The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1909-12-17
NOTED COWBOY
IS KNOWN HERE
"BUFFALo" JONES, WHO PLANS
TO ROPE LIONS IN AFRICA.
STOPPED TRAIN TO HUNT BISON

Believe He Could Tie Lion Alone,
Once He Had It Roped
Charles j. (Buffalo) Jones, who
starts for Africa from Arizona next
March to rope and tie with his own
hands specimen Of every dangerous
wild animal in that country, rs well
known by j. II. Shurtz and J. II. Wolf
kiel, two Norfolk citizens, who in the
early days were on friendly and in.
innate terms with Mr.. Jones. Mr.
Wolfkiel who is foreman in The Daily
News job department. had many n
pleasant chat with Jones while at
Garden City, where Wolfkiel was on
the staff of the Garden City Sentinel
in 1887.
In those days Jones had a large
herd of buffalo, antelope and large
variety of animals for breeding pur-
poses. He at that time was quite an
old man, but was known to be the
| youngest old man in the country"
He could rope buffalo as easy as he
when news of a wild buffalo came to
the town, Jones absented himself from
home and shortly afterward turned
up in the possession of the buffalo.
Before taking up the breeding Of
buffaloes Jones was employed as en-
gineer on the Santa Fe. On one of his
| trips through the territory where Gar
den City now lies, which was then a
rolling plain, Engineer Jones stopped
his train and, in company with his
| fireman, left the train and started
hunting buffaloes. From that time on
he was known at Dodge City and
throughout the cowboy country as
Buffalo" Jones.
Mr. Shurtz, who probably knows
Jones as well as any man, has some
interesting recollections of him. He
says Jones is now about 70 years old
and he cannot understand how such
an old man can find enough interest
for the proposed African venture Of
Jones. In 1879, when Mr.. Shurtz was
in the lumber business at Garfield,
Kan, he furnished Jones with a car
load of lumber, which built the Jones
residence at Garfield. He learned
then that Jones had just come from
Sterling, Kan, where he was in the
real estate business and, although he
had a large business, it did not sue
coed financially. From Sterling Jones,
in company with a number of other
real estate men, came to Garden City
and were the originators of that town
which is now one Of the best little
cities in Kansas. Later Jones sold
out his interest in the townsite and
started a large irrigation proposition
near Garden City and, being of rest
less disposition, he again sold out and
gathered up a large buffalo herd and
started in business as buffalo breed
err Mr.. Shurtz later heard from Jones
in 1898, when he had his buffalo herd
on exhibition in Chicago, occasionally
selling one or two of these animals tC
circus men.
When he left Chicago he was stop
ped at Omaha, where from financial
embarrassment he was forced to part
with his buffaloes. He was next heard
from in Texas, where he was the head
of movement of the Farmers ALI
ance railroad with a proposition tc
start a road from Galveston to the
lakes, barring all corporations.
When thirty miles of this road was
completed it suddenly fell through ant
Jones again travelled north, becoming
keeper of Yellowstone park and hi
was private guide of ex-Presiden
Roosevelt when the colonel visited tn,
park. That is the last time Mr.. Shurt:
heard of him until the story appeared
in The Norfolk News this week of tn,
proposed African venture. Although
; there is much talk that "Rnffalo" Jones
was an Indian fighter, this, according
to Mr.. Shurtz is in error. He was
however, a good talker and neve
lacked any good financial hackers 70
> any of his schemes. He can rope an,
living thing from a rat to a buffalo
says Mr.. Shurtz. G. J. Jones has 70
some time been in the United State
government employ, cross-bTeedin
buffaloes and cattle in Arizona.
"There Is not doubt that it will b
easy for Jones to rope lions" said on
of his Norfolk friends, provided h
has a good COW pony under him, bu
how he expects to rope a lion whe,
> usually that animal comes toward hi
captor, instead of away, is a questio
we cannot solve"
! If Jones gets lion on the run hi
Norfolk friends believe there is n
doubt whatever that he can rope an
tie it alone.
n LIFE CONVICT GROWING RICH.