72 



RECREATION. 



By that time the game hogs were hot 

 all over and were down in their buckskin 

 wallets for money to buy the negative, and 

 <"o keep the story out of the local paper. 

 It took all the dust they had to suppress the 

 photographer and the editor. 



Similar scenes are being enacted every 

 day, somewhere in the country. Recrea- 

 tion is threatened about once a month with 

 a libel suit or an injunction suit, as a re- 

 sult of its branding process ; but its picture 

 gallery grows apace and some days 2 paces. 



AND SHANLEY PAYS THE FREIGHT. 



In February, 1901, I learned that grouse, 

 quails and woodcock were being served at 

 Shanley's restaurant, 1212 Broadway, New 

 York. This was 45 days after the close 

 of the legal season for selling these 

 birds ; so I went to Shanley's to din- 

 ner one night, took 2 friends with 

 me, ordered quails on toast and got them. 

 The next day I took 3 friends to lunch 

 there, and we each had a woodcock. Then 

 the next night we dined on ruffed grouse. 

 The next day we took broiled quails again, 

 for a change. In each case I carefully 

 wrapped up the bones of one of the birds 

 and brought them away with me. We 

 kept on eating game until we thought we 

 had enough penalties chalked up against 

 Mr. Shanley to teach him a lesson. Then 

 I had my attorney draw up a complaint 

 against Mr. Shanley and he was summoned 

 to court to . answer for his illegal deeds. 

 As usual the case hung fire a long time and 

 was bandied about by the opposing counsel. 

 A few months ago Mr. Shanley got tired 

 of playing football in court, offered to con- 

 fess judgment and pay a penalty of $250. 

 Under existing circumstances the League 

 officers decided it would be well to accept 

 this proposition; so Mr. Shanley paid his 

 good money into court and the case was 

 (disposed of. 



Under the game and fish laws of this 

 State the complainant in such case gets 

 half of the fine imposed, after paying attor- 

 ney's fees. Accordingly, I have received 

 from the State Treasurer a check for $100 

 .as my moiety in this case, and have bought 

 with it 5,000 2-cent envelopes. These are 

 to be used in carrying on the League work 

 as long as they last, which will probably 

 be 3 or 4 months. Mr. Shanley may, there- 

 fore, feel assured that his money is being 

 put to good use. The envelopes which I 

 have bought with it are . now carrying 

 League literature all over the United States 

 and Canada. They are carrying copies of 

 this statement to thousands of hotel and 

 restaurant men in various towns and cities, 

 to warn them as to what may haopen to 

 them if they serve game in close season. 

 Some of these envelopes are carrying 



notices to game dealers in various States 

 of the Union, to remind them that in sell- 

 ing game to hotel and restaurant men they 

 are perhaps contributing to the future grief 

 of such customers. 



I trust Mr. Shanley may enjoy these re- 

 flections, and that in future he will en- 

 deavor to feed his patrons on food that 

 may be sold and served without violating 

 any law. 



If the June number of Recreation is bet- 

 ter than its predecessors, it is owing to the 

 fact that the Editor was away while it was 

 being made up and put to press. Of course 

 I roasted some pork and fixed up a few 

 other things for that issue before leaving 

 home, but the detail of the work was left 

 to an able corps of assistants, who, I trust, 

 have done their work to the entire satisfac- 

 tion of all my readers and advertisers. 



Where have I been? In the Selkirk 

 mountains, British Columbia. I spent a 

 month climbing mountains, in the hope of 

 regaining my health, which has been seri- 

 ously impaired by overwork. I am not 

 cured, but am a lot better off than I was. 

 I shall be compelled to absent myself 

 from business during a portion of the sum- 

 mer, but shall keep in close touch with the 

 office, and the interests of the magazine 

 will be carefully looked after. The League 

 work will also be in good hands during my 

 absence, and I trust I may get in such 

 shape by next fall that I can take up both 

 lines of work with renewed vigor. 



I have received at least 100 clippings from 

 various newspapers telling of a large killing 

 of ducks, said to have been made near 

 Norfolk, Va., in March last, by Grover 

 Cleveland, Paul Van Dyke and others. I 

 wrote Mr. Cleveland, asking if the reports 

 were correct, and he replied, "I am glad to 

 say there is no approach to truth in the 

 story of duck butchery referred to." 



I also wrote Mr. Van Dyke, and he 

 answered to the same effect. 



It is well known that nearly all news- 

 paper reporters, when talking of prominent 

 men who go hunting or fishing, grossly ex- 

 aggregate the quantity of fish caught or 

 game killed. In view of Mr. Cleveland's 

 frank statement, it is fair to assume that 

 the wild-eyed reporters of Norfolk who in- 

 terviewed him and his friends on their re- 

 turn from the hunting trip are no exception 

 to the rule. 



You would be surprised, or at least I 

 was, to find in the little towns up the line 

 and out by the St. Lawrence river, Rec- 

 reation lying on the counter of some 

 news stand. It certainly has a wide circu- 

 lation. 



R, C. W, Lett, Ottawa, Qnt, 



