The chronicle=news., 1914-10-07

plains forty years ago was not due to
the onslaught OF the Indians for they
were very considerate Of their cattle.
as they called them. General Miles
once said that the passing OF the
buffalo through the incessant slaugh-
ter by the white professional hunt
ers did more than the whole army to
bring peace to the west and settle
the Indian question. The bucks al
ways knew where their herds rahged
and kept watch over them until falf
when 1t was time to go on the ami
NAL hunt for the meat supply to carr
ry them through the winter.
They never shot the young stock
bulls which had been cast out from
the herd by the younger males.
These old fellows moped off by them
selves in lonely draws and were
Ditiful sight. ostraciZed az they were
with short worn down horns. There
deserted singly and alone they were
left to pick up poor living while
suffering with the decreptitude of
old age subject TO the attacks of the
gray wolves and human enemies. The
Indians had sort of ethical code in
their hunting. One of them would
single out an old buffalo, ride up
alongside and chuck in two or three
arrows Just back of the shoulder.
Then he would circle the beast out
until 1t was ready to fall, when he
would grab it by the tail and pull it
over so as to drop on the side oppp-
site the arrows in order not to break
them. Then he dismounted, cut the
beasts throat and pulled out the
winged shafts. One of these stuck
into the ground beside the fallen
monster to mark it as his own. The
squaws following closely with their
skinnins could thus tell by the arrow
to which brave the carcass belonged
and his sQuaw did the butchering
A buffalo had the peculiar habit
when killed on slOping ground of al
ways falling up hill so that single
skinner had great difficulty in turn
ing II over as had to be done None
of the carcass was ever wasted and
in this way the Indians conserved
their herds nor could they under
stand why the white men killed so
ruthlessly for the hides alone
BY some unwritten law of the
range our Colorado Utes were per-
mitted each autumn to hunt buffalo
on the neutral strip and thus get
their winter supply of meat without
molestation from the COmanclles and
other plains tribes who claimed that
country as their own hunting
ground. No one understood the terms
of this unwrittcn treaty but all the
old timers knew that 1t worked all
right and helped to respect 1t as a
sacred obligation. These Utes always
looked ahead upon their annual pill
srimage to the lower country in
great anticipation OF the fun and
profit they would get out of it,
While they had the open privilege of
hunting on the strip they were not
immune from attack when off OF it
and were likely to run into a travel
ing band of unfriendly Indians 9TH
er than the Comanches. In such case
they had to fight and get out of the
scraDe az best they could. On these
forays they were always looking for
stray stock and were particularly
happy when they could raid white
mans camp and run off some of his
horses.--Field and Farm.
The Birth of Town: Tall oaks
have often sprung from small acorns
and 1t was much the same with cities
In getting their start in the world
Three miles below the mouth of the
Kaw on the Missouri stood the lit
tie steamboat landing known as
Westport 1t had thick growth Of
heavy timber on the flats under the
bluff and the freighter liked to camp
there before the war. The place was
the eastern terminus of the Santa F'e
trail and did all kinds of forwarding
business in the palmy days. The
principal merchant was Fabian Cho-
win. an old Rocky Mountain trap
per, who in subsequent years re-
turned here with Lord Gore. 1t was
at his store at Westport that Jim
Bridger died in 1865 but this is an
l'other tale quite sad to relate. and
(which the writer may recite later.
The little hotel at the place was
kept by Frasier and everything
skinned along pleasantly until one
surprising day the few Inhabitants
awoke to the stubborn fact that they
had rival three miles up stream
where some of the boats might stop.
1t was in 1851 that this metaniorpho-
sis took place. and Kansas City was
born at the mouth of the kaw quite
as spontaneously as Minerva sprang
from the brow OF .JOve so quietly
did it all occur The first building
at the Kaw landing was the Chick,
Armijo & Co.'S big log store and
warehouse. established by some men
from Albuquerque in connection with
their freighting business over the