The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-03-04
THEY ARE A NOBLE LOT
Speaking Of Charlie AllaFd'S Herd Of
bulIliOeS.
MoNARCHS OF THE PLAINS
Interesting Chat With the Man VIII
Has Made a success of a Re-
narkabie Business
Venture.


Montana. Mr.. Allard is famoushainiy,
perhaps. because be is one of thowners
of tho largest herd of buffalo inxistenco
and no man living has given tohese now
rare animals, more patient srdy and at
tentlon than he. Though the are many
other things which would make him
famous were he less modestn telling MS
adventures and history.
he IS sill a young man athc ago oil Al;
ne mas lived through haTdsips and braFed
Hangers that would turn iany mans
hair gray, and break institution, but
Mr.. Ailard's hair is as blck as coal, his
eye as keen as ever, I'd though out OF
practice now, he can swig iasso from
tho back of any bucing broncho that
runs his range with accuracy and skill.
ms splendid physiqu' perhaps IS due to
his ancestry, for he dos not hesitate to
say that the blood of Indian torefathers
courses in his veins. 10 wears a broad
orlmmed white hat and blue flan-
mel shirt, two rticles of dress
which nave become 5, much part of his
personality, from his long life on tho
plains and parties rs cowboy and eX-
press rider, that he neSer discards them
Tor the stiffness of derby and the boiled
article of civilization and discomfort.
Like man othsrs of the prominent
citizens of this stste, Mr.. Allard walked
could chartei rain of sleepcrs with n
porter for evpry car If he chose to travel,
but he is notlusurious in his tastes and
accommodates lmself to circumstance.
The most corv'nient mode of travel, a
foot, on the hurricane deck of a cayuse or
on a CUSHIONED seat in a palace car. lie
is genial goos fellow with funny story
of nature o. a "Reminiscences that will
entertain an1dearer.
1t was thus a STANDARD reporter en-
joycd an haIr's chat with him yesterday
at the Mortana. During the course of
tho conversation MIR. Allard told of his
buifsloes and their history.
1.-The vey first buffalo / ever saw | cap
tured with my lariat," said he, ION tho
prairIes o. Kansas. l was younger then
than l an now and l know n whole lot
more 5Dout .buffaloes than | did
then, bull learned a great deal in one
short haf hour. / was in charge of a
bunch a cattle down in that country for
Demars in 1870, and, though had never
seen n iuffalo, knew one when l saw
huge bull on knoll about a mile from
where he cattle were feeding. He was
going aong very quietly and paid no at
tentIonto me when | rode up towards
him on horseback. The horse l rode
was a pretty good animal and used to
buffalo hunting and was obedient to
every touch on his rein. had no weapon
except an old-fashioned muZzle-loadlng
revolver, and when | started to see the
buffalo, was drawn by curiosity, but rs
rode closer, q wild desire to capture the
bull drew upon me and determined to
capture him at all hazards.
II was handy with the rope in those
days and as reckless a youth as ever
straddled a broncho. So, as | rode up,
fired my revolver at the bull and missed
him. The shot frightened him, however,
and he started to run. l put spurs to my
horse and followed as fast as possible.
I'M tF n nd 10
the rope that hung from the pommell of
my saddle, and j soon overlook the
buffalo which. luckily for me, was
old and clumsy, and in mighty short time
my lariat was fast over both horns of the
bull. Then / realized that had caught a
tartar, for, as soon as he felt the restraint
of the rope, the bull showed fight. The
line frightened and he wheeled about and
faced me, standing for a moment paving
the ground, raising the dust IN a cloud.
Then he charged. His horn grazed my
horses flank, though spurred him and
he was trained to the business of lodging
steers. Again and again | tried to get
that rope about his foot, but he moved
about SO restlessly and charged so fire.
quently that / was almost ready to cut the
lariat and leave my prize when help, in
the person of a big, fat cowboy, who
proved to be bigger fool than / was,
came upon the scene.
"Then we divided his attention between
us and managed to get the looked-for
hold and in a few minutes the bull lay
PROSTATE in the tolls of my lariat. He
could only struggle vainly and was pow
erless to rise when my pony settled back
and snubbed him up as wo do in branding
steers.
"Tben the other fellow left his horse
and cautiously approached our fallen VIC
tim with his knlfo in hand. The bull |
kicked wildly and frantically and feared |
he would prove too strong for my rope. |
Two or three times my partner retreated |
in mad haste TO his horse, thinking the |
buffalo would break away, and if he had |
there would have been sure death TO a |
man on foot. But the beast could not get |
up, and in few minutes my friend sawed |
i'll two the hamstrings of the buffalo and |
we killed him ut our leisure"
at was about that time conceived the |
idea of keeping herd of buffalo, for at |
the rate they we're being killed then l |
knew that some day they would become /
scarce and valuable. 1 captured four or
five calves and kept them with our herd,
but during the hard winter hay became |
scarce and was compelled to turn them
loose. Then | was never able to start out !
for myself, because every time / wanted |
to quit the boss raised my salary and thus |
persuaded me to keep on cowpunching.
When finally gave it up he was paying
me 500 a month. Then 1 came to the
Flathead valley. l had been wintering
there every year Tor several years, riding
the express route from Horse Plains 10
Mission for Clark Bros. during the winter
season. / bought from tho Indians
a few head of buffalo which they had there
Ia semi-captivity on the reservation. | |
paid them from 500 to 500 apiece for the
ANIMALS and then l started into the bust
ness of raising buffalo. The herd thriyed
IN all seasons. They had a range of from
30 10 20 miles north and south and were
shut in OH both sides by wooded hills
which made as good fence as man
could build. for buffalo do not venture
among The trees.
tine coolest storms of winter do not !
trouble them. for their thick shaggy coats
ire VIVID proof. During the heavy SHOWS
and Billiards ihey climb the hills and !
urning their breasts to the wind defy the
storm. They feed where the snow is thin
hest. Cattle are driven before a storm
md will often 60 with wind |
. or 100 miles from the accus-