The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-02-12
Preacher Dismisses Church for
Buffalo Hunt.
How King of Kansas Beasts
Fought for Life.
SEEKS SHELTER IN STABLE
The Tragedy Delayed by an
UnIOaded Rifle.
Preacher Allowed to Kill Dis
cOuraged Animal.

It was calm, cloudless, beautiful
day way back in IA. The air was
redolent with a million wild onions.
me h1llsfdes were profusely blooming
With cactus. soap weed and skunk
flowers. The expansive prairies re-
verberated with the songs of the crow,
killdeer and jack-snipe. Business was
rushing toothSOme grass roots gath
cred and new homes were being put
down in the Su burbS of every prairie
dog town, while the copperhead and
bull snake were flirting with the rat
tier girls in every dusky raNine- Old
Sol had swung far up toward the
zenith and the boot owl was lazlly
snoring in hollow tree, writes J. D.
Cox of Osborne county
Jack Jemison had just stepped out
OF his commodious 16x1S dugout. on
the banks of the South Solomon, with
a friend here from Pennsylvania, and
was describing to him the character
istics of the chief beast of the plains
mated when splash into the river, up
through the very door yard and on
to the northeast ran q buffalo bull Of
tremendous proportions.
Mr. Jemison sent his companion in
post haste for the horses, lariated a
few rods down the river. The ponies,
frightened at the strangers rush and
excitement, pulled the picket pins and
were soon ever the hills and far away
Jake quickly re-entered the hole in the
ground and was ont in a. minute with
his trusty rifle. The critter was still
in easy range and Jake took deliber-
ate aim before touching the trigger;
But the gun was silent. He jerked
the lever and again pulled the trigger
with the same aggravating luck. Then
it dawned on our good friend that he
had emptied the gun the day before
into prairie dog town and had for
gotten to refill the magazine.
The animal took a northeastern
course up across the Wing farm,
where it was greeted with a fiery
fusillade, but apparently untouched.
Buffalo Finds Two Boys.
A half mile east of Terry's bluff the
big bull intercepted the Shipton boys
who were on their way to Uncle John
Eiiiker's to get him to play his famed
clariOnet at q dance to be held in the
big stone school in Wagonda.
Contrary to the rules of early Ell
quette, Will and George Shipton we're
without firearms. The stripped their
horses of harness, however, and head
ed the prize up toward the Pitt Bryant
neighborhood where they knew
would meet its Waterloo.
With steady swing. the buffalo went
up through the streets Of Downs, seven
years before the town was even
thought of. It went within a hun
dred yards of the old Blunt school
house.
He Got the Meat.
Here Rev. Bishop, Universalist
was an hungered and ye gave me
meat The excitement of that chase
was too much for even a, preacher; so
he pronounced the benediction thusly:
II can preach a sermon any day, but
not every day can I get a hunk of
buffalo meat"
Many here Joined in the pursuit
and the race continued with undated
fury across w. W. Dimond'S farm, then
through Joseph Asper'S yard.
Bachelor Dick Knight. who owned
what is now the Ed Getty farm, was
preparing the midday meal when at
tracted by the noise and big buffalo.
He grabbed his Spencer rifle, mounted
a horse and shot sixteen times at the
game in the next half mile without
seriously wounding it. But Dick was
so nearsighted that he couldn't tell a
snow storm from an April shower
The ten mile run that hot spring
forenoon in vain effort to escape pur-
suers was too much for even the power
and endurance of a buffalo. And
ing down every limb, he staggered
into Ben Greenman's bank stable. The
door was closed and the king of the
plains was truly "all in. -
In a very few minutes a large crowd
had gathered at the Greenman home. |
The Rev. Bishop was privileged to
shoot the buffalo. The hide was re-
moved and every one present given a |
good piece of meat. The following
persons were present: Cole |
Young, Charley Cox. W. W. Dimon, |
Joseph Asper, Will and George Ship
ton, Dick Knight, Rev. Bishop, the |
Greenman family, Gill Chaplin and |
many others whom memory fails to |
recall