246 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
[March 26, 1898. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
Death of Mr. "White. 
Chicago, III., March 19. — Mr. W. F. White, general 
traffic manager of the Santa Fe Railroad system, died at 
his home in this city Tuesday night of this week, March 
15. Thus passed away, perhaps, the most widely known 
and most popular railroad man in the West, one of the 
most kind-hearted gentlemen, and one of the keenest, 
though most unostentatious, of sportsmen. He was 
known by thousands of men in this city and every West- 
ern State, and his death comes as a blow not easily for- 
gotten by any one who knew him. His was one of those 
sunny, unsoured dispositions which the world can so ill 
afford to lost. 
Mr. White grew up with the Santa Fe Road. He went 
out into Kansas before the road had crossed the buffalo 
range, and long before the buffalo had gone. Up to 1878 
he was general ticket agent of the Santa Fe road; then 
he became general passenger and ticket agent. In 
1887 he was made general traffic manager. Then 
he became passenger traffic manager in 1889, and 
for a time also assumed charge of the traffic of the Gulf 
and Colorado division. Few men could be busier than 
he, yet he often found time to talk of the hunting and 
fishing trips he wanted to make, and sometimes found 
time to make one, his favorite recreation ground being 
New Mexico. I first became acquainted with Mr. White 
in 1886, and am proud to have been one of the legion 
of his friends. No one who knew him Gq«14 fail' to ap- 
preciate his rare character. 
The Flight of the Fowl. 
The north-bound flight of ducks came in a great rush, 
but dwindled rapidly. It is now heaviest along the larger 
waterways where there is more room for the birds to 
feed or to pass on. The best of the shooting this week 
has been along the Mississippi River near Burlington, 
la. Along the Illinois River there has been a good 
flight also, especially in the neighborhood of Beardstown. 
as earlier reported. Numbers of parties, however, some 
of them with camping outfits, who have been along the 
lower Illinois River for some days, report bad luck. A 
gentleman who went down Illinois River from Macomb 
says that the truth is the number of hunters simply drove 
away the ducks, which had no opportunity to feed. Along 
the Kankakee River the same has been true in minia- 
ture. At first there were some startling bags, but now 
I hear of nothing very great. Dick Turtle and several 
others were down at Water Valley this week, but only 
got a very few birds. At Maksawba Club a few guns 
have been out along the river this week, but with poor 
success. At Lake Senachwine thousands of birds came 
in about a week ago. and the shooting was better than it 
has been for three years. All the ice is out from the 
marshes m that neighborhood. The Desplaines River 
and all streams below it have been on freshet, and with 
the disappearance of the ice and opening of the streams 
the birds have scattered somewhat and passed on up 
hurther to the west on the Platte River the goose shoot- 
ing IS now well over, and the duck flight is on. During 
the coming week Wisconsin, Minnesota and Dakota will 
take their turn at the flight. Ducks are reported now 
on Lake Winnebago, Wis. 
It is thoiight that the season will be an earlv one in 
this part of the world. Already a few jacksnipe have 
been killed just south cf Chicago. They are -reported 
to be as lean as snakes. 
We rarely have any geese in Ilhnois nowadays, and 
the sandhill crane, which once migrated in thousands 
across this State, is now rarely heard. In the old times 
the spring flight of ducks would stop for weeks in Illi- 
nois, and a great many birds breed in this State. Now 
their spring stops are very short. 
The Illinois Warden's Work. 
State Warden H. W. Loveday, of Illinois, certainly 
deserves credit for the way he has been chasing up the 
"sooner," the "later" and the illegal shipper. He tells 
me this week that he has secured 540 convictions, accord- 
ing to the last count. There is hardly a county in the 
whole State which has not furnished its share in this 
grist. The hardest offenders to get at are those in the 
lower counties, where the game is shipped to St. Louis 
market and not to Chicago. The system in Chicago is 
such that a box of illegal game coming in is apt to be 
spotted. The name of the shipper is then learned, and in 
due time the warden goes down into his county, and at 
his leisure pulls the man up and has him duly fined. 
Within the past week Mr. Loveday and his assistant war- 
den, N. H. Edenborough, have tried seventeen cases 
and secured sixteen convictions, the fines running from 
$25 to $110. The highest fine was secured against Geo. 
N. Corbin, a coal dealer, of Carthage, 111., who has been 
buying up local game and shipping it to Chicago. At 
Tuscola, Fred Beedle was fined $47.50. He got off easy, 
for he had killed thirty-two quail and shipped them to 
Chicago, where evidence was secured against him. A 
very interesting case was that of P. F. Darrah, who was 
tried at Macomb. A great deal of interest was taken, 
and a crowd was at the trial. They witnessed Mr. Darrah 
get properly soaked for shipping 114 quail to Chicago. 
He was let off easy. Warden Loveday has been invited 
to visit the officers of the Winnebago County Fish and 
Game Club,_ the new organization of which mention has 
been made in these columns. This league of sportsmen 
now has eighty members, and expects to have 200, and 
each of these members will endeavor to stop the viola- 
tions of the law along the Rock River. 
This week Warden Loveday seized a box of freshly 
killed prairie chickens, shipped from Iowa. They were, 
of _ course, full-grown spring birds, and would, if alive, 
this week be booming and dancing on the breeding 
grounds. It seems so wrong to kill prairie chickens this 
way in the spring — though I suppose it is really just as 
wrong to kill ducks at that season. 
Warden Loveday says that he has endeavored to es- 
tablish reciprocal relations with the wardens of all West- 
ern States, so that he may act as their agent in this city. 
Minnesota and Michigan have already appointed him as 
such agent, but he has received no word whatever from 
Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, North and South Dakota 
and Oklahoma Teritory. 
Mr. Loveday says he does not think there is any very 
great amount of illegal game being held in cold storage 
in Illinois after the" close of the selling season. The 
great bulk of the Chicago contraband game was sent to 
cold storage in Troy and Utica, N. Y. Of course the 
ownership was never changed, and the demands of this 
local market were never overlooked. The users of small 
lots of illegal game, such as the clubs, hotels and res- 
taurants, are thought to be supplied to some extent by 
package shipments from this Eastern cold storage. This 
is the latest way adopted by our gentle citizens of South 
Water street, who stand for the inalienable rights of 
every man to grab off everything he can until he gets 
caught. 
In spite of all the above, however, it is known to a 
good many interested parties, and admitted by Mr. Love- 
day, that there is some illegal game still in the hands 
of ' Chicago dealers. Our good friend "Possum Bill" 
Werner, steward of Kinsley's restaurant, stated pub- 
licly that he knew of certain lots of game which had 
been sold illegally within the past few days, some of 
Avhich game had been offered to him. He stated that 
a certain firm had to his knowledge sold ilHcit game 
to Rector's restaurant. This he cited as proof of negli- 
gence on the part of the warden. Mr. Loveday this 
week got a subpoena for Mr. Werner, and he will be 
used as principal witness in the trial of Mr. Rector, which 
is set for this afternoon. It is thought that Mr. Wer- 
ner can introduce sufficient evidence to convict Mr. Rec- 
tor, although of course he would hardly give this evi- 
dence with anything but reluctance. There is no doubt 
that Mr. Werner can get track of a great deal of evi- 
dence bearing on illegal handling of game in this market. 
He is a good sportsman and would like to see the game 
laws observed, but has been disgusted at seeing them 
broken so openlj' and often. I hope that his little feud 
with Mr. Lovedaj^ will be healed up, and that he will 
give the warden all the assistance in his power. The two 
ought to make a pretty strong team among the restaur- 
ant trade. I do not believe that any right thinking busi- 
ness man could blame Mr. Werner for publicly joining 
in such a work. His heart and sympathies are wholly 
those of a sportsman, and no man, sportsman or other- 
wise, ought to be penalized in his business for a posi- 
tion which simply holds out for that respect which any 
citizen should give the laws of the land. The Rector 
case will probably be continued to-day, but there will be 
fun when it really comes to trial. Justice Prindiville will 
be the judge. 
The amount of confiscated game in this market makes 
quite a big figure in the warden's yearly income. At 
one time last summer Warden Loveday had a lot of 1,400 
illegal prairie chickens, all of which were shipped in 
warm weather, and all of which arrived unfit for even 
illegal use, They were dumped into the sewers in one 
lot. In such a case as this there is no confiscation 
money for the warden, but sometimes he has better luck. 
He got together at odd times over 3,000 illegal prairie 
chickens, which have been or will be sold at auction. 
A public auction of contraband game was held by War- 
den Loveday yesterday, March 18. I met Warden Love- 
daj^ just after the close of the sale, and he told me that 
he had just sold forty-six dozen grouse at the handsome 
figure of $7.50 per dozen. This shows what the demand 
for this game is at this season of the year. The quail 
sold yesterday did not bring such good prices, running 
about $1.85 a dozen. The total results of this sale foot 
up nearly $600. I asked Warden Loveday what would 
become of this game, and what would hinder other game 
being hawked around among the Chicago clubs and 
restaurants under the pretense that it was this auction 
game. He said that legally this auction game could be 
thus sold, or had in possession, but that he had fore- 
stalled this contingency by making it a condition that 
the purchaser of this game should at once ship it out 
of this market. This, of course, is putting the best face 
possible upon the rather awkward situation created by 
our Illinois statutes, to which I have earlier called at- 
tention. On the aboye showing, however, one is bound 
in justice to say that Mr. Loveday has been doing fine 
work in his office as State warden, and his administra- 
tion is a relief after those of some of his predecessors. 
In the Galaxy, 
I wish to add to my galaxy of distinguished citizens, 
not above breaking the law, the name of Mr. R. J. Bell, 
County Attorney of Roseau county, Minn. Mr. Bell 
bought illegal moose meat, it is alleged, and also, as 
alleged, advised local butchers to- handle such meat. 
It was his shrewd practice to have this meat passed 
through the custom house on the ground that it came 
from Canada. Warden Fullerton had Mr. Bell bound 
over to the grand jury. The Governor of the State will 
probably call for the key of Mr. Bell's County Attorney 
office. 
Mr. Fullerton did another good piece of work last 
week when he rounded up William Kingston at Duluth. 
Mr. Kingston was caught with $8,000 worth of illegal 
partridges in his possession. "Give me $1,000 cash. Bill," 
said Mr. Fullerton, "and I'll let you go this time." "All 
right, Sam," said Mr. Kingston, "I take pleasure in 
giving you $1,000 under the circumstances." This he 
did, and the indictment brought by the grand jury will 
now be quashed. 
Acclimatization. 
In these days one hears very much about experiments 
in planting game in different parts of the country. Mr. 
D. C. Buckstaff, of Oshkosh, Wis., has ordered eight 
dozen quail from Kansas, which will be put down near 
Vinland and Rushford, in Wisconsin. 
Another batch of 120 Kansas quail was received last 
week by the Gun Club of Missoula, Mont., and will be 
put down in the Bitter Root Valley. The quail which 
were put down by Stevensville sportsmen in the Burnt 
Fork country have been doing very well, so that the ex- 
periment is considered sure of success. 
I have already spoken of the importation of mon- 
golian pheasants by Mr. Losekamp, of Billings, Mont. 
I learn that Mr. Losekamp will try to cross these birds 
with the native bkie grouse. He wishes the aid of a 
few good ranchmen who will see that the new birds will 
be sure of protection after they are turned loose. 
The last case of importation of game of which I have 
word this week is the shipping from Idaho to Butte, 
Mont., of 200 live jack rabbits. These, however, are 
not to be liberated, but will be used for coursing by the 
Butte Coursing Club. 
The Loophole Again. 
They don't shoot ducks in the spring in Ontario, for 
they have the Canadian respect for good, sensible game 
laws, well enforced. Yet a curious measure is to come 
up this spring, probably inspired by persons living on 
the American side, this being a movement to legalize 
the shooting of merganser ducks on the Canada side. 
The mergansers are fish ducks, and not good to eat, 
and it is urged that there could be no harm in shooting 
them. That is the theory of it. The practice of it would 
be that the gunner who went out after mergansers would 
very often be tempted to kill good ducks, and very often 
some gunners would do so. The loophole is the best 
possible argument against special laws and in favor of 
i3road and uniform ones. 
Without Thanks. 
In the course of my career I have very often had my 
stufi declined by a great many editors, some of them 
very good ones and of good judgment, but I never mind- 
ed that, because they nearly always decline the stuff with 
thanks. Now this sort of thing doesn't seem to work 
the other way. The editor of the San Francisco Report 
uses my Chicago and the We.st stuff right along, but he 
doesn't do so with thanks. He just swipes her and lets 
her go. I reckon that is easier for him, but it seems 
odd to find Montana and Utah news printed in New 
York and used in San Francisco as original news. This 
is what we used to call the grapevine telegraph when I 
was moulding opinion further West. 
The San River Elk Case. 
The following paragraph covers the latest news regard- 
ing the Sun River elk killing in Montana, to which at- 
tention has been called earlier: "Tuesday was a busy 
day for Justice of the Peace Mayer, at Augusta. State 
Senator W. F. Flowerree, Dr. Winslow, Emil Sturze- 
negger, William Lange, Ernest Elder and Frank Llirsch 
were arraigned that day for violation of the game law. 
Flowerree, Lange and Eder were discharged, there being 
no' evidence against tlieni. Dr. Winslow, Frank Hirsch 
and Eniil Stnrzcnegger pleaded guilty to technical viola- 
tion of the law, and each was fined $100 and costs." 
Indiana Ducks, 
Mr. A. F. Osborn, writing from Kaukakee, -Tlid., has 
the following information about the duck flight this 
spring in Indiana, and the prospect of fishing at an 
early date: 
"Quite a number of the Kankakee boys have been 
shooting lately in the Kankakee swamp lands around 
Shelby and Lineville, Ind., with some fairly good bags, 
thirty-five to forty ducks in two or three days' shooting. 
Ducks were rather wild (a good thing), and did not stay 
long. Shooting only lasted a few days. If spring shoot- 
ing could be stopped, we might see game again like it 
'used to be.' 
"Fish are beginning to bite a little; some good 'sal- 
mon,' as they call 'em here, have been caught (4 and 
Slbs.), and a few bass. I hear that around Waldron, be- 
tween there and Momence, a number of good-sized pick- 
erel laave been taken — 7-pounders. The weight generally 
grows the further it travels. 
"The most sport I have had lately has been in reading 
Forest and Stream." 
Minnesota Spring Law, 
A quiet movement is already going on in Minnesota 
looking toward the abolishment of spring shooting in 
that State at the next session of the Legislature. 
Back from the Blackfeet, 
Mr. Calvin S. McChesney and Mr. George B. Har- 
rison, of Troy, N. Y., whom I have mentioned earlier 
as absent in the Blackfoot Reservation country after 
sheep and goats, guests of the Indian agent and of Mr. 
Schultz, of the reservation, are in town to-day on their 
way back home. They both look brown and hearty, and 
report a splendid time. They report our friends, J. W. 
Schultz, Joe Kipp and Jack Monroe, of the Blackfoot 
Reservation, all well and prosperous. Billy Jackson they 
did not get to see, but I am sorry to say they heard that 
Billy was not in very good health. As to the success 
which they had this year, I am not going to spoil a 
good story by saying anything about that yet. Mr. 
McChesney has promised to write out the story of the 
hunt, and I can promise that it will be something good. 
E. PIOUGH. 
1206 BoYCE Building, Chicago, 111. 
To-day and Yesterday. 
But few people realize nowadays how rapidly civiliza- 
tion and its settlements have encroached upon the wild 
lands of this country and driven or exterminated from 
their haunts the animals native to the forests and prairies 
that formerly existed. 
Where now is heard the busy hum of civilization, where 
cities, towns and villages are almost within sight of 
each other, where every foot of land is now made use 
of by man and where it is impossible to get out of hear- 
ing of the locomotive, steam whistle of factories, or 
church bells, within the memory of men now living, 
there existed the forest primeval, or far-reaching stretches 
ij»t prairie teeming with wild creatures as free and un- 
disturbed as they were a thousand years ago! What a 
transformation! 
When some old gray-haired friend reminds us by 
reminiscences of the past, as my friend Mr. R. Long has 
just been doing, then we awake to a realization of the 
rapidity of the Western march of civilization. Mr. 
Long came to Iowa in 1842, and located at the then 
little hamlet of Eddyville, on the Des Moines River, 
in the southeast part of Iowa. Deer were yet quite 
plentiful and a band of elk still inhabited the timber 
