Oct. 21, 1894.] 
\ 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
361 
Jr., their guest, killed two deer. Mr. Jones also got several 
deer to his score. But Mrs. Jones has again borne away 
the honor of the hunting trip. She was alone in the 
woods, when the hounds drove a fine buck past her. The 
animal wa3 coming with the speed of a flying bird, but 
with a couple of shots from Mrs. Jones's rifle be fell dead 
in his tracks. 
Dogging deer is being again practiced in Main this 
year. A gentleman who visits Bangor very frequently on 
business trips, and who is a good deal interested in fish 
and game matters, was on the train the other day on hiB 
way home to Boston. On the train was a party of three 
sportsmen who had been having "great luck with deer," 
as they expressed it. They invited the gentleman into 
the baggage car to see their game. They liad seven deer. 
The gentleman asked them where they had obtained them , 
but they were not willing to answer. He suggested that 
they probably used dogs in obtaining their game. One 
of them looked out of the car window and remarked, 
"We are out of Maine now. Yes, we did dog them. 
Everybody who gets any deer uses dogs. We have found 
tbat out. You don't suppose that we are chumps, do you? 
With dogs we get deer. Without them we get none. 
The game law, on yes. We are out of that State." 
Special. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
[From, our Staff Correspondent.] 
Horicon Marsh O. K. 
Chicago, 111., Oct. 19. — All this fall the members of the 
Horicon and Diana clubs, which control the famous Hori- 
con Marsh of Wisconsin, have been annoyed by a series 
of petty legal troubles instituted by local lawyers ostensi- 
bly working for the interests of trie Lombard Investment 
Co., holders of the chief equity in the title of the lands. 
There have been permits and poachers, arrests and re- 
arrests, injunctions and counter injunctions, enough to 
keep the managers in activity and some of the club mem- 
bers in doubt. It is a pleasure to be able to say that these 
temporary troubles are now well ended and that the club 
has won its legal battle. This whole thing has been so 
well taken up in the issue of the Chicago Tribune of to- 
day that I take the liberty of reproducing the reference in 
full. It reads: 
Chicago sportsmen who for years have shot ducks on the famous 
Horicon Marsh, Dodge county, Wis., are delighted with Judge Sloan's 
decision delivered Wednesday at Juneau, Wis. The decision dissolves 
an injunction granted by the same court Oct. 6 and establishes the 
right of the Horicon Shooting Club and the Diana ShootiDg Club to 
control absolutely the famous 18,000 acre duels preserve for the next 
fourteen years. After Receiver Sandford B. Ladd of the Lombard In- 
vestment Company, a Kansas City concern, bought the property 
known as the Horicon Marsh at public sale from United States Mar- 
shall Pratt, June 28, the company gave a lease of the game preserve 
lo W.R. Grady of Chicago, notwithstanding the fact that the Horicon 
and Diana ShootiDg cluos held a twenty-live-year lease of the same 
privileges as were conceded to Mr. Grady. The two clubs, for each of 
which Percy F. Stone of this city is secretary and general manager, • 
remained in possession. "Standing pat" with nine points of the law 
in their favor, the clubs, through Mr. Stone, proceeded to combat any 
attempts of interlopers to hunt ducks in the marshes of the Horicon 
tract. Soon after Mr. Qradysecured the lease from the Lombard In- 
vestment Company he proceeded to do a wholesale business in per- 
mits. He announced through the press of Milwaukee and Chicago 
that he would issue permits to hunt at each for the season endiug 
Dec. 1." 
Mr. Grady added the information that "the Horicon marsh was sold 
by the Unitej States Marshal June 23, 1894, at Juneau, and bought in 
by the Lombard Investment Company. The sale canceled all leases 
issued to tbat daie. 1 ' 
Agencies for tne sale of these permits were established at various 
points, and when the duck season opened their holders swarmed upon 
the marsh to get their $3 worth of sport. In a shore time deputy 
sheriffs and deputy marshals were given all the work they could ao in 
arresting the permit holders for trespass, and the Dodge County Court 
dockets are said to be filled with names of the men who bought these 
privileges from Mr. Grady and his agents. The duck hunting season 
opened Sept. 1, and atter the permit nolders had been harasseu by the 
minions of the law carrying the warrants sworn out by Manager 
Stone, Mr. Grady decided upon an attempt to establish the priority of 
claims to the ownership of the Horicon mallards by due process of 
law. Oct. 6 he went before Judge Sloan and prayed for an injunction 
directed to the Diana Shooting Club, and oiuering the clubs, "their 
agents, servants, employes, patrolmen and watchmen absolutely to 
desist and refrain from arresting or prosecuting any persons hunting 
upon the Horicon marshes." The injunction was issued" and yesterday 
was dissolved. 
Mr. Robert Rone, of Milwaukee, writes me that he 
bagged 108 ducks on the upper Horicon marsh in two 
days of last week. There was something of a flight on, 
and several guns had good success. To-day Mr. R. B. 
Organ, of Chicago, and Mr. R. Merrill, of Muwaukee, are 
going up to take their first visit to the Upper Club, and if 
tne weather there is as cold and rough as it is here to-day 
they ought to get some shooting. 
Your uncle John Watson continues to weekly Bwat the 
jacksnipe down on the Kankakee, and hardly a Saturday 
passes that he does not come in with a calm smile and 
three dozen snipe. 
In the Far North. 
In letters to Mr. Waters, of this office, Mr. Thos. John- 
son, of Winnipeg, has the following about the fowl in the 
far North: 
"Before I went West," says Mr. Johnson, "I wrote to 
an old shooting companion, John Ayre, of the Lake View 
House, Toronto, the man who went with me on a forty 
days' shoot some years ago. I had made all arrangements 
with the Messrs. (ialt, who were camping at Whitewater 
Lake, to leave the camp intact so we could take posses- 
sion. I received a letter to-day trom his son, informing 
me of the sad news that he died just after receipt of my 
letter. This has broken me up. I have put guns and 
everything appertaining away for this year. Mr. John 
Gait returned to-day, and he tells me one of their party, 
Mr. R. A. Ruttan, billed exactly 100 canvasbacks to his 
own gun one day, and that geese were there in tens of 
thousands, swans in thousands, white, blue and brown 
crane in immense numbers, and ducks thicker than they 
have been for years. This is all, as you know, very 
tempting, but when I remember my dear old friend, John 
Ayre, with his great big heart, if 1 went I could not hit a 
balloon. I couldn't see one at UOyds. if I thought of John. 
So farewell to ducks for this year." 
In regard to the same party of shooting friends who 
were located on Whitewater Lake, the same writer in an- 
other letter says, under date of Oct. 9: 
"Our duck shooting is yet good. Mr. G. F. Gait and 
two friends on Saturday, .Sept. 29 (at Whitewater Lake, 
southwest of Winnepeg a short distance), killed 237 can- 
vasback ducks before noon; in fact, in about three hours. 
4 'I returned on the cars to-day with the party who had 
been sent out by the Canadian Government, jointly with 
a party sent by the American Government, to define the 
boundary in Alaska between Canada and the United States. 
One of the party is a personal friend of my own, and has 
promised to give me particulars of the game in that coun- 
try, which he says is in millions. 1 will get this for 
Forest and Strbam some time when I have leisure. One 
thing he told me which I was surprised to hear, that geese 
and ducks breed and live the year round in Alaska; that 
is, in some portions of it." 
Some Violators. 
Some weeks ago I mentioned the fact that a special-car 
party of Chicago chicken shooters had been searched at 
fcit. Raul and 250 illegal chickens found in their possession, 
1 now learn further facts. The party was made up of 
Marvin Hughitt, Jr., son of one of tbe most prominent 
officials of tne Cnicago & Northwestern road, and Mr, D, 
Mark Cummings of Chicago, and I believe they were ac- 
companied by Mr. W. R. Linn of Chicago. I understand 
that nothing was done to them in St. Paul further than 
confiscating the game. The party shot in North Dakota, 
this year at Carrington. They were told that they were 
not wante i at Dawson, and were also invited to go away 
from Eldridge for their hunt, A Chicago party that ar- 
rived at Dawson a few days before the opening of the 
season this year were promptly waited on by the local 
warden. "On, 1 thought you were the Cummings party," 
said he, apologetically. "We don't want them m here 
any more." The charge was that this special car of shoot- 
ers had killed every bird they could and apparently were 
satisfied with no reasonable limit of slaughter. 
It is rather a hard duty to be obliged to make public 
facts like these in regard to Chicago shooters who should 
certainly know better and do better. The special-car 
butcher is no better than the market-butcher; indeed I do 
not think he is as good. The preserve-butcher is no bet- 
ter than the butcher who Bhoocs over open country. They 
are all alike, with the benefit in favor of the poorer and 
more ignorant butcher. These big-bag men are not great 
sportsmen. They are only great butchers. Now, that 
isn't so nice a trade. I believe Mr. Lmn was not with this 
party last year, and I hope that next year every member 
of the party wdl go content to observe the letter and the ' 
spirit of the statute law and the sportsmen's unwritten 
law of right. If they will not do so, I hope the residents 
of Dakota will give them the. limit. It is time for the 
Dakota shooters to realize that they are being robbed of 
their game by unscrupulous shooters from the East. 
For these shooters, whatever be their station, there should 
be in Dakota and in Chicago, in private and in the pages 
of the public press, but one course of conduct. They 
should be given justice, nothing more. 
Mr. Truue, this is Mr. Hughitt. 1 hope you all and Dr. 
Thomas will be very good friends. 
Cincinnati, This Time. 
Dr. R. R. Braxtan, of Loogootee, Ind., writes me as 
below in regard to a bit of violation of the game law in his 
neighborhood: 
"1 have just learned of the most flagrant violation of 
the game law that it has ever been my fortune to notice. 
A drummer from Cincinnati who claims to be a sportsman 
came out to our town this week and killed and took back 
to his home with him %7 quail. If the gentleman in ques- 
tion notices this in Forest and Stream, 1 sincerely nope 
he will communicate witn me and undertake to prove this 
item false. Quail are plenty, and are good, strOng flyers 
now, but that is no excuse lor such unprincipled rascals 
as he." 
And so it goes. The game has rather a hard time of it. 
I suppose it must be exterminated before we learn its 
value. . E. Hough. 
909 Security Building, Chicago. 
'•That reminds me." 
THE SNAKES THAT SAVED THE TOWN. 
"Ets dead contrairy ter common sense en nater," ex- 
claimed "Quill" Baldwin after a deliberate and expector- 
atoriai shot at the open stove-door, "thet er critter born 
en bred ez en enerruy ter man 6hould ever dew him er 
sarvice 'less 'twas by some accident-like. Ef Parson Train 
wuz ter stan' here tnis minit en declar' thet he'd know'd 
er case whar er snake pupposely saved er huining life, 
I'd think he wuz gone crazy er wuz a-lyin', 1 would, by 
ginger 1" 
"P'raps yer think my wife's great-uncle Steve wuz silly 
er else lyin' when his house tuk fire m the middle er the 
night, an' him ersleepin' thar alone en er blacKsnake thet 
bed been er pet fur years en bed er den under their 
kitchen, cum up stairs en bit him tell he wuk up? Mebbe 
the ole man wuz dreamin', too, an' p'raps the uead body 
er ther snake warnlt foun' in the ruins ther next day? 
How wuz that, 'Quill?" and Zeke Slater leaned back witn 
the satisfied air oi one who has put a poser to his adver- 
sary. / 
"That duz seem er bit cur'us," commented Gregory, 
who was dusting off his stock of candies, "'pears ter me 
like Divine Providence aetin' through tne agency of er 
Bnake, as 'twere," this last with a solemn snitt or two. 
"Ennybody 'cept er complete nat'ral-born ldjic 'd know 
mor'n ter claim tuet er snaae bit er man ter save his life," 
muttered Qudl, whose pipe refused to light and whose 
temper was fast failing. "Mus' proberoly tner reptile war 
out er grub en Zeke's wife's ole gret-uuele wuz better'n 
nothin to chaw on. Snakes kin stan' purty poor livin'l" 
he added after a moment's moody reflection. 
"Yew boys all talk like yer warn'c weaned yit," inter- 
posed Lightnouse Charley, who had just come in out of 
the storm and was shaking out his great coat. "Tumble 
night, this, Mr. Gregory; mus' be tuti on ther coastin' 
scnooners, sich weather 1" The old man had had a taste 
of life before the mast when a lad and had not forgotten 
its disagreeable side. Then as he drew the broken arm- 
chair nearer the stove and lighted his short-stemmed pipe 
he followed up his timely and peace-preserving interrup- 
tion: 
"What duz ail yew, Quill Baldwin, ter utter sech truck 
ez thet 'bout snakes bein' man's natural enemy?" 
"I wuz jes' wishin' you'd come in, Mr. Baldwin," said 
Gregory, for I knew 't ef enny one could tell us ther fac's 
'bout snakes yew wuz ther man. And 'lore we all git 
settled down le's have some cider; 't's my treat ternight!" 
This unparalleled liberality started up six volunteers to go 
down cellar with the jug, but Gregory, perhaps feeling 
that one who offers a gift should himself set it before his 
friends, and perhaps for other reasons, insisted on going 
down himself, lantern in hand. 
After every one had been properly moistened and the 
collector of snake lore had sufficiently lubricated his vocal 
organs for present needs and placed a mug on the stove 
by his side for future emergencies, Lighthouse Charlie 
began: 
"In ther fust place ther cases whar er snake hez saved 
ther life uv er single bein' air tew many fur me ter think 
er speakin' erbout. I mout mention ther grass snakes, 
common little ev'ry-day grass snakes. thet save young Ted 
Somers las' Augus' w'en his skiff wuz driftin' daown ter 
ther very edge er ther big dam et Derby, en no one could 
git out ter him. Never heard 'bout thet? Wal, wal, yew 
folks here ter ther village air the dumbedest set! Why, 
them snakes hed er nest en ther bow er his ole boat. He 
never used it hardly 'tall, en w'en they come er-squirmin' 
out scared by the noise er this dam so near, et didn' tek 
'em er minit ter see haow ther lan' lay, er rather haow 
ther water lay. Jes' tuk hold one 'nother heads ter tails 
so 's they made er rope eighteen foot long. Fus' one he 
dived, draggin' t'others with him. Then Ted see ther 
snake rope tauten up en git straight, en his plague boat 
cum to er stop. The las' leetle squirmer hed tied hisself 
ter ther ringbolt en es purty a bowline hitch ez ever sailor 
made. Wal, thar he wuz, jes' three feet from ther edge 
er thet roarin' plungin' torrint, an' thar thet leetle rope er 
snakes held him te'l help cum. They never knowed what 
thet lowest one hed grasped holt on, but he knew his biz, 
en I'll bet 'twant no straw ner stick. 
"But pshaw!" the old man ejaculated, not deigning to 
notice the looks of mingled doubt and wonder with which 
his narrative was received; "thar wuz my ole neighbor, 
Jedge Fowler, alius bin ez scared uv dogs ez yew er I'd be 
uv polar b'ars, en nat'rally ev'ry cur goes fur him. Las' 
month thet spiteful, mean pup er Dave Oviatt's went fur 
him, en ther ole man was so startled be fell en ther rascal 
jumped fur his throat. Jes az he jumped a spunky young 
adder reached out from under er fence post whar he hed 
his tail wrapped roun' en grabbed ther dog's hine foot. 
Held him, tew, tell young Oviatt cum en clubbed ther 
dog off, en ther 'tarnal fool went en killed ther snake, tew. 
Why—" 
"Proper thing ter do ter snakes!" snapped Quill sav- 
agely. He met with no approval at this, and Lighthouse 
Charley frowned him into subjection, and continued: 
"Why ther' are er thousan' cases, but ther real one I 
wanter give yer is whar er fam'ly er water moccasins 
saved this taown. Yes, sir, saved three thousan' people 
them squirmin' heroes did, en never er word er thanks 
neither. Yew all 'member thet turrible freshet en ther 
spring er '74 when ther Housatonic overflowed ets banks 
en raised p. j rticaler Ned? Swep' off some ten er 'leven 
houses en barns up t' wards Shelton way? Wal, ther big 
new dam up ter Derby wasn't built them days, en ther ole 
dam were er mouty shaky pile er stone en logs en earth. 
Ther swash were weakenin' her ev'ry blessed day. En 
one night when the river wuz et ther highest ther cum 
on er turrific rain storm, en I sez ter ole Sam Eeles, sez I, 
'Sam, this yer storm settles this dam, en this town 's er 
goin' ter be drowneded out sure 's beeswax!' 
"He 'greed 'twere, en jes then er couple er fellers cum by 
en sung out thet word hed cum ther dam wuz goin' en no 
one wuz up thar ter help fight back ther river; they wuz 
goin' up, they said, en axed us ter go too. So course we 
went, young en ready ter go entu enythin' them days, I 
wuz, en all ther way up we roused up the folks en tole 
'em ter be ready ter swim f er ther lives. Us four got up 
ter ther dam 'long 'bout 'leven o'clock. Ther river were 
one howlin', foamin' rush er suds en thar war ten chaps 
tuggin' erway ter hoi' in ther weak spot which war ther 
east corner. Here en thar we could see leetle dribblin' 
streams er water tricklin' down ther bank whar er new 
leak hed sprung, en we fell tew en plugged them holes ez 
fas' ez we could with cobble stuns. Turnin' over one big 
flat rock en er marshy spot ter get at some small uns, 
Sam unkivered er nes' er water moccasins. He wuz crazy 
ter kill 'em but I fin'ly persuaded him ter leave 'em be en 
ten' ter hez wuk. I allers b'lieve er snake '11 dew more 
good 'n harm ef he's treated decent. Skurcely five 
minutes arter that Sam yelled ter me, 'Look thar!' sez 
he, 'see thet moccasin!' 
; "I looked en sure nuff thar one er ther snakes he'd gone 
en crawled enter er leak en he'd bunged et up tight. 
Before I could say er word ev'ry one er them pesky smart 
moccasins wuz et work, en ther mus' er bin forty. Not 
er drop er water cum out er enny hole them chaps struck; 
ef ther body got small fer it, they ran ther tail back en 
wedged er double thickness en. All night long them 
snakes held ther fort en me'n ther rest see thet we'd 
ne ver er mounted to nothin' 'thout ther help. The bigges' 
snake wuz near whar I was wuk-kin' en he did the 
8inartis' thing er all. When ther wash hed made ther 
hole too big en the leak begun ergin he ran his tail back 
en forward tell he hed four thickness en ther hole, then 
he b'gun ter eat sticks en dirt en gravel, things er snake 
would never choose fur his own pleasure en so he swelled 
out hez stomach en jammed thet cavity so all-fired tight 
thet when they fixed ther dam tew days later four men with 
picks en bars hed a mortal tuff job ter drag him out. No, 
sirree! since thet night I don' wanter hear no idle talk 'bout 
snakes bein' enemies fur they saved ev'ry mother's son uv 
us then. What er snake can't do has yit ter be diskiv- 
ered! " And the old man, finding that the.rain had slacked 
and that the depleted jug of cider was not going to be 
replenished, donned his old gum coat, bade his late listen- 
ers a grim good-night and disappeared into the night. 
H. Prescott Beach. 
A Stray Shinplaster ^ 
Comes to us once in a while for a copy 
of "Game Laws in « Brief;" but shin- 
plasters nowadays are scarcer than Moose 
in New York; and 25 cents in postage 
stamps will do just as well. 
