The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1932-12-30
The Great Buftalo-Killinq Match

their followers to the left. till they would final
" circle round and round.
ION this morning the buffaloes were accom-
modating, and soon had them running in a
beautiful circle, when dropped them thick and
fast until I had killed SO; which finished my
run Comstock began shooting at the rear Of
the herd which he was chasing, and they kept
straight on. He succeeded, however, In killing
3d. but they were scattered over distance Of
three miles, while mine lay close together. had
'nursed' my buffaloes, as a billiard player does
the balls when he makes a big rum. -.
withdrawing a short rest we suddenly spied
another herd of buffaloes coming toward us. 1t
was only small drove, and we at once prepared
to give the animals a lively reception They
proved to be herd Of cows and calves-which
by the way are quicker in their movements than
the bulls. We charged in among them and con-
cluded my run with score of is, while Com
stock killed IA. The score now stood Sc to 81
In my favor
"After we had eaten lunch which was spread
for us, we came up close to another herd. AS
was so far ahead of my competitor in the num-
Der killed, thought could afford to give an
extra exhibition Of my skill. !. !. So, leaving my
saddle and bridge with the wagons, we rode to
the windward Of the buffaloes as usual and when
within few hundred yards of them we dashed
into the herd / soon had Is laid out on the
ground. the last one of which I had driven down
close to the wagons, where the ladies WERE It
frightened some of the tender creatures to see
the buffalo coming at full speed directly toward
them; but when he had got within 30 yards of
one of the wagons, / shot him dead in his tracks.
This made my Goth buffalo, and finished my
third and last rum Comstock having killed 46.
"As 1t was now late in the afternoon, Com
stock and his hackers gave up the idea that he
could beat me- and thereupon the referees de-
clared me the winner of the match, as well as
the champion buffalo hunter Of the plains"
Although Cody won the title Of champion buff
falO hunter" with his record of killing SO Of
the animals in one day, he was far from being
the champion buffalo killer" That dubious hon.
or (if indeed it could be awarded to any in
dividual) was to be reserved for one of the army
of hide hunters who in a little more than de-
cade were to drive the buffalo to the verge Of
extinction. Armed with the heavy Sharps buf-
falO rifle which fired slug of lead two inches
in length, half an inch in diameter and weigh
ling eight to pound and the complement to the
rifle, shooting rest made of two sticks tied
together X-fashion, which we're set In the ground
to support the barrel Of the Sharps the hide
hunter would creep up on herd Of buffalo and
methodically set to work shooting down the ami
mails until he had killed everyone in range or
until the smell Of blood after few had been
killed stampeded the remainder of the herd
The late Wyatt carp. famous gun fighter and
peace officer Of Dodge City, Kan, and Tomb
stone, Ariz., who was buffalo hunter at one
time in his career, in an interview few years
before his death had the following to say about
the work of the hide hunter: "With the best of
luck a single hunter might kill 100 buffaloes In
a day, from several stands That would be all
that four SINNERS could handle. found that
the average bunch would stampede by the time
30 or 40 of their number had been killed. In
my years on the plains the known record kill
from single stand was held by Tom Nixon
famous shot who made headquarters at Dodge.
He managed to knock over 120 animals without
moving his rest sticks, but he ruined his Sharps
rifle In doing so. I have known other hunters
who boosted Of records of more than 100 from
stand. The best authenticated total for a seasons
kill was set by Billy Tilghman, who afterward
served with me as a peace officer. He took $500
hides between September first Of one year and
April first of the next; no buffalo hunter that
knew on the plains ever topped that score"
An adequate idea Of the wholesale destruction
of the animals may be obtained from the data
collected by the well known frontier historian e.
A. Brininstool and presented in one chapter OF
his invaluable chronicle of border history, Eight
ing Red Clouds Warriors" In 1t he says in part:
"Of the vast numbers Of these great animals
on the western plains between 1850 and 1885
when the last big herd was practically exter-
minated statisticians Differ but IN the year 1850