The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-06-10
Eastern Man Praises Him for
knowledge of Animals.
DOES WHAT HE SAYS
People Who Doubt Him Make
Mistake, Says Keeper.
Deserves Credit for Preventing
determination of Buffalo.

New York, June 10-"Spanking griz
Ely; lassoing buffaloes, and, in Africa,
big rhino and honess. Those are
some of the feats that Buffalo Jones
takes as a matter of course" said Will
liam T. Hornaday, the naturalist and
the director of the Bronx zoo, seated at
desk overhung with great deers'
heads, in a luxurious office. Looking
across a sweep of trees in May foliage
to the animal houses, Mr.. Hornaday
continued:
"Over there in the lion house is the
lioness Buffalo Jones roped in Africa.
He is The most remarkable sportsman
that ever lived. The exploit of his that
best like to think about, though 1t
isn't half so remarkable as lassoing a
lioness, is his spanking grizzly N
Yellowstone park.
THE grizzlies had been getting very
fresh and sassy in the park and had
chewed off one visitors leg. Jones got
permission to discipline them. He just
went out and hunted up the biggest
and most dangerous of the lot. After a
fierce fight. he got it roped around the
neck. They strung the ropes across
the limb of a tree and hauled up Mr..
Grizzly. There it SWUNG, bowling
and growing. Well, Buffalo Jones just
came up and looked it over, like quiet
old school teacher, and then he got
club and started spanking it. How he
did whale that bad beast! 1t kicked
and bit and hammered, but he kept
right on spanking it. Everyone thought
that when it was let down it would at
tack the whole bunch. But, no sir! 1t
simply made tracks back into the
woods, and neither it nor its acquaint-
ances made peep after that for
months.
THAT was a characteristic feat of
Jones. But there's curious psycholo-
gical fact about him. Many people,
even many genuine western plains
men, believe that -heS a combination of
liar and egotist, whereas, actually, he's
the most truthful and modest sports
man who ever lived.
Think He's BIowhard
"They think he's a liar Sbecause he
does things without getting their per-
mission, or asking how they construe
Hoyle, beforehand. The ordinary plains
man doesn't believe that a man could
rope a buffalo, and won't believe that
Jones has done it. But he has. Plenty
of times. A man must actually see him
at work before he can believe the
things he can do. Why, a friend of
mine came back from the west declar-
ing that the westerners called him a
liar. I know. But I also know what
I've seen, and what Emerson Hough
has seen.
LAS for his egotism, he's the most
modest and gentle man living. SO quiet
and soft spoken and courteous. But if
you get him to tell of his exploits, the
only way he can possibly do it is to use
T. all the time, because he himself was
the central figure in all these feats.
If he We're a less remarkable
sportsman he would be believed to be a
much greater one by many who believe
that he couldn't possibly have done the
things he has.
I'm glad we gave him that big din
ner Of the Campfire club in December,
1909. The club, you know, has Dan
Beard and William E. Coffin, and
Thompson-Seton and the other big
sportsmen for members. Mr.. Roosevelt
was the first honorary member How
We cheered Jones, And he was as quiet
as a church mouse all the while.
''Of course one reason why we Toasted
him was because of his public service in
preserving the buffaloes. All the 100
now in captivity spring from "a an
cestors, and Jones captured and pre-
served 56 of that IA"