Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-05-23


more famous men of the day, had their
buffalo hunts.
Men and women crossing the plains
on the Union Pacific or the Atchlson,
Topeka and Sante Fe route used to sit
at the open car windows or on the car
platforms with loaded rifles for hours
at a time, watching for chance l"
shoot bison that might possibly pc
within range as the cars went along.
Many times trains We're stopped an
hour or two. when by an unusual
chance a buffalo herd was near, so as
TO permit the overland passengers to
Kill their bumaloes. The dime mover
literature of the day was principally Of
.he doings of buffalo hunters and
smart lads out on the plains. \ mama
10 kill buffaloes FOR fun or for money
Fnaking went over the country from
1869 to about 1876.
Among tha several wholesale
methods of Staying buffalocs. when the
determination Of the herds became an
organized industry, the still hunt was
the most deadly. There was almost no
element Of risk. ana not 4 trace of
! IsDortsmansh iii ID. It was practical
| ~ a wholesale butchery Of the beasts,
| with saving in time and ammunition
for the hunter. whose sole idea was to
nile up carcasscs of buiralOcS at 50
Imuch 4 head. The genuine buffalo
hunters. VINO pursued their game on
n"'7'p't'h anu S"N' Wy '''"H'H H'''i'
S'o" % -, '''' ,t
ers numbered hundreds. and they
t,p,I. tr,tI ,t-pug.. M ybniI SlpltpIi
.''%'i. @""u ''','i '',' il .i,,'
,"'i II" .,, .,.~..i .rf.,,
i ~ - .,... - t'''1
Ia Io , l.'JI ,i,iI.,. and ba,,a ,boro,,(,h
f,r,iIi,ritv with vaanons ouick n,d--
menr ana j steady aim we're essentials
NJ bufraIo hunting, Whenever thu
hunters discovered \ herd of buffalo.
they usually cot to Ireward of if and
nui4fly and .droitIy rode forward in 4
Lol1- an. stretched uut i'm . skirnisb
line often thp sluggish animals. with
confidence due more to their num-
bcrs than anything else. would allow
party 10 approach within from 2G0 To-
TOO wards Of their flank. Then by a
common Impulsr the herd would move
fn,.ylrJ WV i sIpw ioar which became 4
nal stamp4da of halnwinp creatures
lDRN became tNtlttG ne hunters
rban mn; sDurs to their horses and
dashed forward The fatal Spo: on a
buffalo is about a foot i'm circumfer-
anca. ana II situated immediately back
.r thc rnrc l,a, W tn1t HI \ man. even
l poor shot. Ken, his nerve. H. was an
most sure 10 bring down his game.
seldom, IF .yrr wasting a shot. The
dangers. AZ course. we're many, ana on
almost every ruuud-up accidents oc-
CURED. 4 feu Hi which we're fatal.
Nov. the StuI hunters Of huffaloes
had no time 10 spend i'm = chase after
thai. victims The still hunters worked
In gangs of IAN o,. tfrtaan a fey, -aur.
M hufraIn hunters comnris4d thirty
men. a gang VI Fifteen energetic still
hunters have. killed as many as, $50
bIlrfaIoas in one day. Many gangs haV,.
slain uurn than thirty head between
dawn ana eundown. Eauipr.d with 4
rite. several belts VI cartridges. ar
assortment pr knives for cutting Nh the
carcasscs. ana food ana water sUtfi-
cfent for. = day. the still hunter used tu
steal from his camp to n spot where a
herd was known To br sleeping on the
prairie. Silently tina hunters took j
secret position within 2On yards of the
eIarpina buff3In.g. ana there. with =