36 



RECREATION. 



only the game, but all other laws as well, 

 must and shall be observed while I hold 

 office. 



J. J. G. Burns. 



HAD 90 DOZEN QUAILS. 



M. A. Low, H. P. Dillon, W. A. L. Thompson, 

 Eugene Quinton and other Topeka men, brought 

 no game "with them when they arrived in Topeka 

 Sunday afternoon in private car 212, from their 

 Indian Territory hunt. Cause: Game wardens 

 and federal law. The fruits of the three weeks' 

 hunt were 90 dozen quail, but they were all left 

 at El Reno, upon the urgent request of federal 

 officials. 



The party consisted of M. A. Low, general at- 

 torney for the Rock Island; H. P. Dillon, master 

 in chancery of the United States court; R. W. 

 Blair, assistant attorney of the Union Pacific; 

 E. S. Quinton, Esq., W. A. L. Thompson and 

 G. W. Stansfield, two of Topeka's well-known 

 merchants, and Dean R. Low. 



I asked Mr. Thompson about this re- 

 port and here is his reply: 



Law Offices 



of 



Williams & Dillon, 



Topeka, Kan., Dec. 29, 1900. 

 Dear Sir: 



Your card to Mr. W. A. L. Thompson 

 asking if he was one of the hunting 

 party that killed a -thousand odd quail re- 

 cently has been handed to me for reply, 

 owing to the absence of Mr. Thompson 

 from the city. I was also a member of the 

 party. As a matter of fact, we killed about 

 1,500 birds. At first blush this seems a 

 large number, but everything considered 

 it is not a large bag. We were in the 

 Kiowa, Comanche and Apache reserva- 

 tion in the Indian Territory. The party 

 consisted of 8 men; we were shooting 

 15 days, which would give about an aver- 

 age of 100 birds a day for 8 guns, or 

 about 12 birds a day to each man. We 

 hunted on horseback and were enabled 

 to cover a large radius of territory. I 

 suppose we hunted over a region at least 

 20 miles square during our stay. 



There is a law against shipping game 

 out of the territory, and this law is be- 

 ing rigidly enforced. When our party 

 was ready to return home we had stored 

 in the refrigerator of our commissary car 

 about 90 dozen birds. We thought pos- 

 sibly the law did not apply to such parties 

 as ours, as our only intention in bring- 

 ing the game out was for use in our 

 families and for distribution among 

 friends. The game warden, however, 

 took another view of the law, and the 

 question was submitted to the judge who 

 would ultimately have to pass on the con- 

 struction of the law. He decided that the 

 law covered our case, so we left our birds 

 in the Territory. It was a matter of re- 

 gret to us that the law was so con- 

 strued, but we had to be reconciled. 



It is not an ideal country for shooting, 



as extensive preparations have to be 

 made in order to obtain good results. It 

 is almost a necessity to hunt on horse- 

 back and horses are not easily procured. 

 It also necessitates a camping outfit or a 

 private car, as there are no houses in the 

 country where accommodations can be 

 furnished hunters. 



Yours truly, H. P. Dillon. 



It is strange that a prominent lawyer, 

 like Judge Dillon, should imagine for a 

 moment that a federal law prohibiting the 

 shipment of game out of the Indian Ter- 

 ritory should not apply to all men alike. 

 Game laws are made for everybody, and 

 no man should imagine he can evade 

 them by traveling in a private car. — 

 Editor. 



MINNESOTA'S NEW GAME LAW. 



No person shall catch, take, kill 

 or have in possession or under control for 

 any purpose whatever at any time any 

 whippoorwill, night hawk, bluefish, finch, 

 thrush, linnet, lark, wren, martin, swallow, 

 bobolink, robin, catbird or any other harm- 

 less bird, excepting blackbirds, crows, 

 hawks, and English sparrows, except as 

 hereinafter allowed; but nothing herein 

 contained shall be construed to prevent 

 the keeping of song birds as domestic 

 pets. It shall be unlawful and is pro- 

 hibited to catch, take, kill or have in pos- 

 session or ship any turtle dove, snipe, 

 prairie chicken or pinnated grouse, white 

 breasted or sharp tailed grouse between 

 the 1st day of November and the 1st day 

 of September following; or any quail, 

 partridge, ruffed grouse or pheasant be- 

 tween the 1st day of December and the 

 1st day of October following; or wood- 

 cock or upland plover between the 31st 

 day of October and the 4th day of July 

 following; or any Mongolian, English or 

 Chinese pheasant at any time prior to the 

 1st day of September, A. D. 1904; or any 

 wild duck of any variety,, or any variety of 

 wild goose, brant or any variety of aquatic 

 fowl whatever between the 1st day of Jan- 

 uary and the 1st day of September fol- 

 lowing. 



The sale, exposing for sale, having in 

 possession with intent to sell or the ship- 

 ment to any person either within or with- 

 out the State by common or private car- 

 rier of any quail, ruffed or sharp tailed 

 grouse, prairie chicken or ruffed grouse, 

 sometimes known as partridge or pheas- 

 ant, wild duck of any variety or any va- 

 riety of. wild goose, brant or any variety 

 of aquatic fowl whatever is hereby pro- 

 hibited and made unlawful. Except that 

 when the birds mentioned in this section 

 have been lawfully caught, taken and 

 killed within the time herein allowed, they 

 may be had in possession 10 days after 



