The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1909-05-04


natural result OF the advancement of
civilization. Its range was gradually
settled by white men, and these men
used the animal for food as they ad-
vanced Nothing but domestication
could possibly have saved it i'm the
East, and the early settlers had far too
much to do to undertake to domesti-
cate so wild and powerful an animal
as the buffalo. The herds had practi-
cally disappeared from the country
east of the Mississippi as early as the
year 1900, though few animals sur
vived until 1880.
The determination of the buffalo
west OF the Mississippi might be saiG
to be the result of the advancement
or barbarism. To be sure, it settled
the Indian question forever, since the
savages were helpless as soon as their
main food supply had gone Neverthe-
less, with little foretAought on the
part OF the government there is no
doubt that great numbers of the splen-
did creatures might have been saved;
| the wholesale and wasteful slaughter
OF our most numerous valuable native
animal was crime which should have
been averted, and that no serious at.
tempt was made to avert it is a dis
grace which it will take long to wipe
out
Long before the white men began
their fearful systematic slaughter of
the buffalo they had taught and en-
couraged the Indians to kill the ami
mails whenever they could for the robes
and tongues. Fur-trading posts were
established at numerous points
throughout the buffalo country and
here the red men could bring in their
skins and exchange them for liquor.
Catlin, writing from the mouth of the
| Teton River in 1882, thus comments on
this trade: 1T seems hard and cruel
! (does it not?) that we civilized people,
with all the comforts and luxuries of
the world about us, should be drawing
from the backs of these useful animals
the skins for our luxury, leaving their
carcasses to be devoured by tho
wolves; that we should draw from that
country some 10000 to 100000 of
their robes annually, the greater part
|
mails that have been killed expressly
for the robe, at a season when the
meat is not cured and preserved, and
for each of which skins the Indian has
received but a pint of whiskey! Such
is the fact, and that number, or near
1t, are annually destroyed, in addition
to the number that is necessarily kill
| ed for the subsistence of 100000 In
dams, who live chiefly upon them"
In many instances, great numbers of
buffaloes were killed during the sum-
mer, when the robes were of no use
whatever, the tongues of the animals
alone being taken by the improvident
savages. Catlin tells of a band of 600
Sioux crossing the Teton River to at
tack an immense herd, and returning
| at shutdown with 1,400 fresh buffalo
! tongues, for which they received a few
! gallons of whiskey, soon consumed in
a little harmless carouse." Not a sin
! gle robe nor another pound of flesh
was taken, from a slaughtered herd
consisting OF more buffaloes than &C
tually exist in the United States today,
and weighing in the aggregate perhaps
/ 500 to 900 tons.
The Red River halfbreeds. when
hunting the buffalo, organized their
/ forces with as much care as If they
had been going into battle. Some idea
of the scale on which one of their an
nual expeditions against the buffalo
was conducted may be had by a glance
at the following figures, which repre-
sent the Amy which they assembled
for this purpose at Pembina in June,
1910: Hunters, G2O; women, ESQ: boys
and girls, $50; total number of men.
women and children, 1880; horses
/ (buffalo runners), 403 cart horses.
/ ESQ., total number of horses. loss.
carts, 1910; draught oxen, $780, dogs,
/ 542; skinning knives. 1,240. II Is es-
/ timated that the cost of this expedi-
/ ton, including the working time occu-
| pied 1.-TWO months), was nearly $12O,-
/ 600. Mr. Ross describes one such
\ hunt which he attended as follows:
"Our array In the field must have
been grand and imposing one to
those who had never seen the like No
less than 400 horsemen, all mounted
/ and anxiously waiting the word Start,
| took up their position I'm a line at one
| end OF the camp. while CaptWilke,
/ with his spyglass at his eye. surveyed
| the buffalo, examined the ground and
issued his orders. At o'clock the
whole cayalcade broke ground and
made for the buffalo. first at a slow
trot, then at a gallop. and lastly at full
/ speed Their advance was over a
I deadlevel plain having no hollow or
shelter OF any kind to conceal their
approach.
when the horscmen started the
cattle might have been a mile and a
/ half ahead. but they had approached
to within 400 or 500 yards before the
/ bulls curved their tails or paved the
| ground In a moment more the herd
/ took fight, and horse and rider are
| presently seen bursting I'm among
| them. shots are heard and all is
smoke dust and hurry The fattest are
/ first singled for slaughter, and in less
/ time than We have occupied with the
| description n thousand carcasscs gtrcw
| the plain. Those who have seen
squadron or horse dart into battle may
imagine the scene. which we have no
skill to depict The earth seemed to
tremble when tho horses started. but
tr NON fho oufrnoIe nod 90 vvae lilo fho