Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-30
BUFFALO SLAUGHTER
Million and a Half in Great
Northern Herd.
TWELVE HIDES TO A TEPEE
Indians and Whites Alike Go @Buf-
falo Mad"
STILL HUNT THE MOST POPULAR
Extinction a Surprise to Hunters
Network Of Buffalo Trails ALI
That Was Left.
TWELVE HIDES TO A TEPEE
STILL HUNT THE MOST POPULAR

With the final slaughter of the great
southern herd by far the greater number
of the buffalo which had inhabited the
United States In 1870 disappeared forever
The northern herd, which had been sepa-
rated from the main body by the building
of the Union Pacific railroad. did not con-
tain half many animals as had been
slaughtered between 1870 and 1874 although
the range they grazed over was, very much
larger than that which had been occupied
by the southern herd. Still. there were a
million and half of them at least, but
every one of them was doomed even though
the white men had not fired a shot. They
were beset on nearly all sides by thousands
Of Indians-Sioux, Blackfeet. Assiniboines,
Crows, Cheyennes, Piegans, Gros Ventres,
Bloods and Shoshones-wrose favorite occu-
patton was hunting. and whose favorite
quarry was buffalo. Right up to the begin
ming Of the final slaughter, these Indians
actually marketed seventy-hve thousand
buffalo robes every year, and probably
killed four times that number for their
own use.
1t took from eight to twelve hides to cover
even ordinary teepee and for those of
large size, from twenty to twenty-five hides
were used Thus, 1t Is estimated that the
Indian tribes of the northwestern territories
slaughtered annually in the neghbor-
hood of three hundred and seventy-five
thousand buffaloes At this rate alone. the
northern herd would have been extermi-
mated before very long, though had there
been assistance from the guns OF the
white men it would have taken the Indians
several years longer to accomplish the maj
result The building of the Northern Pa
cific railroad merely fastened an END when
would soon have been reached even without
1t. Thousands of people seemed TO go Dull
falo mad and never recovered until prac-
tically the last wild buffalo was gone
Beginning Of the End.
The beginning of the end was reached
about 1880. Up to this time, buffaloes were
killed ostensibly for their robes and meat.
and the killing was. in the main, limited
to the season when the robes were In good
condition. Now. however. the hunting was
kept up the whole year round; in winter
for the usual products: in the summer Tor
the hairless hides. The latter were OF COM
paratively small value, but never Nina
they were worth something; this trade IN
volved the killing Of cows with their help-
less calves. but what OF II, II II aHoroeo
amusement and scanty living to a horde
of ruffians who were thus able to gratify
their love Of bloodshed without danger OF
being hanged for 1t?
The methods of slaughter adopted In the
case of the northern herd were practically
the same as were used against the south
ern herd a short time before-the stlii-hunt
was the most popular because 1t y1eoed
the shortest space of time, with the least
possible danger to the butcher
Deal Death Without Moving.
This method permitted single man to
annihilate an entire bunch of buffaloes with
out moving from given spot, and perhaps
within the space Of an hour. The most
Infamous hunter in Montana-1 will not
mention his name because we ought to try
to forget it--boasted of having killed a
hundred and seven animals from one
stand In an hour. and the same 1ndlvfduai
claimed the distinction" of having siaugh-
tered five thousand buffaloes in single
season. Among fellows Of this class, one
hardly had a right to hold up ms head
at all unless he could prove his ability 10
kill at least a thousand or two year, ana
there were many far too ambitious to be
satisfied with any such modest scores.
The chief difference between this great
massacre and the one which resulted In
the determination of the southern herd was
seen In the attention paid to the marketing
of the product. 1t is only fair to say that
the criminal wastefulness which character
lied the slaughter of the southern buffaloes
was not repeated To be sure in the sum
mer, very frequently the hides alone were
taken and the carcasses We're lett to rot,
but when the robes were In good conol-
ton they were now considered too valua-
bic to waste.
Skins Ripped From Body.
During the early years of the southern
slaughter the skins were in many cases lit
orally ripped from the bodies, sometimes by
a team of horses which were attached after
the head of the animal was securely fixed
with an iron bar driven through the skull
deep into the ground. OF course robes
treated in this way were of little II any
value, and the enterprising SINNERS soon
abandoned this rapid and heroic method fer
others which were more thorough II some
.-f.- Ln H., +oI~4 80
the northern herd, robes were worth from
$50 to $3.50 apiece, and We're treated as
carefully as so much money, and the per-
centage of loss was made so small that a
hundred robes sent to the market repre-
scented not more than one hundred and ten
dead animals. And this comparatively small
waste was not wfilful but resulted chiefly
from the escape of wounded animals, which
finally became the prey of wolves and other
wild animals.
Last Great Killing.
The last great killing occurred in west
ern Dakota in 1888. A herd which at the
beginning of the previous season had num-
bered ten thousand. had rapidly dwindled
to one thousand. when. in October, Sitting
Bull and his band of nearly a thousand
braves from the Standing Rock agency fell
upon this last bunch and in two days wiped
1t completely off the earth.
The buffalo had gone, but strangely
enough not even inc putcu6FS themselves
were aware of it. There had always been
buffaloes-theusands and millions of them
and there always would be bnffaloes they
thought. In the fail of 1883 they nearly all
fitted out usual and went out to the
range as confident as ever But, alasI
the plains which had for myriad years
echoed to the laundering tread of marching
hosts were for the first time silent wilder
nesses. Buffalo wailows were thereby
thousands buffalo trails crossed and re-
crossed the country like network; there
were bleaching bones almost as numerous
as the blades of prairie grass, but the great
picturesque beings which had peopled the
plains were gone. and the fnsatiate butch
ers were at last forced to unload their USE
less guns and sheathe their bloody knives.
ERNEST HAROLD BAYNES.
The Reasoning Power Of the Dog.