8 



two miles from the Srii Ecarte, were makinf? frequent aad regu- 

 lar onslaughts on the fish of this stream, and we sent Mr. John 

 D. Trew, warden, and assistants down to investigate, and, if 

 possible, arrest the offenders. After two days and nights of 

 watching, the men were cauirht in the act of taking fish. The 

 gang of violators consisted of four men with two trammel nets. 

 Two were arrested as they came in with the fish and were taken 

 to Shepherd, or East Hannibal, but there being no way of giv- 

 ing them shelter or keeping them safely until a train could be 

 had to take them to Pittsfield, county seat of Pike county, in 

 which county they were ai)prehendecl, they were taken over to 

 Hannibal for the night upon there own request. On arrival at 

 Hannibal, Mr, Trew was notified that the other two men be- 

 longing to the gang were coming down the Sni, and, leaving 

 • his prisoners in charge of Marshall Pieiman of Hannibal, for 

 safe keeping, he went over and brought back the other two. 

 I'he marshall, in order to be sure of his prisoners, locked up the 

 first two until early morning, when they were all taken to Pitts- 

 field, III., for trial. No objection was made at any step of the 

 proceedings, either going over to Hanniljal or returning to Illi- 

 nois. In the trial of the prisoners before a justice of the peace, 

 they were found guilty of violation of the law and fines assessed. 

 They appealed to the Circuit Court and the State was defeated, 

 but, owing to the nature of the evidence and qjrcumstanees at- 

 tending, Judge Orr granted a new trial. Two of the fishermen 

 then brought suit against S. P. Bartlett and John D. Trew, in 

 the sum of flO,000 damages for false imprisonment, which 

 cases Avere continued until the November term of court. While 

 all this presents unpleasant features and gives your Board a 

 large amount of additional work, it demonstrates a growth of 

 sentiment in favor of the enforcement of the fish laws, in that 

 the people are taking hold of the prosecutions locally to a much 

 greater extent than ever before. Several sections of oui- laws 

 admit, it seems, of a double construction, and this has been the 

 occasion of considerable annoyance. The question of what con- 

 stitutes navigable waters, and the right of fishermen to seine 

 them, has been hard to construe so as to meet the requirements 

 of all the courts. Our laws, as they stand upon the statute 

 books, are, to a great extent, the outgrowth of the amendments 

 and compromises, and should be so collated and re-written as 

 to make them plain enough to be readily comprehended by those 

 interested. 



There is a movement on foot among those interested, in the 

 states lying along the Mississippi I'iver, to undertake to have 

 enacted laws as nearly similar as can be and meet the require- 

 ments of the states interested, in their several legislatures. The 

 necessity for a better enforcemont of the fish law.s has attracted 

 the attention, not only of the angler, but of the |")hilanthropist 

 as well. Our country is fast filling uj), and the dcMuand for this 

 healthful food has already greatly increased. One does not 



