New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-05
ROOSEVELT'S BUFFALO.
Hoe He StaIked and Shot One
Biggest Herd May Be Scattered.

BIGGEST Herd May Be Scattered.
Butte Mont. May 4 (SpeciaD with the
opening of the Flathead Reservation IN Mon
tana to settlement the coming summer the Iast
large herd of buffaloes in the United States VIII
be scattered to the four winds or removed 10
the BIackfoot Reservation. further north or into
the Milk River country of the Canadian prov
inces"
This is the statement made by Howard Eaton,
Of Wyoming, who is interested in a band OF
buffaIoes most of which belong to Michael
Pablo The herd consists Of about $50 animals
THE Pablo herd is the largest in existence"
said Mr.. Eaton land comprises one-third or all
the bunaoes in the world. A few wears ago.
when Buffalo Jones went broke big ir-
rigating scheme, he sold buffaloes then in Kan
sas to Pablo and Allard, making the largest
bunch Of pure bloods in the world, and carry
ing the strains of the old herds Of Texas. Indian
Territory Western and Northern Montana.
North Dakota and Manitoba. When 1 pur-
chased the Allard interests there were 400 in
the herd, and I secured four-1fths Of the Allard
holdings 1 have been gradually selling them
off, and this year I expect to dispose of most
Of the remainder"
Mr. Eaton IS typical Westerner, large ana
strong Of frame and bronzed and tanned by
many years of ranch life and contact with biz
yards and the winds and SHOWS Of the North
west Territory. He settled in Nebraska in 1868,
when the plains were alive with great herds Of
buffaloes, wild horses and antelope. In 1873
he went to the Bad Lands of Dakota and took
I'D what was known as the Custer Trail ranch,
being the only settler in that part Of the coun-
try. His home became the rendezvous Of hunt
ing parties and travellers and visited by
many noted men and sportsmen.
It was there that he first met Theodore Roose-
welt on his hunting trip in 1888, and Roosevelt
was so impressed with the country that he re-
turned the following year and established the
famous Maltese Cross ranch.
How big was the Maltese Cross rancho" was
asked.
How big?" repeated Mr. Eaton. "Well there
was no way to tell just what the size Of it was,
but, the boys used to say up there, 1T reached
all the way from hell to Texas Roosevelt es-
tablished one other ranch in that part OF the
country He got his first buffalo on the trip in
1888. When he struck the country he wore
sealskfn chaps a broad brimmed hat with fancy
band long gloves with buckskin ribbons dan
Cling from them and a small arsenal of silver
mounted guns.
zone day Roosevelt went out with Joe Ferris.
about seventy-1ve miles south Of where Medora
now is. The first night out their horses were
stampeded by small bunch Of buffaloes. Roose-
Welt and the other fellows took after them in
hurry about half dressed, and in the morning
Roosevelt got a long range shot at buffalo,
but failed to touch meat. Next day he went out
stalking and got a shot bull in a small
valley behind ridge. He dropped it, all right.
He was so tickled that he danced up and down,
and pulling a $50 bill from his pocket, gave it
to Joe Ferris. who with him.
" I don't want it, said Joe.
d" Well. take it anyway said Roosevelt. for I
don't, either"
Mr. Eaton sold out the Custer Trail ranch,
and moved to the Wolf postofice, near Sheri-
dan, Wyo., where he has established another
great ranch. Last summer Mr.. Eaton accom-
panied Count Ernest Bernstro6 and his son
Arthur extended hunting trip through
the Flathead country. AS the count wanted to
secure pair Of buffalo heads TO take to his
home at Ouaden Schoenfeld. near Wiesbaden,
Germany Mr.. Eaton sold him two buffaloes
from his bunch on the reservation and the
count and his had the pleasure Of stalking
them for a day or two before they could get
good chance to shoot them, even at long range
and COW. and in few years it will be hard to
get them at any price In speaking OF the
breeding Of these animals. Mr.. Eaton said that
the bunch on the reservation produced sixty
six calves in 1904 and fffty-ive in 1913. He
sold the government herd Of twenty in Octo-
Der, 1902 two bulls and eighteen COWS, for the
Yellowstone Park, and they have now in two
years increased to forty.
Mr. Eaton has sold buffaloes to towns and
individuals all over the United States. He
deals in nothing but the pure bloods. The
mixed breeds. of which Pablo has quite num-
ber crossed with Polled Angus cattle.
easily distinguished by the heightened tail,
finer hair in the coat, and shorter hair on the
forelegs. On the full blood the hair hangs
from the knees almost to the ankles. The buff
falo viii feed with his head against the wind.
being well protected by the shaggy coat
around the shoulders, but the mixed breeds are
inclined to turn tail to the wind, like common
cattle.
Pablo, the owner Of the great herd, is part
Indian and a direct descendant Of the early
Hudson Bay trappers. He is about sXty-three
years old has several children and is worth
at least 100000, half of it being in cash.
While uneducated, Pablo is nevertheless shrewd.
He just won important lawsuit in the United
States Court, in which the treasurer of Mis-
soula County sought to seize of his
property and sell It for taxes. Pablo contended
that q ward of the government he Coud not
be taxed and the case will form important
precedent.
Pablo has just sold thirty-three head OF buff
faloes 10 Miller Brothers, Of Bliss Okla. and they
are on the way TO their ranch. The price
paid was $4,000 Five Of the herd will be
killed, and served TO the visitors present at
the meeting Of the National Education Associa-
ton. which convenes at Guthrie, Okla, June II.