The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-11-11
BIG GAME IN TEXAS.
When the Buffalo and Antelope We're
Multidinous.
(From the Galveston News.)

The inquiry constantly on the lips of
those who ask about the West is, "What
has become of all the game which former
| ~ covered the great plains and crowded
into the brakes along the streams of
that country" 1t has not been SO long
ago when truly these plains were filled
with buffalo. But the story of them is
known to all. In the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition at Washington there is picture
of the last OF these monarchs of the
plains. 1t represents man lying in a
small depression in the prairie, sighting
his long-ranae gun at small herd of
buffalo grazing not far away. All around
him were the skeletons OF this animal,
which had been killed by those who had
come before him. 1t was the saddest pic
! ture imaginable, and told of cruelty,
wantonness and greed.
I remember when went buffalo hunt
ing back in 1876 that we came upon a
party of buffalo hunters-men who made
business of hunting and killing the an
finals for their hides. They warned us
away from where they were, as our pres
enee disturbed their game. They talked
as ii they owned the animals and would
not brook our presence. We explained
that we were only hunting for sport and
did not intend to kill many of the beasts,
as thy explained. we ran after them with
our horses. We frightened the whole
herd and drove them away, thus putting
these lords of the prairies to too much
trouble in following them.
Their manner of Strengthening the ami
mails was to lie in depression in the
prairie or behind rock and from these
points calmly shoot at long distance in
to the herd which fed about on the grass
The distance of the shooters from the
game prevented the latter from taking
fright, and thus they were killed by the
hundreds of dozens before they would
take the alarm.
Such parties as this were generally ac-
companied by wagon which carried pro-
visions and ammunition and the camp
outfit When the slaughter of the day
was about at an end the wagon would
come ND. The animals would be turned
on their backs, the skin cut down the
stomachs, around the tail, then down the
leg and around the ankles. Stakes were
driven in the ground and the hind legs
tied to them. A hook was then sunk into
the hide near the tail, rope attached to
the hook was tied to the wagon, and
when it was driven away the hide was
peeled from the body 1t was quick and
effective work and many q hide could be
taken in a day by this process OF skin
ming. In time all the buffalo which were
on the wild prairies, by which 1 mean
those prairies which had not been in
closed by wire fences disappeared. Then
the work of collecting the bones of the
destroyed herds commence1. This work
brought thousands of dollars to the
country. And when it was done it may
had been wiped out.
1t may be asked why something was
not done in the past to preserve the buffa-
uirely reasonable one. asked it myself
fifteen years ago, when it became appar-
ent that they had to go. / asked it of
Gov. Throokmorton. l was surprised
when he told me that the buffalo ought
not to be preserved, and when the day
came when there were none of them it
would be the best day in the calendar for
the State. He then went on to explain
that the buffalo was the mainstay OF the
Indian. AS long as there was q herd in
Texas Just SO long the rowing Comanche
was an Independent being, and 1t would
be impossi BILE to either tame him or make
him remain on his reservation. Now as
he would not remain on the reservation
just as long as he could leave 1t to hunt