The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-05-15
BUFEALO as. BARBARISM.
BetUeen assaults East and Vest, Great Herds
Hal to Go.

The disappearance of the buffalo
east of the Mississippi was gradual,
and came about almost entirely as the
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 in 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 a few animals sur
vived until 1880.
The determination of the buffalo
west of the Mississippi might be said
to be the result of the advancement
of 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 sple2-
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 xiii 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 Injuries 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
Of which have been taken from ami
mails that have been killed expressly
for the robe, at season when the
meat is not cured and preserved, and
for each of which skins the Indian has
received but pint of whiskey! Such
is the fact, and that number, or near
it, 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 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 few
gallons OF whiskey, soon consumed in
little harmless carouse." Not sin
gle robe nor another pound OF flesh
was taken, from a slaughtered herd
consisting of more bunaloes than a.
tually exist in the United States today,
and weighing in the aggregate perhaps
800 to 500 tons.
The Red River halfbreeds, when
hunting the buffalo, organized their
forces with as much care as II 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 glance
at the following figures. which repre-
sent the army which they assembled
for this purpose at Pembina in June,
1870: Hunters. $40: women. $50; boys
and girls, 800; total number OF men,
women and children. 1850; horses
buffalo runners), 4o3; cart horses,
655; total number Of horses, 1888;
carts, 1910; draught oxen, $50; dogs,
542: skinning knives, 1,240. 1t is es-
timated that the cost Of this expedi- |
ton, including the working time occa-
pied 1.-TWO 7months), was nearly $780, |
600. mir. 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 in line at one
end OF the camp. while Capt Wilkie.
with his spyglass at his eye. surveyed
the buffalo, examined the ground and
issued his orders. At o'clock the
whole cavalcade broke ground and