Jan. 3, 1884."] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



453 



to have another chanee-flt those ducks; it will never 

 do to go home without something to shew. Bo fieregoes, 

 antj go lie did, taking tuesmafl boat wiihhmt Nonet* 

 llought T, but a good breakfast for two is what 

 is room, needed ; and if this weathei ktfcpS oil our provisions, 

 water and even kerosene will run short. Both the hitler are 

 low This would be weather bound with a vengeance. I he 

 sky. however. looks a little better. The sown* of F, s Fa 

 10 bore gives promise of something, and I bosfle about in 



,m , aration for a dead beat to windward, setting in our 

 cables and mitring in n reef. By the time all is about ready. 

 P appears loaded with decoys and a few ducks; knocked 

 over at the last minute, as one might say. Up goes the sail, 

 ihe.iuch.ir follows, and we are off homeward bouuu. A 

 brisk sail of a few hours brings us back sate and sound to 

 anxious one., whose fears the heavy pale had roused, to be 

 allayed by our appearance with Substantial evidences ot 



ueri - Thus safe-lv and comfortabiv ends an October sad. 



PlNTI/E. 



THE WORK IN MAINE-1883. 



I^ROMthe "Report of the Commissioners of Fisheries and 

 1 Game of the State of Maine for the year 188a" we ex- 

 tract the following paragraphs, which exhibit fairly well the 

 iii-hed. The Commissioners are Messrs. B. M. 

 Siilwelf. and Henry 0. Stanley: 



"We have this year been called upon to enforce a number 

 ..I new and slriniient laws, that may almost be termed war 

 measures, to the enactment of which the state was impelled 

 to save ilic remnant of the game of the Commonwealth, both 

 Bsa, fur and feather, from" utter annihilation by poachers 

 and market hunters, from home and abroad. The destruc- 

 tion of moose has been very great by Indians from the Prov- 

 •ust hunt:u<; in string for hides. One part', if In- 

 dians, in presence of a reliable witness, counteo out fortj 

 skins; other parties were equally successful. These all went 

 over the hordei to the Dominion of Canada. We have been 

 eredibly informed of three moose wantonly shot down In hot 

 August weather by a party of whites (we will not class 

 them), where even the trophies could not be pleaded as a 

 temptation, as but one. bore horns. Of other as flagrant 

 , committed in the same region, we are in possession. 

 The destruction of this valuable game is greater by residents 

 of other States than by our own, while arrests and convic- 

 tion* arc mostly of our own citizens. The cause is obvious 

 without explanation. Money, bribery, concealment of the 

 trophies, to be brought out only in open time, by (be suborned 

 guides. 



"The Commissioners have the will to enforce our laws to 

 i he bitter end, upon all offenders, but have not the power, 

 both from restricted means and from other causes, of which 

 vyi propose to speak further on. All new laws, like those 

 given us at the last session of our Legislature, should tie ac- 

 companied by a special appropriation for their enforcement. 

 We should have been enabled to station a competent warden 

 and assistants at certain portions of our State, to make 

 prompt arrests and seizures of persons, weapons and outfits. 

 To a limited extent we have done this, but were only en- | 

 il.li d Bb to do by withdrawing funds, and expending money i 

 that should have been devoted to other branches of our ser- 

 vice. The year's experieiiee has presented to us some cases 

 of poaching and violation of our gamelaws where the mean- 

 ness and Infamy Of the acts seem to have been in almost 

 direct ratio to social posh ion, education and profession. 



"The ability to bribe, to demoralize, lias been freely used; 

 in one instance offering sfJoOO to a hesitating guide who feared 

 the State penalty of $100. We would ask of our Legislature 

 to add imprisonment to the penalty of infraction of our laws 

 where bribery is proven. 



"The laws of close time for our Stale are only such as a 

 judicious farmer acts upon for the most profitable manage-, 

 ment of his breeding stock, and arc absolutely essentia] to 

 their pieservation. Fokest and Stukam has well observed : 

 'Beast, bird and fish have seasons which nature has set apart 

 for their vaeation: men theirs, which are not fixed by any 

 unalterable law. Winch should be most respected'.'' The 

 Gfficacj of all laws in correcting the habits of a people is de- 

 nt upon the facilities of enforcement afforded by speedy 

 and prompt justice. Laws can lie perfected only by the de- 

 monstration before the people of their faithful execution to 

 llie very letter, We want no law of mere Opinion. Wc.want 

 no officer to judge of the popularity of a law to influence his 

 fidelity to his oath in enforcing it. If a law Js unjust, op- 

 pressive, let h be rigidly enforced, and give the publican 



ducing animal. There are thousands of acres of land in the 

 State of Maine that are forever unfitted to produce any other 

 crop; if not venison, then nothing. 



"The deer Ibis year have not been as numerous as last. 

 Had not. the new-' law been put in force, they would have 

 been all destroyed. Entire possession of the game of the 

 State had been 'taken by a worthless class of men incited to 

 its destruction by middlemen, who reaped the. larger share 

 of profit. The honest, faithful guide will now be better 

 employed than ever. The future will be brighter to him and 

 to the "true sportsman. 



"The partridge or ruffed grouse is plenty in some sections 

 this year, ami very scarce in others. This is the history of 

 the bird every year, from some cause independent of «n 

 unusual wet season, or severe crust following a heavy fall of 

 snow, in which the birds will plunge for rest and security 

 from the rwland thus sometimes get. frozen in and perish; 

 apart from this, unusual abundance in any one locality seems 

 to attract the presence of a species of winter hawk or else- 

 owls, or perhaps some enemy of the quadruped family, that 

 will fairly clear them out from that section, thus changing 

 their abundance from place to place. 



"Marketing came, of course, incites many to shoot who 

 would otherwise follow some other calling. This is espe- 

 cially true of the arouse, and their exportation from the 

 State should never in the future be permitted, as it inevit- 

 ably would lead to their utter extinction. Many a worthless 

 bar-room lounger, or petty saloon keeper, will readily fur- 

 nish bov-s with cheap old Springfield guns, and ammunition, 

 to lie paid for in birds :,l fen cents apiece. There has been 

 less exportation of our grouse this year than for a very long 

 period. Although our marketmeu have been limited by the 

 Stale law to only three deer. etc.. yet that, has exceeded iu 

 most instances 'their previous local sales to our citizens. 

 Hitherto they exported and found it more profitable 

 than to cut "a saddle for their customers; As more 

 venison has been offered within our State to house- 

 keepers, I he first impression has been that the num- 

 ber killed has been larger. That many have exceeded 

 the prescribed number of three deer, we. have no doubt; 

 we entertain as little doubt that all these violators 

 of the law will be picked up and punished by our faithful 

 wardens sooner or later. The exportation of our partridge 

 has been confined most largely to Portland, whose dealers 

 have advertised largely in the back towns and solicited for 

 consignments u> bc'sent to and forwarded by them." 



I >r. S. L\ Hunter, of Machias, reports that in Washington 

 county several poachers have- been brought to justice. The 

 following convictions were secured: Robt. Gillespie, killing 

 deer on crust, .fit) and costs; M. AY. Five, possession of 

 grouse, $100 and costs: Daniel Dunbar, killing deer with 

 dog, $40 and costs: Virgil Richards, killing deer with dog. 

 |40 and costs: and Dunbar and Richards w U e fined Kit) 

 each and costs for killing woodcock on Sunday. HeaddS: 



press 



opporl 



j know it by actual demonstration and expert 

 Law- then if wrong, would he as promptly amended 

 Or repealed as enacted. Letter laws -would be the result in 

 m place of the present school for perjury. Peo- 

 ple would then amend their laws in place of 

 persecuting faithful officers for refusing to prove 

 false to their Oaths. By statute, our wardens are t« 

 1 -,-k '':r their p£y for :,-vvi:e as Stet: officers, ehi-tty to one 

 half Of the penalty against convicted persons. At present, 

 through the means afforded us from the country trial jus- 

 tices to the bench, the enforcement of the law and the pun- 

 ishment ot crime is as uncertain ami precarious as a venture 

 1>V lottery, The jurisdiction of a trial justice is limited to 

 .s-il). The penalty for killing a moose illegally is $U)0, a 

 Caribou, or a deer $40. All these cases must go to a higher 

 court: we are there met by a grand jury, at lies! uu 

 sympathetic through ignorance. Cur county attorneys 



' by the Votes of the people; their salaries, as a 

 rule, are entirely inadequate to the severe anil important 

 duties required of them. 



■Final jurisdiction should be conferred upon police courts 

 and trial justices for all violations of our game laws, regard 

 li amount of the penalty. We could then obtain 

 speedy trial and justice, while the parties would be protected 

 against the great expense of delay before our county courts, 

 almost equal to the penalty, even when the defendant is suc- 

 cessful. For two years past moose have been largely killed 



i by aliens, citizens of our State, are obliged, of 

 course, when in the Provinces to obey their game laws, which 

 impose a license, fee of $20 or $30 for the right to hunt or 

 shod. Much of our game is yearly slaughtered, much 

 I rapped for Jios. etc., etc., by on r alien neighbors. Will 

 not our Executive now use his influence to obtain such a law 

 from Congress as will forbid the killing of ourgarnc by aliens 

 throughout our domain, without a license fixsl obtained by 



it of a specified sum, say $50! Such a law is now 

 required on our Western plains, and would be applicable to 

 the protection of every State and Territory in the Union. 

 Hail i lias now the influence, to obtain the passage of such a 

 law by Congress, if it lie exerted. The Stock of moose withiu 

 our Stale Ts still good, sufficient under proper protection 

 to give an abundant supply of this most valuable ment-pro- 



Warden L. (). Hill has shown great interest in his work 

 and has the confidence of our best citizens. He certainly 

 has done good work, and 1 hope we may retain his services 

 in future as au aetive game police, for which service he is 

 well fitted. 



"The year of 1883 WBS the most destructive Of game of 

 am for years. Market hunters swarmed into our woods 

 from all parts of the State and Massachusetts, broke over all 

 restraint of law and decency, used dogs, crust bullied, and 

 even shot the does upon the barrens iu Aprii. The frequent 

 liaiit snows of November and December gave the pot-hunters 

 immense advantage A.1 the close of the open season of 1882 

 the prospect was dark for the proteetionisl, for his work of 

 years was nearly destroyed in a single season. The great 

 success of these poachers promised to add ten times their 

 number for this season. I was discouraged, knowing from 

 a long experience in this region the basis for game in Maine, 

 that market hunting and game protection were perfectly in- 

 compatible, and that it tuust be cheeked or our large game 

 would be exterminated. 



"Our Commissioners proposed that, sportsmen meet, in 

 Augusta. A few of us responded, hut our city friends did 

 not meet us and we were inclined to believe them selfish and 

 not in sympathy with us. thinking perhaps they would like 

 to hunt* the game, and we. country chaps, do the work of 

 protecting. We did the best we could to make the Legisla- 

 ture undeBstatid what we needed, and tie result was our 

 present laws, not perfect, but effective. Let us find no fault. 

 but use the tools we have until the time comes for change, 

 then let all interested meet at Augusta, as proposed by Com- 

 missioners, and improve them if we can. Our new law is a 

 success, it has stopped the market hunting, aud is gaiuing in 

 favoi daily, it has proved more of a success than its friends 

 dared to expect. 



"However inconvenient the law may be to sportsmen not 

 living in the vicinity of game regions, it must be remembered 

 that this crowd of poachers require severe measures, and that 

 we must consult the interests of all. We can watch and see 

 what changes can be made at the proper time, t 'ne thing is 

 sure, the law must be enforced or be such that it can be. 

 The sportsman "dying on the border of the game districts is 

 the uiau who is expected to watch and work and he must 

 have an effective law, for these fellows do not yield to straws 

 but require stones. Our market hunters are a peculiar class 

 of hoodlums, made up in great part of men without an occu- 

 pation, and among them we find the skedaddler, smuggler, 

 thief, firebug, and lazy squatter who lives from what lumber 

 he can Steal, berries he can pick, fires he can tight after set- 

 ting them, or anything save honest labor. The midcllemau is 

 flic prototype of the city pawnbroker and junk dealer. He 

 buys at any time what he can sell at a profit without regard 

 to law or decency, and nothiug but the most ex- 

 treme measures will restrain him. These men are wonderful 

 expounders of the law, and arc ever sure to find them un- 

 constitutional when they in the least interfere, with their 

 pockets. Market hunting is a nuisance; it destroys by a few 

 what belongs to all. It encourages idleness, lawlessness and 

 is a school for vice. Il is not, nor can il be, a respectable 

 business, There is not a market hunter, or middleman, in 

 the Mate who is at heart a protectionist. They all hunt for 

 pay at any and all seasons, and thev are the parties that give 

 so 'much trouble with their dogs, nets, snares, torches, etc. 



"Our fish and game are a great attraction for the majority 

 of our State as well as all Hew England, and. if properly 

 protected, will prOVB a source of revenue, both directly and 

 indirectly, and an unlimited source of health aud pleasure 

 to all, To suffer it to he destroyed by the merciless pot- 

 hunter would be the mistake of the age." 



Mr. H. R. Taylor of Machias. writes of the present law: 

 "It is steadily doing a good work. It is awakening our 

 people to a better knowledge of the wealth and the privileges 

 contained in our streams and forests. It leads to a better 



appreciation of those bounties and blessings, the best inter_ 

 e=ts of the Stale, its just pride and heritage." More than this 

 we are enabled with free yet prudent hand to share all these 

 with our friends and fellow sportsmen. A square, restrictive 

 law commands respect. Too broad license will always be 

 dcided aud violated. Among us, those who last year con- 

 tinued their butcheries through the winter and spring mouths, 

 wore (with scarce au exception) men who had derived the 

 full privileges of the open season. They had enjoyed the 

 greatest latitude, they rebelled against the first check. Hav- 

 ing killed their dozens or scores of deer each, they were mi 

 willing to be restrained when the close time arrived. They 

 personate lawlessness in everything. They are ready to shoot 

 the mother duck or partridge from her callow brood, cut the 

 throat of a grand doe in March, steal knees and sled-crooks 

 from other mens limber, set fire to pine lands and rob lum- 

 bermen's camps, thinking and boasting "that law cannot 

 reach them in the woods.'' 



"If our sportsmen in this or our sister States think our 

 lavs too exclusive, let them consider the class with which we 

 have to deal and against whom we have to legislate. We 

 have found no barrier against, game destruction so effectual 

 as the transportation amendment. That and the general 

 acquiescence on the part of carriers to sustain the interpre- 

 tation, has almost completely stayed the shipment, and as a 

 sequence the killing of deerand grouse. It is easy to ob- 

 serve the difference. 



This year 'Othello's occupation's gone.' The shiftless 

 cabin-dweller, the lazy loafer and the school-despising hood- 

 lum, has had, this autumn, no fifteen cent premium to en- 

 courage bis expenditure of time, of bodily effort and ammu- 

 nition toward securing a luckless grouse, which he never 

 Wanted for himself or family, but, by its sale for shipment, ■ 

 did partly keep him in tobacco under the old dispensation. 



"I believe, too, that the present, warden is the right man, 

 aud while some had feared that the game law could' not with 

 its existing features be enforced by an officer, let our court 

 records testify (with others in the' State) that it is enforced 

 and that evil doers arc weakening every day." 



Detective C. M. Wormell gives a list of parties with whom 

 he lias had to do in 1883, and the offenses for which they 

 were indicted. There were twenty-one separate cases, and 

 indictments were found against thirty-eisrht individuals, as 

 follows; 



William Perkins and A. Davenport, ol Gardiner, Me., for killing 

 two moose at Kin*; unit Bartlett lakes. 



E. Southwnrtli, Frank A. Patch and Robert E. Metealf, all of Bos- 

 ton, fur killer- one moose in Franklin county near the town of Eiisl.is. 



Clifton V.. Wing. Daniel Hunt, both of Boston, for kilting one moose 

 ou Spencer Stream. 



John Phillips, of ;■■ -: i .1 ietr one , noose on Speueer Stream. 



tir. C. B. Porter, albert E. Porter, both of Boston, and Joseph St. 

 i ihiti, of Enstis. comity ot Franklin, for killing one caribou on Baker 

 Pond. 



Frank Smith and John Smith, of Worcester, for killing deer near 

 Eustis. 



Dwiplit Bugsleu and William Edmonds, for killing one moose on 

 Ritpejj.Miiis Stream i-iel on" caribou killed on Soaper Brook. 



Joseph St. Ohm, of Eustis. for killing one caribou in Franklin 



Streai-- 



("aarles 



Nicholas. . 



Paul Pel 



gePelkez, of (ireat Works, for killing two moose on Ragged 

 .Thomas Nicholas. Andrew Nicholas ami Joseph 

 Idtonn. tor kiMing ..•.■iriljoij on (.'iiesiineook Lake. 



> near Che! 



neook 



Samuel Hilton, of Chesun.-nok Lake, for killing two cannon on 

 Chesuncook Lake. 



J. ['. Resteeue. of Worcester. Vbiss.. for killing one deer on the 

 Megaleway P.iver. 



Charles PanerOft and Edward Paucroft, Of Philadelphia, for kill- 

 ing two deer in ' cvford county. 



Henry Hartwell, of Lewfeton, For killing d 



George AtwoOd, for killing four moose in 



Lorenzo JaeUuian. Samuel Hall, Consul 

 Hansvom. of -Mount Chase, for killing (far 

 county, 



Samuel Earns and George Emory, of Nowrv, for killing three deer 

 in Nawry. 



Lorenzo Linnell, of Magnleway, for killing deer in Oxford county. 



•cfonl county, 

 cus county. 

 obeli and Osnio 

 W in Pisealaquis 



A FLYING TRIP TO VIRGINIA. 



VT Thanksgiving lime Mr. .1. .1. P. and myself and son. 

 thirteen years old, took a flying trip to Virginia, the 

 original object of which ou my part was to "leach the 

 young iclea'how to shoot." My friend P. had a newly broken 

 pointer of fine breed which he was anxious to trv. We left 

 Jersey C'it.v on the II P. M. train Wednesday.' and got to 

 Petersburg at 1 P. M. next day (Thanksgiving i. after a very 

 pleasant trip. Travel has been very much improved over 

 this route since my last visit eight years ago. The ('oast 

 line, as it is called, 'runs a buffet'ear "through to Savannah, 

 new and clean aud well appointed, with a polite porter and 

 waiter, and anyone will grant, that a polite sleeping car por- 

 ter is a i'ii iv. tii't* anywhere. So we wen- in a measure inde- 

 pendent of the wayside hash mills when fifteen minutes for 

 refreshments was called. 



At Petersburg we were met by my friend Mr. C. (a true 

 Southern gentlemen with all the proverbial kindness), who 

 had made all arrangements in advance, and we were soon on 

 the road, with two teams carrying all our traps, and three 

 fiue setters belonging to our Petersburg friends. After driv- 

 ing a few miles out "to the east, and pa.st the old lines of 

 Federal and Confederate earth works, still plainly showing 

 in all directions, we came to email country, aud made three 

 stops where there «cri coveys, finding ncd less thau one at 

 each halt. This was ihe res'ult ol having a good spoilsman 

 [eUS ur as he Bptly expressed il in a letter to me 

 beforehand, that in case hi- could not go with us. he could 

 easily send a man to .-how us the country, but that was a 

 different thing from showing us the birds. I do not propose 

 to tell you how many birds we shut at and how many we 

 missed' for it is not a record lo be proud of, but 1 will' say, 

 that we could have gotten, if we had been good shots, from 

 one hundred to odc hundred and twenty-live birds during 

 our stay, while we got a little less than half simply front 

 pour shooting, 



At night we reached Prince George Court House, where 

 w e were to put up till Suiidiry at the hospitable home of 

 mine host Temple, the county sheriff} and were soou made 

 Comfortable, and our dogs locked w\< in the county jail over 

 night, less they might be among the "lost, strayed or stolen" 

 in The morning. The jail was a curiosity to us, being a 

 wooden building, but made of heavy twelve-inch timbers 

 ■ e together, and being made si longer than it seemed. 

 One old darkey imprisoned there, w bo was crazy on religion, 

 waked us up iu the morning, singing at the top of his voice. 

 Sheriff Temple lias a very interesting family of children, the 

 oldest daughter Mary, only eleven years old, being n model 

 little house wife and deserves kind mention. 



After a good night's rest, we were off in the morning as 

 soou as the frost began to disappear, and with the two 



