People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-07-08
Stories Of An Early Day,


Buffalo hunting Is thing of the
past. My first buffalo hunt was 10
the spring of 1873. A. II. Swan, G.
A, Thompson and myself composed
the outfit. We went on what was
then known as the Hunters Trail,
which passed through where May
field, Milan, ArgOnia and the city of
Harper now stand, and the objective
point being old KiOwa, on Medicine
Lodge river. The first buffalo found
was on the west side of Beaver creek,
in Ryan township. There were six of
them. These were the first wild buff
falO either of US had ever seen, and
the last seen for several days. After
crossing the ChikaSkia there was no
timber until we reached Medicine
river. This we attempted to do, driv.
ing all day and away into the night.
We finally gave it up and campe1. A
cold March wind was blowing from
the north, so to be more comfortable
we all slept, or rather lay in the same
wagon. If the reader has never tried
the feat of three ordinary sized men
sleeping in a narrow wagon bed, they
will fail to appreciate the condition
we were in that night, the wind blow.
Ing at the rate of forty or fifty miles
an hour, and cold. | shall never for
get that night. lay in the middle,
where the peddler frOze to death, sd
the story goes that | orce heard.
Turning over from right side to left
side, or vice versa, was accomplished
by a united effort, with the command
to right spoon or left spoon, given by
the one getting tired first. Imagine
our feelings when daylight came, look.
Ing out, and there in less than a half
mile distant was plenty of timber
and shelter.
From there we went up the Medi-
cine river, in northeast of where
Medicine Lodge city now stands. near
Elm creek. Here we found plenty of
buffalo, but we did not know how to
hunt then. We went at it Indian
style, that is, shooting them on the
run while on our horses. This was
the widest sport l ever had. The
first herd got into on horseback. I
7thought as they all had their tonoues
out that they would soon be unable
TO run, and | would surely have all
tue buffalo | wanted: did not know
that they could run all day that way.
Here on each side Of me we're thous-
anuS OF buffalo and some antelope
mixed up with them. Twice. when
near the head of the herd, part of
Che leaders would turn to the left and
par, 10 the right. This would bring
the two divisions together and they
would file up together until it seemed
like hundreds in file. Both times |
stopped, thinking each time that
there ~Ould be lot of dead ones, but
not so. They would, calves and all,
get up and light out as though moth
ing had happened. This manner of
killing buffalo came near costing ME
my life. One day | was to do the
SHINING. Swan and Thompson were
to do the killing. The knife l was to
use Ia butcher knife, | put in the in.
SIDE breast pocket or my 0verc0at,
with the blade up. Going out to
where the buffalo were, l thought
would kill one and then go to skin
ming. Riding alongside Of COW and
calf as fast as an ordinary horse could
run, and using my revolver trying to
kill the calf, my horse jumped side
ways and threw me off. How many
times l turned over never knew.
The ground where l fell was as level as
barn floor and covered with buffalo
grass. The point of the knife pene-
trated the hollow of my left arm, sew
ering a blood vessel. Before the