The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-13
BIGGEST EVER KNOWN
King Buffalo of His Race to
be Killed Today.
WICHITA BUFFALO BILL"
Fires the Shot--Chicago Ex-
pert Will Dress the Hide.

Today some time between the hours OF
and 2, the big bull buffalo al the Union
stock yards will be slaughtered according
to a carefully arranged and formal pro-
gram Last February he and his mate.
the smaller one, were landed in Wichita
from the Goodnight ranch in Texas. and
ever since have been incarcerated in the
strongest pens of the cattle division. Dur
ing their captivity they have grown stead
lily fat, the big fellow at the same time
continually more and more vicious, while
the younger has been getting more do
meStcated and docile. The big fellow has
had several exciting experiences the past
year. Early last spring he managed 10
get baled hay wire around one hoof and
it was necessary 10 rope him and throw
him on his side to cut it away to save the
foot. This required a whole afternoon
and a small army of men. Lately he has
become so vicious that it was with diff
Guilty he could be fed and attended TO,
and as some fine offers were made Mr..
Payne for the several now valuable parts
it was finally decided 10 kill him.
He is a magnificent specimen Of his
species, and old frontiersmen are united
in saying that he is the biggest they ever
saw on the plains. The skeleton will be
mounted for the Smithsonian institute,
while the hide will go to an eastern mu-
scum where an expert taxidermist will
mount it for relic. The plans now map
ped out are to corral him today about
80, and Buffalo Bill Mathewson has
been selected to fire the fatal shot, as he
has fired so many thousands more with
accurate aim in the forty years of his ca
reer on the plains. He will use a Win
chester rife, Al calfbre. and will aim for
the heart, the vital point being just be-
hind the front leg, right hand side. If
Mr.. Mathewson should be unable TO APP
pear, Manager Fred Dold of the Jacob
Dold Packing company, will take a shot
or two at him, and he promises 20 bag
him early in the fusilade. Originally the
plan was to get him mingled with
bunch of cattle and drive all up the chute
TO the cattle killing department of the
packing house. But by measurements il
was found impossible TO get him through
the low arches, and then. too, the slender
timbers of the chute VIC &Fnelt like snow
should he get an idea 10 dash through
them into the open prairies. So the deed
will be done at the yards. Then his car
cass will be drawn on a stone boat to the
Dold plant where the inanimate form will
be loaded on the s6-ton hydraulic elevator
and hoisted to the seventh floor into the
cattle slaughtering division. There gang
of experts under a special artist from
TO direct will carefully remove the
hide This is most delicate task, re-
curing great skill and experience so as
not TO cut of scar the hide. The carcass
will then be left to hang. all night IN the
killing room. On the Siscing day the
same expert from the east sent here espe-
cially will remove all the meat from the
bones, leaving the skeleton complete.
men under a foreman Will
assist in the work on the animal after he
is landed on the killing beds in the pack
ing house. Great care Will be used not 10
mar the beautiful head, and for that rea
son the heart has been selected as the
point TO strike him. A specially filed and
loaded shell has been procured under the
direction of Mr.. Payne from a local gun
smith. and all the details will be carried
out to the minutest point.
The last dramatic act of the fated brute
before his tragedy occurred yesterday
the property Of the yards, decided to act
the Spain way and do him battle. and the
result was about the same. only there
was no protocol. The odoriferous goat
pinched himself through the pen palings,
but anne out another way. Head down
he rushed bravely at his enemy. Right
off he wished he hadn't. He discovered
his rashness a. The same time that the
buffalo discovered he was here. The Ii
son simply lowered his head. tendeTly
locked his stubby horns among the
prongs of the goat and without the slight
est effort lifted him bodily up into the air.
gently dangled him there few moments
like cat plays with a mouse, and then
with wild shake OF that massive head
hurled him clear over the high stockade
across an alley, landing him among lot
of bales Of hay, where he supinely lay
while to gain time 10 think. Al SHUTDOWN
he was still thinking, and is now as
changed in demeanoT as ever goat could
get.
Bierstadt's famous picture The Las
of His Dying Race comes 10 memory as
this splendid specimen OF an almost ex-
tinct race today gives up his life Twenty
years ago they roamed these very plains
where the packing house. his charnal
house, now stands.
The meat will be sold in steaks in the
city. and more than hal fof it has been
spoken for already.
CASTo1 r. a.
TIA Ki-3 Ma u9ya LlNzTc peH-hi