3^4 



RECREATION. 



Five splendid mountain sheep were killed; 4 

 tremendous bucks and one doe; and several of 

 these were brought to El Paso as trophies of the 

 chase. Three of the bucks occupied places of 

 honor all day yesterday at Nation's market, where 

 they attracted unlimited attention. 



Mountain sheep are fast becoming extinct in 

 West Texas. Like the buffalo, they have disap- 

 peared before the energetic assaults made by the 

 American hunter. — El Paso Daily Times. 



I make it a rule never to accuse a man 

 of game slaughter without giving him a 

 chance to deny or extenuate the charge. 

 To my request for their version of the fore- 

 going story, Judge Harper and Mr. Beech 

 replied as follows : 



A friend and I killed 4 bucks out of a 

 bunch of 11. 



Do you want the story or are we game 

 hogs? J. R. Harper, El Paso, Tex. 



On the hunt to which you refer, my friend 

 and I killed a deer in the early morning 

 and 5 sheep later in the day. We had, how- 

 ever, been out 4 days before that, the day 

 on which we killed them being the fifth of 

 the hunt. About August 20, Mr. Vernon 

 Bailey, of the Biological Survey of Wash- 

 ington, D. C, was here, and we were out 

 but about 5 hours till we killed a fine speci- 

 men for the National Museum. I suppose 

 that by this time it is on exhibition there. 

 J. H. Beech, Van Horn, Tex. 



I am surprised and grieved that any man 

 should have killed a mountain sheep in 

 Texas at this late day when there are so 

 few left there. Any man who has the in- 

 terests of that State at heart, as Judge Har- 

 per should have, should consider these few 

 remaining big-horns as wards of the State 

 and should not only have refrained from 

 shooting at them, but should have exerted 

 his great influence in restraining others 

 from doing so. The Texas Legislature 

 should pass a law at the earliest possible 

 day to prohibit the killing of mountain 

 sheep in that State at any time. Such 

 laws should not be needed for pro- 

 gressive, thinking men, but the ignorant 

 and thoughtless game hogs must be re- 

 strained. — Editor. 



THIS SOLDIER IS A HOT AIR HUNTER. 



Hon. Thos. Ryan, 



Acting Secretary of the Interior, 

 Washington, D. C. 



I have before me what purports to be a 

 copy of a letter written by one of the sol- 

 diers stationed in the Yellowstone park, 

 stating that he recently killed 25 ducks and 

 that there is good hunting in the park be- 

 cause no one is allowed to hunt there but 

 the soldiers. As I understand the regula- 

 tions, even the soldiers are not allowed to 

 kill game there. Will you kindly enlighten 

 me on this point? 



Yours truly, G. O. Shields. 



ANSWER. 



The Acting Superintendent of the Yel- 

 lowstone park, to whom your letter was 

 referred, reports that the soldier in question 

 has never caught a fish or killed a bird or 

 an animal of any kind since he has been 

 stationed in the park; that he has never 

 been out of the post of Fort Yellowstone, 

 except on the regular road, as far as the 

 Golden Gate to the South and to the town 

 of Gardiner to the North, neither of which 

 points is more than 5 miles distant. He 

 states that the story is absurd, and that if 

 the letter in question was written at all it 

 was a boyish piece of nonsense, which the 

 writer has had cause to regret on many 

 occasions. He would no more think of 

 killing the ducks or other birds of the park 

 than he would of killing the deer which 

 can be seen any day grazing on the parade 

 grounds and on the lawns between the quar- 

 ters, sometimes coming up to the doorsteps. 



The officer also states that the ducks and 

 geese understand quite as well as the deer 

 that they are absolutely safe in the park, and 

 this is shown by the fact that at any place 

 in the park one can walk within 20 feet of 

 them without their getting up. 



The Acting Superintendent wishes me to 

 assure you there is nothing in the nark 

 in which the authorities are more interested 

 than in the game, and that not a shot can 

 be fired within its limits by anyone save 

 by the scouts when in pursuit of mountain 

 lions or coyotes. Thos. Ryan, 



Acting Secretary of the Interior. 



THE MEASLY SWINE OF MONSON. 



Monson's mighty hunters took the field last night 

 at 6 o'clock, and until 9.30 this evening game of 

 all kinds in this vicinity will lead a life of abject 

 terror. The annual hunt is on and terrific slaugh- 

 ter is expected. J. P. McCarthy and George O. 

 Wyatt are the captains, and each has 25 merry 

 men at his back. The men must all be at the 

 Century house at 9.30 this evening with their 

 game, which will be counted by men selected for 

 that purpose. A game supper will be served at the 

 hotel Thursday evening, to be paid for by the 

 losing side. In making up the score coons will 

 count 300 points, foxes 200, ducks 175, grouse 150, 

 woodcock 125, quails 100, gray squirrels 90, rab- 

 bits 75 and red squirrels 50. 



The men will work under the directions of their 

 captains to a certain extent, but the only general 

 orders are to bring in all the game that can be 

 found, and to find more than the other side. 

 Hunters who have a particular leaning toward 

 any particular kind of hunting or game will be al- 

 lowed a free hand. The game to be presented 

 for the count must, according to the rules, be shot 

 during the hours of the hunt. There have been 

 some years when part of the game has been 

 thrown out. The counters have held that when 

 game was so badly decomposed tHat it was im- 

 possible to tell just what the animal or bird 

 might be, it ought not to be counted. Connecticut 

 game is not barred, and as the State line is only 5 

 miles from the village, some of the men are likely 

 to cross it. Assistance will be rendered such as 

 are unable to bring in their game without it. — 

 Springfield (Mass.) Republican. 



The decent sportsmen in Monson, if 



