Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-10-21
JUMPING ON BuFFALoEs.
Tiger jacks Truest Story of Marvelou,
Escape,

Tiger jacks Iruest story OF Marvellous
Escape.
Speaking of liars said the
western Kansas man as he knocked
the ashes out of his pipe and looked
at the real estate agent cut of the
corner of his eye, II think western
Kansas can show up some as rare
specimens as l ever set eyes on.
Now, there was old John S. I'll not
give his full name because the old
man still lives out somewhere near
Kiowa, and if he was to get in print
as noted liar he might get hot
When read an account of Speaker
Bill Streets speech up in Jewell
county at an old settlers picnic,
where he said that he had stood on
knoll and seen dense, moving herd
of buffalo as far as the eye could
reach, some way it brought old
John to mind.
"When | first struck the short
grass country, old John was there.
He got me cornered one day and was
SO tickled 10 get a fresh victim that
he hardly stopped even to take a
drink until he had stuffed me SO full
that was partially paralyzed for
month afterward. He gave me to
understand that for years before he
came to Kansas he was one of the
most dreaded desperadoes and In.
dian killers that ever roamed
through the Rocky mountains. l
learned afterward that he wouldn't
fight cat and actually trembled
with fear whenever his Ratchet faced
wife turned loose on him with her
tongue, but when l first met him his
bloodthirsty talk fairly made my
blood run cold.
HE informed me that he was
known far and wide through the
mountains as Tiger Jack, the terror
of the Rockies, but l was going to
speak Of his buffalo story. asked
him one day, just to bring him out,
if he ever got into any tight places
when hev.as hunting buffalo. oh,
I've been in places that suppose
most fellers would call ticklish,' he
replied, but never any place that
ratified Tiger Jack but once, and
+ that time l own l was little wor-
ried.
81 was huntin buffalo down the
Medicine valley along in 1870. The
country was just alive with the crit
ters, and ] was knockin 'em right
and left, when all at once somethin
started a stampede, and 10000 600 or
1000, goo buffalo came rushin down
the valley, just maxim the ground
shake as they come. seen at once
that l would have to get out of there
Or be run over, but my pony was all
tagged out, and the herd kept gain
in on him at every jump. / saw
that them buffalo was goin to run
that pony down and that something
had to be done and done quick.
Well, sir, seen that there was just
one thing to do. l waited till the
mead buffalo was right Gu my pony's
flank, and then / made jump and
landed right on that buffalo S hump.
Then, sir, l just went jumpin
from the back of one buffalo to an
other an shootin as went-thought,
maybe, you know, that could scat
ter the herd and get chance to get
down on the ground Well, sir,
| when struck the rear end of that
stampede l was only mile from
home. / went out the next day and
measured the distance from where
jumped from my pony to where
hit the ground and found l had trav.
eled on the backs OF buffalo for 81
miles. III tell you honestly, mister,
/ think it was little the closest
shave l ever had. kansas City
Journal.