The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-11-17
BUFFALO" JONES Is DEAD.
A PICTURESQUE FRONTIERSNiN
kNOWN TO All THE WEST.
Dunaioes We're Ills Hobby He bred Them
TO Demonstrate Their Value. ana
Never Ceased Protesting Against Al
loving he Extinction OF the Breed.

most everybody in the West. Is dead. He
passed away at Salina, Kan. last week,
at the age Of II, and in him went one
Of the most picturesque survivors OF
the rough frontier life Of the early COS.
n the best friend that the dead race OF
prairie monarchs ever had
Charles j. Jones was his real name, but
he knew more about buralOes than any
other living man in the country. West or
East, 40 TO everybody he became just 'Buf-
falo" Jones. He had spent twenty-seven
years of frontier life in hunting buffalo.
and he had caught more than any other
man Of his time
Bufaloes were his hobby. He talked
increasingly Of bunaloes, and Of the crime.
as he called il, of discriminating such noble
beasts. lie caught and domesticated four
herds OF them to prove his theory that
they were fine cattle. good for other things
than their hides and meat.
But his demonstration and appeals
were in vain He lived to see the great
race pass away under his very eyes.
He was an Interesting person to look at
tall, commanding and rugged. On the few
occasions on which he visited New York
he was the object of attention wherever
he went. His splendid physique, long
hair and grizzled beard, his huge buffalo
skin coat and sombrero-like buffalo hat
made him a conspicuous object in any
! crowd, and from the moment he stepped
on the train until he boarded il again he
aways had an audience eager to learn
about buffaloes and to hear stories OF life
on the plains. Nobody ever succeeded
in exhausting his stock Of these stories.
II was one of his hobbies TO Clothe him
| lii -, IaaI ., f,,V IL, rn rpNanf GsfAr which
the buffalo had supplied the material.
That was part Of his demonstration of the
usefulness of the breed
He always carried a large ROBE Of buffalo
hide. Then he wore an rcoat made
of the soft fur which is next TO the skin.
He had the same fur also made up, into
hats, into stockings and underClothing,
| and even woven into cloth.
They're the noblest beasts Of the earth
said Jones always Of the bufaloes he
championed.
He was born in New England, but by
| education and training the man was typi-
| cally Western. While he was a child his
parents moved TO Illinois and he was cdu-
Gated in Bloomington, with Gov. fifer OF
that State and Adlai +. Stevenson, alter
ward vice-President of the United States.
After leaving college he wandered
through the West, RAINING Ia ufe a rife
and a lasso. and toward the close OF the
| Civil Val he settled in Kansas settled.
that is. as far as a frontiersman ever does
! srt,lc permanently anywhere. He farmed
and hunted alternately and by and bye he
went into politics, serving eight terms IN
che Kansas Legislature on the hepuDhcah
side Of che House,
In 1884 he was a delegate at large from
| Kansas to the National Convention at
| Chicago and worked TO secure the noini-
nation If Blaine.
All the time the rapid determination Of
the buffalo was a weight on his conscience
| Knowing what bufaloee were, as he said'
| h. regarded II az a tad business proposition
for The United States 10 permit the eX-
! ~tinction Of the breed He wanted 10 pre-
serve the bufalocs 10y DEMONSTRATING them,
and no was sure IL could he u auagod
In 1855. since nothing had been done
about il and the herds were vanishing
fast from the plains he DECIDED TO 60 mo
tie buffalo business himself and sell as
many a. possible 81 the few remaining
for game preserves and parks.
In the spring Of that year he took a small
hand af men and crossed over into Texas.
He found a herd of buffalo and managed
t. capture fourteen calves, four 81 which
he succeeded in taking alive To his ranch
at Garden city. kan.
The next wear he Ncnt TO the plains again.
secured birty->evrn calves and succeeded
In saving thirty-two Of them. IS tlat
time h.. had learned a wrinkle AZ To the
care 81 young buffalo calves To feed his
new stock he took along 60 Texas twenty
mich COWS.
Jones was twelve cows shy On" COW
could only uourl-h one hu'aln. and that
none too we'll Jones hustled around ih"
country 20 find a man who would sell hW
twelve more mich COWS ana then h1-
trDuhle~ began
The ranchmeu didn't believe that any
ran would be- fool "u'ugI 80 eaten h,'
bufalDe~ 90 nv tu dun"'il'h'r it.tlH u
lls search f,r DuWS Jones 'uulibl carr
th. urva,puglt ~Nuuug-t"r~ around WITH
IN. - .aItAFIlr IuFTuHafa and u hen ItH