Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1906-06-28

nerve for young man raised Oh a
farm in. New York State to leave his
friends and make break alone into
the then almost unknown West. There
was frontier" then; now there is
none.
1 went to Junction City. Kan, and
then on foot south to the Santa Fe
Railroad, which was then just being
built, and finally stopped where the
city of Wichita now is. At that time
it was military post. l could stand
there then, and looking southwest
across the Arkansas River, see the
whole country specklcd with buffalo
as far us the eye could reach. l stayed
there few days, and then went on
up the river to what Is now l1utchin-
son. Here I met man who told me
about the Medicine River country,
which was about 125 miles further
southwest. lie represented it rs being
we'll timbered country, with quite
high bluffs along the streams, and rs
all the country where was then had
scarcely any timber, it looked very
dreary to me; besides. l had an idea
of going into the cattle business, 50
decided to go and look at the Medicine
River country.
bought pony and we started. We
had heard of camp of hunters. at
the junction of the Medicine and Tur-
key Greek, who had Il wagon trail into
Wichita. We went south, so as to
strike the wagon trail and follow it to
their camp | proposed taking along
some provisions. but my new friends
said there was no use buying or carry
ing supplies, as we could get all the
game we wanted; SO we went without
any provisions.
Well, we started out, and there
eeemcd to be break in the buffalo,
as there were none In sight, and we
went on all the first day without a
chance to kill anything; and slept that
night OH the ground by chip fire,
with nothing to eat and no timber in
sight. We were on what l afterward
learned was the north fork of the Min
isquaw River. The following day we
Travelled all day and killed nothing
until night, when we stopped Oh the
south fork of the Ninisquaw, ana
killed a bird about as large as robin,
which we roasted and divided between
US.
The following day we began to see
buffalo, and about noon came to TIM
bcrcd stream, and within half an hour
l had killed a big turkey; and l think
that | never tasted any other turkey
quite so good as that was. We camped
there in the timber No one knows
just what luxury timber is to camp
in for fuel, until they have camped
OH the bare prairie and burned chips.
That afternoon my friend killed
buffalo. was greatly surprised at the
size Of the animal. l had seen the
buffalo robes that we used in the East.
and which at that time could be bought
for from So to SO, but they were small,
and | learned that the large ones were
never made into robes, as their great
thickness called for too much work
to dress them. White men never
dressed robes; the Indians did that, as
their time was worth nothing. a
squaw would work month or two
tanning hide; then her lord and mas
ter would trade it to a white man for
n plug of tobacco or n pint Of tirewater.
We went on the next day and reached
the hunters camp, which was owned
by Captain Griffin, formerly of Dutch
css County, New York. The following
fall Captain Griffin was killed by the
Indians about thirteen miles from his
camp Oh the head of Mule Creek. lie
was a fine shot, and although he had
q wooden leg below the knee, he was
one of the best horSemen l ever saw.
1t was by means of the wooden leg
that we were able to identify his bones
when we found his remains. lie had q
needle gun, and in the buffalo WalloW,
where his bones were, we found abont
100 empty shells, which showed that
they had fought there for some time.
There was a man from Pennsylvania
by the name of Van Buren with cap
tain Griffin at that time. We buried
their bones together.
The Medicine River country was an
ideal one for game. The bottoms were
well timbered, and there were plenty
of red deer and turkeys in the timber;
the prairics were alive with buffalo
and antelope. Sometimes the buffalo
would mass together and form vast
herd. and when once started to run,
would go for no one could know now
long. have seen mass Of them, say
half mile wide and perhaps two miles
long, all on the run i Il solid body.
They would come to Il st: cam and go
roaring over the bluff and through the
water. and come in sight Oh the other
side, and the great black river of liv-
ing animals would go pouring on across
the prairie. II something alarmed
those in front they would wheel like a
body of cavalry by the flank, and Oh
they would 20 in another direction.
Willie this great mass of animals
would be sweeping past, others would
be grazing or lying down, and would
not appear to pay any attention to the
galloping herd, unless in front of it.
and then they usually Joined the herd
and went with it. The numbers were
so great that it simply went past the
power of enumeration, and one might
as we'll attempt to count the sands on
the seashorc. saw them once in June
SO thick that they nearly drank the
email streams dry. and poisoned the