The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-12-24

When Grand Duke Alexis Of
Russia hired William F. Cody, an
humble, Small-time farmer Of North
Platte, Neb., to guide him through
the wild and woody west Of the
last century, Buffalo Bill, hitherto
unknown except to a few army Of
ficerS, soldiers and western pelt
hunters, was started on the high
way to fame and fortune.
royalty, in democratic" America, not
to mention Europe, Immediately won
him a place in the public eye which he
was not slow to capitalize-on the adj
vice of wary-world-w wise showmen. He,
with liberal backing, became a star in
his own show-"Buffalo Bills Wild
West"
His Wild West show, his famous
sharp-shooting accomplished, it is told,
through the use of mercury bullets
which, fired from a rifle, burst into g.
shower of pellets after they left the
gun barrel and had the spread OF a
charge of bird shot, and his trip to
Europe, all contributed to make the
scout and farmer a sort OF super-man,
particularly in the minds of young
America.
The five-cent-story weeklies and the
Dexter Fellows of the advertising world
took advantage of the glamour sur
rounding Indian shows, bucking broncs
and apparently marvellous shooting at
glass balls. Buffalo BilI,s achievements
as a hunter, a scout, an Indian fighter
and a markSman were painted IN a
manner that left his old-time western
associates breathless with astonishment.
Possibly prompted by a desire to &C.
quaint the. world with the facts OF
hazardous by far, it has been stated,
than herding cattle on q western
range, an early-day buffalo hunter. on
March 81, 1889, gave the following IN
terview to the Kansas City Times:
White Pot-Hunters
"As the Indians hunted them the
race of bison probably would nave
lasted forever, but about 1866 the white
men turned their attention to the
shaggy monsters Of the plains. Large
eastern firms organized hunting par
ties and paid the shooters $2.oO Ioe
each bison where he lay oeao on tne
plains. 5000
f:aI then went to southern Nebraska
and became a professional hunter. Inc
bisons consisted of two large dlv1slons'
one in the south and n in the north:
Their only common feeding grouno
was in the Republican river valley q
its branches in Nebraska; Inc inolans
were well aware of that fact q nos
file tribes have had many fights for
that territory. It was not until lS!S
that the government put an end 10 tnls
nv Sending the PawneeS south and the
Sioux to their northern reseryations
Prior to that time we had to do all Y
hunting at the risk of being scaipeo
at any time.
"Our favorite rifle was an army model
800 ~sf1n dE nQIIhar AND
loaded with 90 grains OF powder. Inc
whites patterned after the Indians n
hunted on horseback. Having wagons
to haul our game we did not care 70
.circIe' them as the Indians die. When
a herd was located We would mount
our best horses and as quietly as pos
sible approach the herd from the ise.
ward side. As soon as they sa" US tne
fun would begin.
Brutal Slaughter
"Although of a low build, the bison
will make a very interesting race Wltn
a horse for 10 miles. We would press
m On the right flank of the herd n
ride so close to the animals that w
guns could touch the flank when flred.
The most deadly shot was TO tire
quartering through the lungs 50 + tie
way we would follow the herd as long
as Our horses could stand it. On n
Of these runs I killed 113 bisons, none
of them being more than 100 yaros
apart. ,ooL on .wf,,, ~snectacle
was presented to the eye. Inc Crall
was marked by dead and dying ani lIlaa
hack So. HAT he could only get up on
his forelegs; nothing could look mor
furious than his shaking head with
coal black eyes glaring in a death stare
from his shaggy front. We received U
paw for the animals dead on the plains'
the wagons would follow us up, 9uarIeI-
ing the animals and shipping tne sao-
dies and the tallow to the eastern
~ Meat Allowed to Rot
aAbout 1871 the hide hunting began.
Prior to this time little OF no attention
was paid to the hides but when the
demand for them created a high price
the, meat was allowed to rot. upon n
plains and this magnificent race was
extinguished simply that e~xtravagant
tastes might be satisfied.
an entirely different mode Of hunting
adopted. The Springfield was
superceded by a Sharps so caliber and
loaded with 10 grains of powder. The
hunter used his horse only IN finding
a. herd. This done he would go TO the
leeward side so that the smell OF q
powder and the report Of the gun would
not reach the animals. There he would
find a suitable shelter about 1000 yards
distant from the herd and begin shoot
ing. I have killed many at a distance
Of a mile. Hunting in this way he had
to be very particular and watch the
herd very closely. The bisons, like a
herd Of cattle, are always on the go.
They are apt to walk out OF rifle range
in a very short time. In moving, how
ever they always have a leader and the
trick was to kill off anyone that started
to lead the herd away.
SPY thus killing the leaders we could
often shoot for an hour from behind
one clump Of grass. When the animals
had finally moved out of range the
SINNERS would come up. They would
cut the hide in the ordinary way for
skinning, tie the animals head to a
stake, hitch a team OF horses to the
hide and Jerk 1t off.
mo one will ever know the immense
number Of bisons that were killed by
these hide hunters but to nv certain