The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-03

TOPEKA, Nail, OCt. S'--Ohoi 'SS
Jones. plainsman and hunter, and Tor
forty years known all over this country
as Buffalo Jones, died here to-day IN
his seventy-fifth year. His death was
due to jungle fever, which he contracted
during a hunting expedition in Africa
in. 1914,
Buffalo Jones took his sobriquet from
his lifelong interest in the American
bison and from the fact that the few
herds which are in existence are the
result OF his long fight against the ex'
tinction of the species.
He was born in New England ana
went to college there, but his parents
emigrated to the new West when ne
was IS, settling in Bloomington, III.
He was of the temperament to whlch
life in his new surroundings made every
appeal and before he was 20 he had
made considerable local name Tor
himself as a rider and shot
Ten years after his parents took him
to Illinois he had wandered through
every section of the middle and Far
West hunting and herding, and even
tually established a ranch of his own
at Salina, Kan, where he made his
home, whenever he was at home, for
the remainder of his life.
His interest in buffalo began from the
day he first went West. The process or
determination had already made heavy
inroads into the wild herds which once
roamed over the plains and Jones re-
sented It bitterly, maintaining that the
methods were cruel and wasteful and
the determination OF the bison the worst
kind of economic folly He went into
politics and served three terms as a
| legislator for the express purpose of
getting legislation through for the bene-
fit of the bison, but his efforts came to
nothing and after quitting office he
| fought on alone.
Starts His own Herd.
Having reached the conclusion that
the only way to save any OF the ami
mals was to breed them himself he led
band of ropers into Texas in 1888,
and after spending a month on the
| frirges of wild herd which remained
there succeeded in capturing thirteen
calves and taking them back to Kan
sas The next year and the year fol-
lowing that he visited Texas again until
fnally he had 100, animals on his ranch
BY the time his herd had doubled
in size he began looking about for
market for some of them. He had be-
lieved that he would be able to place 8
number of the animals in cities having
geological parks. both in this country
and In Europe, at about 5000 a head
A single selling trip taught him thai
the different cities would gladly pay
from $4,000 to $4,000 apiece for buffalo
and before his stud was many year.
older Jones had become wealthy.
He was not only his own best selling
agent but his own best advertising agent
Wherever he went he wore clothes mad,
of buffalo hide and hair, long coat, ;
sombrero or felt made from the winte
, fur of young buffalo. clothes spun from
the hair OF the animals and shoes mad
of their leather. And while people locke,
over his outfit he talked buffalo, ex
tolling the creatures as the most usefu
animals in existence and the creates
economic asset the United States eve
had.
BY crossing buffalo and domesti
cattle he produced a hybrid which n
called the catalo and for several year
its meat was a feature at sportsmen'
feasts. Buffalo Jones, himself game
quite a reputation as an after Dime
speaker He used to illustrate hi
speeches with moving pictures of will
life and to preach the conservation @
2 game. Many of his pictures showed hir
roping and throwing big game, not onl
buffalo and deer but various species
the cat tribe as well. The pictures lei
t no doubt of his courage or his skill.
!, Friend of Roosevelt.
S He was a great friend of Col. The,
h dore Roosevelt. who when he was Pres
I dent made him animal warden at Ye
e lowstone Park. While in charge Jon,
d improved and increased the buffalo hei
there with the result that an act
& Congress was passed appropriate
K money for its further improvement an
h permanent upkeep.
In 1910, the United States being
d longer a sufficiently exciting theatre (,
the exercise of his huntsman's talent
. he headed an expedition into Africa. +
announced that he would shoot no gan
except in the emergency OF extren
y danger and that he would bring bac
= all manner of choice specimens whiC
/ he and his men would rope and captu
= alive. He took an outfit of cowbo,
and COW ponies and was gone two year
He was then 81 years cd.
When he came out of the jungle thei