehend the terrors of such q
Journey. Weak men tremble and
strong men grow mad in the presence
of this awful solitude.