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Rollie C. Burns.
4.4.4.4k
"I bill'? iny first buffalo wheaten sixteen Mrs oldefitante Cs ftrall,r0
in the Lubbock Conrthouse and related erparlinces of swirly days. Is It was in the
of I87.3s( haf just run off from home end joined en espodition to the nort)heet pert
of the states. This Iv,* a convoy of 110 nen under the leadership of Zdasond
who was the only Republican kererocr that Texas bas ever had.
ft well, we bal gotta* aver here in The north part of the emu* and we began
run short of Ineatx one evening and they sent four of masa- out to lona sow Intrfaiu
The- wer0 plentiful then an we clid not expect an.v difficulty In finding ell that Mk
would need, but after we had gone sone distance troy, the sew and had not NM We
nom 4acileft t rate and seatg; out. As I was the youngest ono In this lien* they
left ste to stand and watch at the point *here we sapOrated. *Ile they went en. Zs
little while after the' left I sighted a buffalo and whoa it got dose intough
down with 07 si:e-shooter. I got Mm alright and that wee the only was that we
that evening, but is. framithed us with plenty of neat. We useally had very little
trouble theme, in incnting and killing buffalo or antelopes isiallre so we genacrallr
had all the seat to eat that we wanted. The Inaffalo lined to rins la big herd* all
the ninths, but about this tine people 10,4 to kill then solely for thiiir hie* ea.
atri)
three years. from 1873 to 1876 there wers41140.0 buffalo slaughtered.
'rilled a number of buffalo after that*. Mr. Roams onetineet, I hero
horns 7)1W that I got off of buffalo that killed, bat I newer bort but on. hid..
it down the rise of Tr, "1,40 and used to take it with as when/went on trips over thO.In
country. We alwrszt took a roll of bedding with us than and slept we the green& deisit
got ?tr.,. buffalo hide I wonid Net take it and 1117 blanket along% night I mild Wild
the hide on the ground, than put the blanket over it, orsiatin Onli rell op. It *do
good bed, soft and warm too. The buffalo looked hiskik at a Agri
Warren, trey G. labs* Oammtr Jaffa* Weiss Of left Ters.
levenber 24, ISM. Distriet IT P. 2
heir was examined. It was found that the main seler was a hoontittii brown -it was saly
the tip tip ends of the hair that was bleak, hut as I said, this gave the buffalo an appear
anew of being black.,"
I killed two buffalo out here not far from Webs**, Mr. Barns went on. 'I de
not recall the-esnet date st4InsmuMINI, but it was sometime in the *SOls I kills&
one of them down here where ilaton is new and 1 killed the other one over here about
a--
Shollowater. ours* there was not smrtown at either place than. was out ridlOng
around and came up on then 4 aware earned my six-shooter with no, so 1 shot thashp
sae
The lest bufThlo I killed is said to taw* been the last an that was killed (*the
plains.* Ur. Burns smiles and his ayes twinkle when he tells this. took seamier the
meat houe to V7 vifel she never had eaten any buffalo meat and wanted to try it. so 1 ant
about SO pounds off of the hump on the buffalo's beak and put it on ur horse and took it
1,0,1,
hove. That ons in 1985, my vife and I bed been married about a year then andtiere livtsg
near Ceder Lake in Gains County, on the Square and Compass Bench where I had a jot se
manager of the outfit..
Mr. Burns is now 79 iein.s old, 24 is well, known in LUbbock and over the sax
country. He lerved as County Tax Collector for 14 years and was County COmmissioner fer
Precinct 7o. 2 for 8 years, beginning his first term as Commissioner when Mr. Whealedbin
term in thst office expired.
6ereceel!
INWhortedia, WO. Wyndham /Mbbook °aunty
December OW, 1E36 District 1? Pgel
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Personal Interview B.C. Burns
"Rollie Burns" by Dr. W.C.Holden
Ibis is u story, which involves life and death among the will animals on
the 5outh Maims, one which indientes, that after all animals do not differ very
nudh from people, both having one anti the same incentive, that of self-preservation
it was in the gunner of 1884, if I recall correctly, while riding the range
3W an aatelap beine rmn leen by three coyotes.
Amteispes 33 a rale elweys run in alrtreight line unless they are being
pursued, in-eh6rd case they will evestually more in a vile circle, like wild horses
do.
As I came wen thq ri-lge I law the antelope running in a circle with one
coyote inpamimit. Stepping to watoh the procedure, I noticed the coyote thikt was
to,vJ
doing the ruining, drop out, and She other one tualetetc-np the chase. This coyote
melee eerera1 sircles end thee he tan deepened out on4 the third one followed the
circling process. It is 71eyonel a demlet thet these elevates were neeng the none tecties
Itth man mseaben running deem Tild horsen. The longer the chase lented, the smaller
the circle got to be and.the more distance the coyote could cut and thus eihaust his
prey. Watching this scene for several hours, mind you, I diA not int-rfere, for I
secretly admired the strategy and cunning which these animals disnlayed, and I felt
that therefore they were entitled to their prer.
Talk about will horses, mustangs, I guess they were about as plentiful as
rabbits, sad they were beauties too. A friend of mine had been wanting me to go with
him to gather _sone horses that had gotten mixed up with mustangs for some time.Seams
bp
that a pal of his had taken about elety cow ponies to New Mexico for him to sellythe
_
horses had ittampelefand since he 7E3 unable to round them up, they became mixed dO
the muliwings had been running, with them all this time. Well, we located thee allit
IOU* WOW
Distrist 1 2
BAKINISCINS ai A OTTIAMAW*
at a lake near Zstaeado, and we ran them downs tal we finally get than si,t11004 out.
we could drive then Wherever we wantml them to go. In this bOnah oChrmadedi *Pines
and mustangs was ableed ur stallion, alsmattfel animal and he one the lielir• Re
tried his best te persuade the herd to out loose, arOking hie lied!, dalkiiigilyins.
biting and kicking the ether horses, trying to coerce them ewer from**. !IIL I hate
to say it, but I had to shoot him, in order for us to be sale to4apag*.1111.11404. and
we dienirt have as mere trouble gettlig the ,rest of the horses in the earl**.
—eq-R.)-Gt-L-La s I
This ain't 40 appetising a story, but its true;' Clue amyl nrariklmMsard
on the edge of the eap re& and then it disappeared. That get mr.mm/AMA*, arou-
sed good and proper and I figured it had to be his nest. I had SImmismftted 40 see
and
what one looked like. se I *led /whores/up ciliated. When I get to the %VII found
a cave and in it a nest with a motherbusinad and two youngons. The miimeteAss.eam as
she began flopping her flippers and to 'resit. T ducked just in time to 000.41004mg bit
and when 1 went closer *gain, she again began to vomit at no. It esslitte III flailing
scent I over coma in contact with. sad I allowed that if that was her uMWISIOrandial
her bread, I would be the last nen to shoot her. I don't believe that amplangon
earth would eat a Inward, though 1 an not so certain about coyotes.
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