FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



35 



Please send me your magazine one year, 

 for which I enclose $1. 



Very truly yours, 



Nelson A. Miles. 



So it seems that 9 men averaged about 

 50 ducks each. The General does not say 

 how many he killed, but he does say the 

 statement that he killed 200 is not exactly 

 correct. That would imply that he must 

 have killed nearly 200. Doubtless he is a 

 much better shot than some of the other 

 fellows. He has shown his skill in hunt- 

 ing Indians, and it is safe to assume he is 

 as thoroughly expert when shooting ducks 

 as when hustling Indians. He % says the 

 450 ducks were killed in 4 hours. He evi- 

 dently realizes he has done wrong and 

 tries to excuse himself by saying other par- 

 ties have killed much larger numbers of 

 ducks in one day. 



He also attempts to justify the slaugh- 

 ter by saying the ducks are taken to the 

 hotel, where they are utilized for food, so 

 that there is no Useless destruction of 

 game. Every true sportsman in the United 

 States will regret that the General of the 

 Army should ever have placed himself in 

 a position where he should feel he must 

 apologize for slaughtering game. 



By his own confession he has placed 

 himself on a level with the professional 

 market hunter. He has not even so good 

 an excuse as the market hunter has, for 

 the latter may plead that he has a family 

 to support and that the money he gets for 

 his game is expended for bread and for 

 clothing. When General Miles and his 

 friends go out and kill a boat load of ducks 

 and give them to the hotel proprietor, 

 they go into direct competition with the 

 poor man who would like to supply the 

 hotel with game. Thus they practically 

 take bread out of the mouths of the mar- 

 ket hunter's wife, and children. 



No, General, this plea can not stand be- 

 fore the tribunal of public opinion. You 

 have disgraced yourself ; and the tact that 

 the notorious Babcock and his fellow 

 swine preserve a lake and make butchers 

 of themselves is no reason why you should 

 have descended to their level. It will be 

 many a year before the people will forget 

 this unsportsmanlike act of yours. — 

 Editor. 



A SAMPLE OF MONTANA JUSTICE. 



Here is some correspondence which ex- 

 plains itself: 

 Judge J. G. Burns, 

 Belt, Mont. 



Dear Sir:- — A member of this League 

 has sent me a clipping from the Great 

 Falls Leader containing a report of a case 

 recently tried before you in which one 

 Holland was charged with a violation of 



the game law. The report states that you 

 fined Holland $50. 



I write to thank you on behalf of all 

 the members of this League for the ex- 

 cellent example you have thus set the 

 other justices in your State, and for the 

 salutary lesson you have thus taught the 

 law breakers. It is an evident fact, com- 

 mented on everywhere, that the game laws 

 in your State are not sufficient to protect 

 your game, and the majority of your peo- 

 ple have been negligent in the matter of 

 enforcement. It is therefore a source of 

 deep gratification to every friend of game 

 protection that one man should have been 

 placed on the bench in the great State of 

 Montana who believes in the necessity of 

 enforcing game laws. The effect of your 

 action will be far reaching and will have 

 great influence for good. 



ANSWER 



Belt, Mont. 

 Dear Sir: 



Allow me to thank you for the kind 

 words contained in your recent letter. It 

 is a pleasure to know that people outside 

 of my State appreciate what I am doing to 

 enforce the game laws. It is a pity the 

 laws do not fully protect the game. 



In the case of Ben Holland, he came 

 into court and pleaded guilty after I had 

 the officer bring into court some of the 

 prairie chickens he had sold. A mistake 

 was discovered in the complaint and Hol- 

 land's lawyer asked for a new trial. On 

 the advice and instructions of the county 

 attorney I granted such. A motion was 

 then made for a change of venue, which I 

 refused on statutory grounds, and on de- 

 mand a jury trial was granted the defen- 

 dant. The county attorney proved the 

 case fully, but the jury discharged the de- 

 fendant. I then arrested him for selling 

 the chickens, and his attorney, knowing I 

 would see the law enforced, took a change 

 of venue to Justice Michael Foley's court. 



It was proven in this court that Holland 

 had sold the chickens, but as he had sold 

 them on credit Justice Foley decided Hol- 

 land did not violate the game laws, as a 

 sale on credit is not for a valuable consid- 

 eration. 



Although in the cases of Riley v. State,, 

 43 Miss. 397, Comm. v. Burns, 8 Gray 

 482, Emmerson v. Noble, 32 Me. 380 de- 

 cided otherwise, the Justice Court over 

 which the learned judge presided decided 

 to let the criminal go. 



I wanted the county attorney to try 

 Holland for having game in his posses- 

 sion, but the attorney decided that Hol- 

 land, who is a rancher, was out enough, 

 as he lost 2 weeks from home and his at- 

 torney fees were about $100. 



If another case comes before me I shall 

 give the offender the full limit, $250. Not 



