Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-07-12
ON A BUFFALO'S BACK.
Witcher's Wild Ride Before a Stampeding
Herd on the North Platte.

w ltG 1NlQe before a
Herd on the North Platte.
Capt. Russell is one of the Black
hills pioneers, and in the country
where he is known no man would
think of sneering at what he said. IL
a general talk he related many singu-
lar occurrences, but none like the ride
of n. L. Witcher, of Sturgis, S. d.,
which Witcher had on the back of a
buffalo in 1S49. Here it is, minus, of
course, the interesting manner which
Capt. Russell impaired to it:
1T was in the summer of 1S49. A lot
of Californians were in camp on the
North Platte, in the vicinity of CHM
ney rock, which is landmark now of
former times. The Californians con-
Guided they would like some buffalo
steak out of a herd they saw grazing
in the distance. 1t was no uncommon
sight in those days. But you won't
see it any more. No more buffalo, and
never will be again. SOMEBODY thought
different once, but there won't be any
more buffalo. The party / mentioned
started out to run down one of the
herd. Witcher took the north side of
the herd and his friends came up on
the south and west sides. That STAN
peded the herd, for the boys had fired
on the buffalo.
They took header towards Witch
er, who was on horsebac k. He saw
them coming and he knew they would
not turn aside for him. He had seen
them run before. In spite of the speed
of his horse he was soon overtaken.
1.-THE foremost of the herd, an old
bull. came upon him and gored his
horse to death almost instantly.
Witcher was an athlete and as quick
as a cat. He leaped upon the back of
the buffalo and grasped his shaggy
name with both hands That only &C
CELEBRATED the speed of the buffalo.
Witcher realized that he had saved
himself for the time being. But he
heard the snorting, believing, infuri-
ated stampede behind him. His animal
might be run down, or he might lose
his grip and fall to be tramplGd under
hundreds of feet at any moment. Pan
demonium on foot was gaining on him.
He had to do some more quick think
ing. He knew his only solution was
for his buffalo to fall back to the rear.
And this is how he did it:
He had a long knife, such as the
'49ers carried in those days. He man
aged to get it out, and hanging on for
life with one hand he reached with his
knife one side of the neck of the buff
falo and slashed into it. The animal
leaped like a maddened devil at the
thrust and Witcher held on like tick
on country dog. Quicker than it
takes to tell it he changed the knife to
the other hand and made a slit on the
other side of the animals neck. The
blood spurted from both sides and
stained the ground over which Witcher
was going at rate that was too much
for his comfort. But very soon the
animal commenced to weaken.
''Slowly he began to fall back, and
finally all the others had passed him in
the race in which he had had the send
off. The animal fell and Witcher
jumped from the back of the buffalo
which had saved his life. Under any
other circumstances to have killed that
which had saved him would not have
been like Witcher. But this was case
where it admitted of no sorrow. A
man would kill a dozen buffalo in
those days to save his own life
Chicago Herald.