45 



Peoria, December 8, 1892: 

 Mr. S. P. BartleiU Quinaj, III: 



Dkau Sir— Your favor of the 8th inst. at hand. In rejjard to my ideas, 

 of the State tish. hiws allow me to suggest that I think for the better pro- 

 tection of tish if the law was so amended as to prohibit the use of seines 

 during the extreme hot montlis would have a tendency to more greatly 

 protect our small fry, being a witness to one haul in August here wherein 

 tons of moss was dragged to shore containing simply millions of small fry 

 as soon as exposed to the shallow warm water was killed instantly, and t 

 believe some legislation in this respect would greatly benefit all concerned. 



Yours very truly, 



J. A. Amsby. 



HtjctO, III., Douglas Co. 



Governor Joseph Fifcr, Springfield, III.: 



Deab Sir — I want to inform you how the fishermen of Douglas county 

 have been doing. I warned some of them not to fish with seines, that it 

 was against the law. I watched them seine and catch fish and advised 

 them not to do so. They made fun of me and went on seining. I threatened 

 to report them. They threatened to kill me if I did I have not reported 

 them yet. They made a coffin and put it on the fence in front of my 

 house when I was out at work, and made their threats that they would 

 kill me and put me in the coffin and set me on the banks of the river.. 

 They sent me a letter by mail which I enclose herewith. 



Signed, . 



We do not publish the name of writer of above letter as it might in 

 some way compromise him. Annual letter on tile in office of secretary of 

 commission. Original of letter enclosed with report. 



S. P. B. 



Samuel Hite : 



It lias come to the ears of some of us that you intend to indite us be- 

 fore the grand jury for seining for fish, now my advice to you is you had 

 better let that job out for if you do you wont make enouyh to pay your 

 doctor bill when we get through witli you. There are over 80 of us and 

 we have banded together and will carry this out and all hang together. 

 If you want to live there this winter and have friends you tell some of 

 us that you have concluded to drop it. 



Charleston, III., 21, 1891. 



S. P. Bartlelt, Secretary State FLsh Commission, Quincy, PI.: 



Dear Sik:^ — I send you a copy of local paper to-day showing conviction!' 

 of quite a number of tlsh law violators. 



Before court convened, the circuit judge, F. M. Wright, of Urbana, 

 111., was requested to call the attention of the grand jury to the law and 

 instruct them to investigate, which he did cheerfully, and in fact it was 

 the only matter he named specifically in the charge. 



The names of a number of men were presented whom it was presumed; 

 knew of the violations, and an indictment was presented for 12 men. 



These have, with one exception, plead guilty and were fined, at our 

 suggestion, the minimum SIO and costs. The exception the sheritT has 

 not been able to find, but will soon. 



Naturally these fellows are incensed at a few of us. and announce they 

 will either hang or drown us the first time they catch us at the river. 

 We feel that if they will permit our friends to take charge of our respec- 



