192 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



Joe Pizauthia, known and feared everywhere as the " Tlie 

 Greaser." His ciimes were numberless aad biddy. Con* 

 Cealing himself in his hut,, he shot the two men wbo first 

 entered tlie door, killing one— a very popular citizen — in- 

 stantly. The Vigilantes retreated. They could see no mat k, 

 and were sure of death if they approached. A mountain 

 howitzer was not far away, and while some guarded, the rest 

 brought the canon, aud with shells and round shot soon 

 demolished the building — no reply coming from the concealed 

 foe all this time. Two men ventured near, and at last inside the 

 house. From under the ruins of the chimney, knocked to 

 pieces by a cannon ball, peered the Greaser's boots and by 

 these they pulled him out. He was fatally hurt, but his six 

 shooter Was by his side, and as soon as he was free from the 

 debris of niasogry he reached for'it. It was his last move. The 

 man whom he had wounded at the door sat there waiting for 

 him. aud the Greaser's body va) filled iwith bullets be- 

 fore his head had been dragged out of the hole. It was like 

 killing a snake, and it was little better than a snake they were 

 killing. But this was not retribution enough. They hung 

 the body up, drawing all together on the rope as though the 

 soul was still in the mangled, inanimate form and could ap- 

 preciate its agony, and fired hundreds of bullets into the 

 riddled corpse, swaying there so dreadfully. Then these were 

 madmen cut it down, and setting a fire the ruined cabin cast 

 the body on the blaze with savage glee and loud laughter at 

 inhuman wit, as they joked about his fate. The pyre and 

 body were consumed together. The smoke of the dreadful 

 revenge was changed to azure mist in the purity of the upper 

 air, and, sun-gilded, like the wreath curling from your own 

 loved hearth. The avengers washed the blood from their 

 hands in a limpid brook, which strove for miles to free itself 

 of this stain cruelly imposed upon it. The sun sank gloriously 

 behind the purple mountains that seemed to blush at the 

 memory of the sanguine sight they had looked upon. Darkness 

 mercifully threw its mantle over the blood stained valley, 

 seeking to hide forever the scene the day had witnessed, and 

 soften men's hearts with its sweet influence. But the end 

 ■was not yet. The morning sun cast his first glances on the 

 last scene in this awful tragedy; and the worst, for it saw- 

 women washing the dead man's ashes in the pans from 

 which to-morrow they would smilingly offer draughts of milk 

 or crisp and snowy biscuits, to save the gold he might have 

 in his pockets. 

 Drop the. curtain. The incredible drama is ended. 

 Just how many persons the Vigilance Committee at Virginia 

 city and neighborhood found it necessary to put to.death 1 do 

 not know. There were several scores, and the rest of the 

 villains fled. When blade was hung the last support of out- 

 lawry gave way,aud the reign of terror was over. The Vigilantes 

 slowly disappeared from view, but never disorganized, and 

 every year since, even to the present week, has witnessed the 

 assertion of their determined power in the form of secret 

 warning to bad men whom the law would not or could not 

 reach, which warnings, if not heeded, were followed by sud- 

 den and merciless administration of justice— justice, not in 

 the technical construction of statutes; nor, on the other hand, 

 as a name to Lide malicious vengeance, but in fact, and as a 

 protection to a widely-scattered and weak population, for 

 whom the eegis of government and law affords utterly inade- 

 quate shelter from the assassin and thief. 



Ernest Ingeesjll. 



OUR WASHINGTON LETTER. 



THE EXTRA SESSION OF CONG P.ESS— PENDING MEASURES FOR 

 •THE PRESERVATION OS GAME AND FISH — THE OREAT FALLS 

 PISHING CLUB— PROTECTION OF GAME IN VIRGINIA— 

 RUFFED GROUSE SHOOTING, ETC., ETC. 



[FROM OUB OWN CORRESPONDENT.] 



Washington, D. C, Oct. C, 1877. 

 As the time approaches for the meeting of the extra session 

 of Congress, Washington begins to have a more lively appear- 

 . „,«> hut as the columns of Forest and Stream are not 

 given to politics, 1 do not propose to say anything about the 

 ■work of the session or the anticipated wrangling over passing 

 events. These beautiful autumn days bring too much pleas- 

 ure to the sportsman's heart to have him waste time in study- 

 ing useless political schemes. The object of this journal is to 

 encourage health-giving out-door sports and exercises, instead 

 of devoting valuable space to praising or condemning politi- 

 cians and their measures. There are, however, two or three 

 matters stowed away in the pigeon-hole in the capitol build- 

 ing in which sportsmen are interested. 1 refer to the bill to 

 prevent the useless slaughter of buffaloes within the territo- 

 ries of the United States; another for the preservation of 

 game ; for the protection of birds, and in relation to dogs in 

 the District of Columbia ; petitions from the Legislatures of 

 Maryland and Virginia favoring an appropriation for the erec 

 tion of a fishway at the Great Falls of the Potomac ; resolu- 

 tion of the Senate instructing the Committee on Commerce of 

 that body to inquire into the extent and condition of the sal- 

 mon fisheries on the Columbia Biver in Oregon, and Washing- 

 ton Territory, and to report such measure as may be expedient 

 nd nropi-r for the regulation of such fisheries and the artifi- 

 cial hatching Of salmon in that river. These, with various 

 other measures of a kindred nature which have from time to 

 time been brought to the attention of Congre.-.s, were referred 

 to in detail in my previous letters, but I am sorry that I have 

 iiot been able to note the passage of a single act to carry any 



of these propositions into effedt. As the coming session will 

 be a long one, there will be plenty of time to consider these 

 matters, and it is to be hoped that persons interested in the 

 passage of good and wholesome laws, having in view the mul- 

 tiplication of fish, protection of game in the Territories aud 

 District of Columbia, over which the National Legislature 

 has supreme control, will urge upon Congress the necessity 

 for such laws. 



THE GREAT PALLS PISHING CLUB, 



an organization of gentlemen formed for the purpose of en- 

 joying the bass fishing of the Upper Potomac, having plenty 

 of boats and ample facilities for the sport, have had poor suc- 

 cess this season, although it numbers among its members some 

 of the most expert anglers of this vicinity. One drawback 

 lias been the muddy condition of the river which has prevailed 

 during a greater part of the summer. Mr. Opcenheimer, one 

 "Of the oldest members of the club, who has probably r taken 

 more bass during the past ten years than any other angler of 

 this district, in a recent conversation with your correspondent, 

 expressed tlie opinion that the bass bite slowly now on ac- 

 count of the great abundance of minnows in the river, upon 

 which they feed, and therefore are not tempted by the sight 

 of a live minnow on a hook. The largest fish taken by him 

 this season was with a crawfish bait, but there is great diffi- 

 culty in obtaining bait of this character. This gentleman 

 also declares that experience has taught him that bass feed 

 extensively on moonlight nights, and are not apt to bite 

 ravenously upon the days succeeding such nights. At the 

 Point of Kocks, one of the most desirable fishing places on 

 the river, he only captured three during one day, and he at- 

 tributes his poor success to the bright moonlight night which 

 preceded the day's fishing. On another occasion, in company 

 wit Mr. John Hancock, also an experienced angler, he fished 

 at a less desirable point during a cloudy day succeeding a 

 dark night, and the two captured seventeen bass, some of 

 them weighing three and a half pounds. The club now has 

 its headquarters at the seven locks, about a mile above Cabin 

 John Bridge, and eight miles above Georgetown. Their favo- 

 rite fishing place is at the foot of what is known as Stubble- 

 field Falls, and in the waters for a mile below. Within the 

 past ten days the bass began to bite more lively, and our 

 anglers were anticipating fine sport this month ; but the very 

 heavy rain of* Thursday last has caused a freshet in the Poto- 

 mac, and there, is no prospect of any fishing for two or three 

 weeks j T et. 



GAME PROTECTION IN VIRGINIA. 



During the approaching Virginia State Fair, which opens 

 at Bichmond on Tuesday, Oct. 30, a convention will be held 

 in that city for the purpose of securing concert of action 

 throughout the State toward the enforcement of laws for the 

 protection of fish and game. 1 notice the Alexandria Gazette 

 recently published the new game law, prefaced by the state- 

 ment that information had been received from numerous cor- 

 respondents in different sections of the State, and from several 

 in the counties adjacent to that city, that, either from igno- 

 rance or a bold contempt for the authority of the State, it was 

 a dead letter and its provisions were utterly disregarded, and 

 that in consequence thereof game of all sorts in Virginia will 

 soon be classed among the things that were. The Fish and 

 Game Protective Association has been in existence about one 

 year only, and, through its efforts, wholesome game laws 

 were passed by the Legislature at the last session. It is to 

 be hoped that the approaching convention will arouse an in- 

 terest in these laws throughout the State, and adopt such 

 measures as will secure their prompt enforcement. In an ad- 

 dress issued by the association to the people of Virginia, thay 

 first speak of the public mind having become quiet thro ugh 

 the restoration of good local government to the several States 

 of the South ; the universal desire throughout the Old Do- 

 minion to get the State in a shape to be attractive to other 

 people as well as valuable to her own citizens, and say : 



" Tlie space of a single generation, or century in fact, is a 

 trifling- element in the life of a people; yet we, in Virginia, 

 but three hundred years old as a community, have dealt with 

 the bounties of nature as if a posterity were wholly denied to 

 us. Our timber has been wasted in the most reckless manner, 

 and no care taken to preserve our oysters, fish and game. As 

 to fish, ex-Governor Seymour, of New York, was not far 

 wrong when he said : 'There is more nutritious food in an 

 acre of water well slocked with fish than in the best wheat- 

 growing farm in the State of New York.' And as to game, 

 aside freni the pleasure of hunting, it is impossible toestimate 

 fully its value in the destruction of the insect enemies to 

 our cultivated crops." 



The people are urged to form game protective associations 

 in their respective counties for the purpose of aiding m the 

 enforcement of the laws as the work must be done by associ- 

 ated action to be effective. The association does not presume 

 that the laws now in force for the preservation and protection 

 of fish and game are perfect ; nor can they be made so with- 

 out an interchange of opinion representing all portions of the 

 State. They express the hope that the creation of associations 

 working together will go far toward an arrangement of these 

 laws on a basis that will insure the greatest good to the great- 

 est number ; and in conclusion say : 



" When we consider, aside from the reasons set forth in the 

 foregoing address, the additional attraction to immigrants, 

 presented ll .Y woods well stocked with game and streams 

 with fish, we at once see how worthy the objects herein ex- 

 hibited are of the very best efforts we are able to put forth to 

 compass them." 



As many sportsmen of this city, Baltimore and Philadelphia 

 do their fall shooting in Virginia, it will be well for them to 

 remember that partridges cannot be shot from and after the 

 15th of October as heretofore. The dose season under the 



new law does not expire until the first of November. It is 

 made unlawful to kill, capture, offer for sale, or buy, any 

 partridge (Ortyx virginianus) between the first day of February 

 and the first day of November, under a penalty of $10 for 

 each offence, the offender to be 'imprisoned until the fine is 

 paid, providing the term of imprisonment does not exceed a 

 period of thirty days. The close season for ruffed grouse 

 (Bonasa umbellus) expires on the first of August, and they 

 can be killed from that time until the first of February. For 

 woodcock (Philohela minor) it expires on the first day of July. 

 Water-fowl cannot be killed between the first day of April 

 and the first day of September, except the summer duck (Aix 

 sponsa) and sora (Porzann Carolina). Wild turkeys {Melea- 

 gris gattopavo) cannot be killed between the first day of Feb- 

 ruary and 15th of October. The law also forbids any one 

 killing or capturing deer within the State between the 

 15th day of December and loth day of August. 



In Alexandria a game protective association has recently 

 been formed and is now doing good work. One of the papers 

 of that place in speaking of the association says : 



" The number of pot-hunters from Washington, who invade 

 the fields and marshes of this county, have made the organi- 

 gation of this society necessary. It proposes to see that the 

 zame laws are strictly enforced." 



PHEASANT OH BUFFED GROUSE SHOOTING 



in Virginia frequently affords good sport, as they are quite 

 plentiful in some portions of the State. Being exclusively a 

 woodland bud it finds many localities in that State congenial to 

 its habits. As an article of food it cannot be surpassed by any 

 other bird of this section, and just at this time they are in ex- 

 cellent condition. Under the new game law above noted the 

 close season expired on the 1st of August, though they have 

 not yet been hunted to any extent. Like many other game 

 birds ruffed grouse are known by different names in various 

 districts where they are found. In the New England States 

 it is always called a " partridge," while in this section it is 

 known as " pheasant." Along some portions of the Alleghany 

 iVlouritamH where it is plentiful the latter appellation prevails. 

 I think it is found to a limited extent only in the south and 

 west. It is a constant resident of the places which it frequents, 

 always seeking the interior of forests and being exceedingly 

 fond of the rocky sides of hills and mountains in many cases 

 inaccessible to the sportsman. It is said that the bird some- 

 limes frequents low lands, but I have very seldom not iced 

 them in such places. Late in the fall, after cold weather had 

 been experienced, I have found them upon hillsides with a 

 southern exposure, especially when thickly covered with 

 trees and bushes. They evidently seek such places for win- 

 ter quarters, as the cold blasts of that season cannot reach 

 them there, and it is in such localities that they often build 

 their nests and breed. The flight of the pheasant when dis- 

 turbed is very rapid, and it requires an expert marksman to 

 bring them down. It is not often that a shot can be had at 

 them in the open, and the dense undergrowth of their favorite 

 haunts frequently obscures them from view after they have 

 taken wing, the whirring sound made by the bird in ils flight 

 being the only knowledge the sportsman has of its presence. 

 They fly somewhat similar to our partridge by a continued 

 beating of the wings, and then sail along balancing the body 

 in the air. The loud whirring sound produced by the ruffed 

 grouse, partridge and some other kindred birds, when they 

 arise, is only heard when they are frightened and forced to fly, 

 but is never made when the birds move of their own accord from 

 one place to another, as they can take wing on such occasions 

 as gently and quietly as any other member of the feathered 

 tribe. The sportsman always has his best chance to drop the 

 bird when he first puts it up. Though it flies but a few 

 hundred yards before alighting, when forced to take wing the 

 second time it flies more rapidly and higher, besides the bird 

 has a habit of hiding, aud I believe it only r takes wing when it 

 can find no convenient place to hide, as I have marked well 

 the spot where the bird alighted but failed to put it up the 

 second time after the most strenuous efforts. In this section 

 the female makes her nest about the latter part of April or 

 first of May, always on the ground by the side of im old log 

 or at the root of a bush, and in this she deposits from six lo 

 twelve eggs. Like our partridge the young birds are able to 

 run about almost immediately after leaving the shell, and 

 when a week old they can fly a short distance. I have heard 

 that the nest of the ruffed grouse or pheasant is frequently 

 raided by crows during the absence of the old bud, and all the 

 eggs eaten. No doubt it is the case, as they are always ou 

 the lookout for such dainties. Foxes, weasels and hawks are 

 all enemies to the bird and oftentimes destroy the mother and 

 brood. 



The " drumming " of the ruffed grouse is a subject which 

 has elicited a good deal of discussion among ornithologists, 

 and I believe the question is yet unsettled as to how the bird 

 produces this sound. Audubon states that it " beats its sides 

 with its wings in the manner of the domestic cock, but more 

 loudly and with EucliTapidity of motion after a few of the first 

 strokesas to cause a tremor in the air, not. unlike the rumbling 

 of distant thunder." Wilson, in his American Ornithology, sub- 

 stantially corroborates the account of Audubon, but does not 

 say the bird strikes Hb body with its wings, though he probably 

 means to convey that impression. Nut tail's description is 

 similar to that of Audubon, and he distinctly states that the 

 bird "beats his sides with his wings with such accelerating 

 motion after the first few strokes as to cause the tremor de- 

 scribed which may be heard reverberating in a still morning 

 to the distance of from a quarter to a half a mile." These 

 statements were the accepted authority upon this subject until, 



