262 BIG GAME SHOOTING IN ALASKA chap. 



only catch him, the Judge had decided to give him the full 

 penalty of the law. This appeared rather strange to the 

 inhabitants of Saldovia, who remarked that it sounded like 

 shooting a man before he was proved guilty. 



The new arrival, little suspecting what a surprise awaited 

 him, on landing was at once informed by the Marshal that he 

 was arrested on the usual charge of breaking the game laws. 

 Some cases containing specimens, which he had previously 

 sent to Saldovia, had already been seized by the Marshal. 



The trial was fixed for that afternoon, and once again the 

 schoolhouse was crowded. This was a trial by jury, and 

 the defendant, who was no fool, soon discovered that the 

 jury which had been empanelled consisted chiefly of men 

 who came from the same district as the Judge and Marshal. 

 He at once objected to all these men on the grounds of their 

 friendship with the judge and prosecutor. Finally a fresh 

 jury was sworn and the trial proceeded. 



The Marshal, acting as prosecutor, declared that he had 

 seized cases containing sixteen sheep, and that as the 

 defendant had only permits to kill twelve sheep for himself 

 and an American Museum, he had violated the game laws. 

 The defendant declared that he had got only twelve sheep. 

 On this, the jury adjourned to examine the specimens, which 

 they made out to be fourteen in number. Here was a 

 problem which they had to face. In a subsequent conversa- 

 tion with a member of the jury, he said to me, " We guessed 

 the defendant was doing a bit of tall swearing, but when we 

 found the prosecutor was also overshooting the mark, we 

 decided to give the defendant the benefit of the doubt." 

 Therefore, although things looked as bad as possible for 

 him, the verdict was given : " Not guilty." One of the 

 most amusing things I ever heard was the way in which the 



