FISH AND 
and baggage. The farmers soon spotted 
them and, watching results, saw they were 
at their old game. The next night, while 
the hogs were out on the lake, a crowd of 
farmers collected at their tent and_ set 
everything on fire. Being attracted by the 
flames, the fishermen returned to within 
talking distance of the shore. Words were 
exchanged, and 2 of the fellows drew re- 
volvers, discharging several shots, but the 
farmers did not scare. Instead, they 
opened up with some well loaded shot 
guns, rushed out, got the fellows, took 
them ashore and gave them a sound beat- 
ing. The Chicago men left town that night 
via the middle of the road and took a 12 
mile walk to Parrington, the nearest rail- 
road station. From what I heard, a number 
of them will eat their meals off mantlepieces 
for several weeks, as they picked up a 
number of shot and stopped some large 
clubs in strong hands. The farmers burned 
every article the hogs had, from tent down. 
It would be well if a few more of the fish 
hog species were treated in a like manner, 
The names of the party were: Wallace. 
Graham, a young Chicago lawyer; John 
French, Arthur Briggs and his man, and 
Walter Holland. McK., Chicago. 
The Legislature of Illinois should pass, 
at its next session, a special act, exempting 
these farmers from taxation during the re- 
mainder of their lives. I heartily com- 
mend their example to all other farmers in 
this country. Can any reader of REcREA- 
TION in that vicinity tell me the names of 
these sturdy sons of toil in order that I 
may do them further honor ?—EDIror. 

THE SPAFFORD-McLEAN CASE. 
I am a reader of RECREATION, a sports- 
man and a lover of fair play. While I be- 
lieve in upholding our game laws-and in 
the punishment of violators of the same, I 
think one article in your September issue 
needs to be taken with salt. It was con- 
cerning the shooting of old man McLean 
last April by Game Warden Bert Spafford, 
of Cadillac. Public opinion in that section 
labels the act as a cold blooded murder. 
Fven the friends of Spafford do not claim 
he was pinned down to the ground by a 
spear, as stated in your article. There was 
not a scratch on Spafford’s body, though 
there was a torn place in his coat to help 
his story. 
Old man McLean was a game law viola- 
tor, and as such deserved the punishment 
the law provides for such offenses. Per- 
sonally, he was a kind hearted, harmless 
citizen and had hosts of friends. I don’t 
know what you think, but I think the life 
of one human being is worth more than 
all the game in Michigan. 
Lean’s was the second life that has 
heen blotted out by the crack of Spafford’s 
- * 
FISHING. 51 
gun. The majority of the citizens of Mich- 
igan prefer men, not murderers, for officers 
of the law. We haven’t any promotion for 
Mr. Spafford. | 
W. A. White, Petoskey, Mich. 
ANSWER. 
I am not prepared to place any value on 
the life of McLean, but there are men in 
every community who are not worth the 
powder it would take to kill them, and a 
man who will sneak out at night and spear 
fish in violation of law can, as a rule, safely 
be placed in that class.—EbITor. 

NEW MINNOW TRAP. 
731,398. Minnow Trap. O’Neal Watson, 
Crawfordsville, Ind., assignor of one- 
half to Charles E. Lacey, Crawfords- 
ville, Ind. Filed Dec. 2. 1902. 
No. 133,598. (No model.) 
Serial 

Claim.—A minnow trap comprising a 
bottom, triangular and plates hinged to the 
bottom, glass side panes closing the spaces 
between the end plates, and a ridge plate 
connecting the tops of the end plates and 
covering the upper edges of the glass side 
panes, etc. 

TONS OF FISH WASTED. 
Avalon, Cal., July 21.—The tons of fish landed 
in yesterday’s slaughter were nearly all hauled out 
to sea and dumped to-day. Most of the fish 
which were caught were yellowtail, and there 
being sufficient of the more edible varieties, such 
as barracuda and bass, to supply the local and 
shipping demands, the yellowtail were all thrown 
away. Probably 2 tons of this single variety 
were thus disposed of. Many of the launches 
which came in loaded yesterday did not stop to 
unload the fish, but steamed back out to sea and 
threw them overboard. Scores of fish brought in 
in rowboats were dumped on the beach, and 
thrown back into the water to-day. The wanton 
slaughter and the reckless waste of these edible 
varieties of fish was an old story to the local 
inhabitants, but to the big crowd of summer vis- 
itors, unused to such scenes, it appeared like a 
cruel sacrifice. Many of the fishermen as well 
as the visitors condemn these wholesale slaugh- 
ters. 
The above item, from a California pa- 
per, will give Eastern anglers an idea of 
the slaughter that is constantly going on at 
the West coast fishing resorts. Fish were 
never more plentiful and fishermen never 
