The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-07
KILLED THE LAST BUFFALO.
GEORGE w. REA, THE OCTOGENA-
RIAN HUNTER OF THE ROCKIES.
A Netea Mas OF the westerr Mountains
Desa-His Hunt OF the Last Huasio sss
His DETERMINATION 20 Avesge the Death
OF His Favorite Dog Jack.

ISIS beteFutnAu0n 10 AWeHEe hho AEeaNA
OF HE Favorite DOG Jack.
HARRISBURG. Pa, Oct. 3.-News comes here
Of the death Of George w. Rea at Blsckfoot,
Idaho. aged So years, once the greatest hunter
and trapper that ever lived In Pennsylvania.
Forty years ago game got too scarce for him In
the Pennsylvania woods, and no went TO the
Rocky Mountains, where long ago he got to be
one Of the famous hunters on the wide and wild
ranges Of the great West. lie turned his
hand to Indian hunting as we'll His cour-
age, bravery, and skill in woodcraft
attracted the attention of Col Miner
Roberts, chief engineer OF the Northern Pacific
Railway, when the frat survey for that road
was made through the trackless regions Of the
Northwest, and Rea was made the guide for the
engineering party. When he wanted TO go out
and stock up the camps with game, Capt Ball,
who had charge OF the soldiers guarding the
workmen against the Indians provided him
with military escort. While the soldiers watched
for Indians, Rea got the elk, antelope, bear, or
whatever game he was after, as fast as the
soldiers could skin them. Many are the stories
Of his exploits that are now being told.
The killing Of seven big grizzly bears in one
day is among the exploits Of this remarkable
hunter. He had q particular breed Of bear dog
a cross between an Indian dog and a stag hound.
He was fond of telling of the proves Of his
dogs especially about that Of two of them when
they were two years old. They started four big
Rocky Mountain bears and freed three Of them.
The fourth one was 50 fat that he couldn't get
up a tree, and the two pups brought him to bay
and kept him there. Rea, In telling about 1t.
used to say that he never saw anything as mad
as that bear was. He actually frothed at the
mouth. First, one dog would catch him from be-
hind. and the bear would make q fierce
dive for him. The dog would beat
hasty retreat. Then the other dog would grab
the bear. Rea used to describe funny thing
about those Rocky Mountain bears. When
dog seizes them they don't turn around. They
throw a regular back somersault and swing
their paws down on the ground in a way that
grinds things to powder where they strike. 1t
takes smart dog to get out of the way OF this
singular nanpuvre. but these two pups Of Rca's
did IL every time. He shot the fat bear after
enjoying the fun for time and then picked the
other three out of the trees for the dogs to have
crcuses with, and they came out Of 1t all with
out a scratch.
Some years ago. not long after Rea went to the
Northwest, he saw and counted 5000 magnif-
| cent elk In one herd In the Yellowstone Valley.
| between the mouth OF the Big Horn and
Shields's River. He had great sport in that re-
gion for years, for there was no end Of elk, buff
falo, antelope. and deer OF all kinds, and the
rivers were full OF the biggest trout, every
stream. almost, having ulHertnt Variety
| TWAS this old hunters boast and belief that he
participated in the killing OF the last buffalo In
| the great Northwest. At the time OF the hunt
| where this occurred Rea was in his eightieth
| year. h. E. Stainland and George Bazely, two
wealthy English gentlemen, came TO this coun-
try for the purpose Of shooting grizzly bear. buff
falo, and other big Rocky Mountain game They
came recommended to Rea by other English
sportsmen for whom he had acted as guide on
x,inttan he fyypE n Iah We
anxious TO kill buffalo. especially when they
Informed BY Rea that there were not more than
three big bull bufraloes. whose isolated retreat
far back In the mountains was known to not
indian indian TO be the heroes Of such a hunt as
that the Englishmen were willing to put up q
them on the trail OF the last buffalo.
.hss high os bh ss
her rstrea. Thelr eedns Rrounds Covered
an area OF twenty-five miles. The hunters
camp was made in a small basin among tho
horses rs; provided by kea, the party moved into
the wilderness early on crisp October morn
OF large bull buffalo, travelling alone. There
was no snow on the ground. but the bull
s ss hGHas a s was oWd IN" Without
S was traVeiiins rapidly. The hunters followed
il until . o'clock IN the afternoon. the track be-
e %here the bsIl had stopped To Drink he Was
Joined by two others almost as big as himself.
Together these solitary and mateless old bulls
journeyed onward through the deep forest and
narrow passes OF that wild and isolated region,
stopping now and then TO feed, but evidently
making for particularly secluded pasture.
The sun was getting low in the west when, by
the actions of his two famous dogs, Jack and
succession Of small openings IN the timbeT' and
SO fresh that the wary old guide ordered his
companions TO dismount and follow the I. all ON
assp wooa and shsn hey
the edge. where they could peer out into the
open space, q sight such as no one VIII ever see
three huge bulls were cropping the grass lei
surely not more than hfty yards away, utterly
Each buffalo stood broadside toward the spot
where It's foes were in hiding, Offering mark
Each man chose the butfaIo he was TO Are at.
The reports OF the three rides rang out; Every
ioes fell dead in its tracks. Another got as far
as the edge Of the timber, where 1t fell and died
az 9s o' .no dom.
rushed after him. aud the big beast stopped and
OF the dogs caught him b. the nose and vas in
siantly hurled upward into the tptop branches
The three hunters followed the dogs into the
woods, and fired bullet after bullet into the en-
ragged bull, which charged sayaEsly upon bazely,
Ensgfshman was TOO small % permit the huge
sportsman would have been impaled on the
bulls horns or trampled beneath its feet. Stain
land and Rea continued firing bullets into the
bull. The dogs attacked It In front and rear.
The buffalo turned from It's fruttlsss charge
upon Bazely and rushed madly for Stainland.
Tho magazine OF Stainland's gun was now
empty, and his ammunition was back where the
horses had been left. He ran for the opening To
escape the Wild rush OF the bull Rea put his
last bullet into the furious beast as It tore past
him. almost on the heels Of the flying English
man. Ii seemed As IL the latter's fate Was surely
scaled, when the buffalo stopped As suddenly as
ii he had run against some great obstacle. stood
for a moment, his eyes glaring, blood pouring
from his wounds, and then, with q below that
hlled the woods with its mournful sound, he
tOppled % the ground and moved no more IL
was just AT sundown- The last buffalo was dead:
IL was not possible 10 pack In the hundreds OF
pounds of meat these three great bulls yielded,
50 Rea. after guiding the English sD0rtsmel
back to his ranch With their specimens. and
seeing them on on their way East, returned 20
the place where the caTcasses had been left. In
company with Bob Herman, a well-known
Rocky Mountain ranchman. The night before
they got there several inches OF snow fell. and
they reached the spot where the three bunaloes
had been killed only 70 find that cinnamon
haars had devOured the meat one hig