The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-02
WHITE. SLAYER OF BUFFALO.
Famous Man in Ills Day Throughout
the Texas Panhandle.

"a man who had killed 100000 buff
falo would be something of a novelty
now, no doubt, but there passed away
few years ago man who, to the
best of my belief. accomplished that
Slaug liter during a rather brief career.
He was Jim White Never heard of
Jim White? Well, I'm surprised"
Colonel William Rodney-''Bill' Rod
ney of Sonora, Mexico, as he prefers
to be caned-settled back in his chair
in the lobby of the National and blew
rings of smoke refiectively. at was,
let me see. somewhere in the SOS, be-
fore the s. P. went through, as we
reckon time out my way. Before the
Southern Pacific crossed Texas, and
after the S. p. went through there
dates for you, as chronological as the
reigns Of the Ptolemies.
We'll, Jim White and I were young
sters then. in the Texas panhandle,
working for Tommy Owens, who
owned as swell a bunch of longhorns
as could be found in the southwest.
Buffalo were as plentiful as cattle in
those days They ranged in enormous
herds from Mexico to Manitoba, great
big herds, living aValancheS of hoofs
hides and heads The Indians and
the white men, too, for they were
worse than the Indians, knowing bet
ter, used to kill something outrageous.
1T was nothing to murder a dozen
of the finest animals that ever walked
on four legs, cut out their tongues
to feed the coyotes. Jim White was
known as the keenest man after buff
falo in the west, and reckon he got
his share. He was a wonder.
"One time, I remember, we had
been on a long scout after cows in
what is now Chaves county, New Mex
leo, up by the headwaters of the
Pecos. We were out of meat and
right, we'H get some. There's buffalo
not far Off can smell EN- Finally
we came up with the herd. The plains
were black as far as the eye could
reach. We didn't want to start the
whole bunch off; wanted to keep 'em
around in case we should need more
food, and while we were planning how
to cut out a fat COW or heifer we
saw an old bull, separated from the
rest of the bunch and over little
rising ground. We went after him. I
shot the brute, and down he went. I
got off my horse, walked up to the
beast, pulled out my knife and ran
the blade refiectively across his
muzzle.
Up Jumped the buffalo. as mad as
hornet Jim White yelled out that
had only creased the brute, but
knew it myself. My horse was ter
rorized he wasn't much good any
way, and I knew I had no show at get
ting away I kept my right hand on
the buffalo's rump. and around and
around we went faster than lightning,
roaring like mad.
Jim didn't dare shoot. because as
like as not he would have plugged
buffalo and I were closer
than wax=but he kept yelling out di-
rectons. like man always does when
he's in safe place, cool, calm and
collected, and the other fellows up
against it.
"All this time I was side-stepping
like a dance hall girl. I still had my
knife in my right hand, but I got it in
my left somehow. and then I began
prodding for the buffalo's heart. L
plunged the blade in up to the handle,
but missed the right spot, and the bull
outdid anything he had ever done
before I got ready for another lungel
and let him have it. That time the
blade got through the ribs to the very
heart. A surgeon couldn't have done it
better and the buffalo dropped. Was
he dead? Well, he sure was. son. I
reckon he was the only buffalo that
was ever killed by a knife. Jim
White used to say so, and Jim knew"
Washington Post