Feb. 4, 1905.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
98 
"I would have a non-resident license, $15 for birds, 
$25 for deer, the latter to include both birds and deer; 
a nominal license, say one or two dollars for residents. 
This would be so a check could be kept On the non- 
residents, and it would also furnish a fund for the 
support of the game wardens' department. I should 
allow_ the non^^residents to take out of the State a 
certain amount of game of their own killing, properly- 
tagged and accompanied by them, not a large amount. 
"This law could be enforced, but is not enforced at 
present; it is impossible to. The present good feature, 
that is, prohibiting the marketing of game, should be 
continued. I should like to see squirrel protected pci- 
manently; closed season for quail, one or two years at 
the most; that would be ample. Make the penalty of 
dynamiting fish an extreme one; that the season for 
shooting rail, plover and snipe open early enough so 
that some sport could be had, for as the law is now, 
the birds have all gone south before the law permits 
any of them to be killed; limit the bag, of course, on 
all game birds. 
"Now, if sportsmen and citizens are in accord in the 
mam with these changes in the game laws, or some 
other equally protective, would only make their opinions 
known to their representatives in Lansing, some good 
would come out of it. There is no use talking, you 
have got to lessen the number of birds and animals that 
are being killed now in order to keep up the present 
supply. "W. B . Mershon." 
In Indian Territory. 
Muskogee Correspondence Kansas City Journal. 
The mercenary hunter and trapper who has been 
responsible for the extinction of valuable animals and 
birds in older sections of the United States, is now plying 
his trade in Indian Territory, in spite of the strict game 
laws in force. 
The Indian Agent has discovered that quail trappers 
are making a systematic campaign against this class of 
birds by trapping them and sending them out of the Ter- 
ritory. Mobile waiting for a train at Crowder City the 
other day. Agent Shoenfelt noticed a commotion in 
several boxes, and upon investigation found that they 
were filled with live quail which were billed to Anthony, 
Kansas. He ordered them released, and at least 3,000 
full-grown birds flew away toward the neighboring fields. 
Last year the agent discovered 5,000 live quail at Paul's 
Valley, which were about to be shipped to New Zealand 
to a firm that is trying to establish these birds in that 
country. 
The professional quail trapper is probably the greatest 
enemy of the true sportsman of Indian Territory. He 
stretches a large net in the tall grass and then drives the 
birds along the ground until they are within its reach, 
when the ends are closed in upon them and they are 
prisoners in. its meshes. 
The Indian policemen, through the instructions of the 
Indian Agent, have been releasing a large number of quail 
this year which have been caught in this way, and wher- 
ever the trappers can be found they are being arrested. 
In order to make the Indian policemen more vigilant, they 
are allowed to keep any game that they confiscate which 
has been killed by hunters. When they confiscate live 
game it is always released. 
One of the great menaces to the game of Indian Terri- 
tory-is the- professional trapper of fur-bearing animals, 
who travels over the country plying his trade at different 
seasons in the sections of the country where he will get 
best results. In certain portions of the Blue River thous- 
ands of beavers build their dams. These animals are 
easily trapped, and the professional trapper catches them 
by the hundreds if allowed to work unhindered. The In- 
dian police are instructed to keep close watch on these 
streams and to arrest all persons who attempt to trap or 
kill the beaver. 
Indian Territory also has many other fur-bearing ani- 
mals which would make rich prizes for the trapper if he 
were allowed to hunt them unrestrained. 
The Indian Agent is having his usual trouble with hun- 
ters of deer this season. If a man wishes to kill a deer 
or two for his own use there is no objection: But there 
are men in the Territory who attempt ito make their live- 
lihood by hunting deer and selling them to butchers in 
and out of the Territory. The great and increasing de- 
mand for venison in railroad eating houses and in butcher 
shops all over this section of the country makes the traffic 
in venison profitable. The Indian police are instructed to 
rnake the rounds of the butcher shops in each town in the 
Territory at regular intervals and to confiscate any veni- 
son or quail that they may find for sale in these places. 
This is done very frequently in most Territory towns, but 
seldom becomes known to the general public, as no arrests 
are made, and the butcher from whom the meat is taken 
keeps his own counsel. 
Royal Elks Killed in Olympics. 
Stanley Hopper, who was one of the pioneer settlers 
in the Lake Cushman section of the Olympic Mountains, 
has achieved his ambition — killed a royal elk. 
It was the most magnificent trophy of the chase that 
has ever come from the wild and scenic wonderland 
near Mount Skookum, and had accurate measurements 
been taken at the time of killing, would undoubtedly 
have been recorded in the notes of W. T. Hornaday, of 
the New York Zoological Society. 
The antlers of a royal elk must have seven points. 
The specimen secured by Mr. Hopper not only ful- 
filled the requirements in every detail, but went even 
further. The antlers were absolutely symmetrical, 
spreading from the head in beautiful curves with the 
bone large, round and absolutely free from defects. 
On and of¥ for sixteen years Mr. Hopper has been 
hunting for a king leader of the famous Roosevelt elk. 
Time and time again he has let lordly bulls pass, be- 
cause their antlers did not come up to his expectations. 
On one occasion he followed the leader of a herd three 
days before bringing him down, but even then he found 
that the antlers were not quite what he had expected. 
"I do not claim," says Mr. Hopper, "that I killed the 
largest elk that ever came out of the Olympics. It was 
|;he largest that I gyer saWr Mprris U^mon, wbo wa§ 
with me, estimated its weight at 1,000 pounds. I 
thought It would tip the scales at about 900. Some idea 
of its size may be gained from the fact that on the 
morning following the killing two of us were almost on 
the point of giving up in our efforts to turn the huge 
body over. Hanson, who is a large and very powerful 
man, could hardly handle a quarter after it was dressed. 
"There were forty elk in the herd. We got track of 
them m one section of the country back of Mount 
Skookum and followed them until we came within 
striking distance. By the aid of my glass I discovered 
that there were two huge bulls. It was a hard matter 
to choose between them, but I finally determined which 
was the larger, and then commenced to work around 
for the shot. I must have put in at least three hours 
studying the situation. 
"It was a difficult matter to get within range, because 
the leader was on the farther side of the herd, and I 
had to work my way around without disturbing the 
other animals. It was my good fortune, however, to 
succeed in my undertaking, although there was one 
time when I thought I had been winded. 
"At the first shot I brought the king down, but he was 
up and away like a locomotive. The entire herd broke 
for cover; it was a grand sight. Three more running 
shots and my prize went down on a snow bank. Even 
then he tried to struggle on, but the end had come. 
"A close examination of the antlers showed that there 
were seven clearly defined points, and what was best 
of all, both branches were perfect. I was delighted 
with my success, as I realized that it will not be long 
before the public is prohibited from hunting Roosevelt 
eli<; in the Olympic Mountains. 
"During my hunt I saw several other herds, but 
the bulls were not worth going after. The cows were 
m good condition, but I did not trouble them. I am 
having the head and antlers mounted and shall keep 
them as a memento of the many pleasant days I have 
spent in the glorious wilds of the Olympics." 
One of the big mountains in the group at the first 
divide is named after Stanley and Roland Hopper. 
Roland is Stanley's brother and almost as good a 
hunter. Their father was the first president of the 
Singer Sewing Machine Co. 
Elk hunting in the Olympics is a costly sport, even 
for one who knows the country. Hopper was on the 
trail only a few weeks, yet his expenses ran between 
$200 and $300. PoRTus Baxter. 
Early Use of Colt's Revolver. 
New York, Jan. 26.~Editor Forest and Stream: The 
date of early use of the revolver in Texas interests me 
not a little,^ as it does another of yonr correspondents, 
Coahoma. To him, and to others who may care for in- 
formation on the subject, I offer a little testimony taken 
from an out-of-print book entitled, "Three Years Among 
the Comanches, the Narrative of Nelson Lee, the Texan 
Ranger, containing a detailed account of his captivity 
among the Indians, his singular escape through the in- 
strumentality of his watch, and fully illustrating Indian 
life as it is on the war path and in the camp. Troy, 
N. Y. W. J. Morrison, Publisher. 1871." 
Lee was born in Jefferson county, N. Y., in 1807, en- 
listed in the army, but did not reach the front in time to 
take part in the Black Hawk War. He became a sailor, 
and finally, about 1840, found himself in Texas, where 
he became one of the Texas Rangers. This is what he 
has to say about the Rangers and their equipment : 
"At the time of my arrival in Texas, the country was 
in an unsettled state. For a long period of time the sys- 
tem of border warfare had existed between the citizens 
of Texas and Mexico, growing out of the declaration of 
independence on the part of the young Republic. 
Marauding parties from beyond the Rio Grande kept the 
settlers of western Texas in a state of constant agitation 
and_ excitement. Besides these annoyances, the in- 
habitants of other sections were perpetually on the alert 
to defend themselves against those savage tribes which 
roamed over the vast region to the north, and which, 
not unfrequently, stole down among the settlers, carrying 
away their property and putting them to death. 
"This condition of affairs necessarily resulted in bring- 
ing !nto_ existence the Texas Rangers, a military order 
as peculiar as it has become famous. The extensive fron- 
tier exposed to hostile inroads, together with the ex- 
tremely sparse population of the country, rendered any 
other force of comparatively small avail. The qualifica- 
tions necessary in a genuine Ranger were not, in many 
respects, such as are required in the ordinary soldier. 
Discipline, in the common acceptation of the term, was 
not regarded as absolutely essential. A fleet horse, an 
eye that could detect the trail, a power of endurance 
that defied fatigue, and the faculty of 'looking through 
the double sights of his rifle with a steady arm,' these 
distinguished the Ranger rather than any special knowl- 
edge of tactics. He was subjected to no 'regulation uni- 
form,' though his usual habiliments were buckskin moc- 
casins and overalls, a roundabout and red shirt, a cap 
manufactured by his own hands from the skin of the 
"coon or wildcat, two or three revolvers and a bowie 
knife in his belt, and a short rifle on his arm. In this 
guise, and well mounted, should he measure eighty miles 
between the rising and setting sun, and then, gathering 
his blanket around him, lie down to rest upon the prairie 
grass with his saddle for a pillow, it would not at all 
occur to him that he had performed an extraordinary 
day's labor." 
Here is something more about the Rangers which I 
think may be worth reprinting, as the book is scarce : 
"There are few readers in this country, I venture to 
conjecture, whose ears have not become familiar with 
the name of Jack Hays. It is inseparably connected 
with the struggle of Texas for indei^ftndence, and will 
live in the remembrance of mankind so long as the his- 
tory of that struggle shall survive. In the imagination 
of most persons he undoubtedly figures as a rough, bold 
giant, bewhiskered like a brigand, and wielding the 
strength of Hercules. On the contrary, at the period of 
which I write, he was a slim, slight, smooth-faced boy, 
not over twenty years of age, and looking younger than 
he was in fact. In his manners he was unassuming in 
the extreme — a stripling of a few wofds, whose quiet 
demc^r stret:che4 quite to th§ verge of. iwo^e^ty, 
Nevertheless it was this youngster whom the tall, huge- 
framed, brawny-armed campaigners hailed unanimously 
as their chief and leader when they had assembled to- 
gether in their uncouth garb on the grand plaza of Bexar. 
It was a compliment as well deserved as it was unselfishly 
bestowed; for young as he was, he had already ex- 
hibited abundant evidence that, though a lamb in peace, 
he was a lion in war; and few, indeed, were the settlers 
from the coast to the mountains of the north, or from 
the Sabine to the Rio Grande, who had not listened in 
wonder to his daring, and gloried in his exploits. 
"On a previous page I have given the general appear- 
ance of a Ranger, and have now nothing further in par- 
ticular to add in that regard. Perhaps I should have 
said that if he was more sensitive in one point than an- 
other, it was in regard to the condition and qualities of 
his horse. So well was this feeling understood, and the 
necessity which created it appreciated, that every animal 
remarkable for its power and speed was secured by the 
inhabitants far and wide for the service of the Rangers. 
It may, therefore, be supposed that they were well pro- 
vided for in this respect. The horse I rode was a gallant 
black, clean-limbed, fleet as the wind, and recognized the 
name of Prince. He was a native of New York, and had 
been sent to Galveston when a year or twO' old as a 
present to Col. Walton, the Mayor of the city. He had 
more than once almost taken the life of the Colonel's son, 
and was of such a savage and vicious temper that he 
determined to get rid of him. He happened to fall into 
my possession, and for years we lived together, mutually 
sharing in numerous adventures in the hunt and on the 
trail, in peace and war, the most intimate of companions. 
In the course of his experience he came to regard a 
Mexican or Indian with intense hatred, and in the con- 
fusion and shock of battle, with his teeth and heels often 
rendered as effectual service as the armed rider on his 
back." 
To go back again to revolvers, Lee says on page 34, still 
about 1840: "Now for the first time we had furnished 
ourselves with Colt's revolvers — instruments of death 
destined thereafter to figure prominently in the wild 
warfare of Texas." From this point all through the 
book, there is frequent mention of revolvers and their use. 
The little book from which I quoted is well worth read- 
ing, as a curious and simple picture of life on the Texas 
frontier sixty years ago. George Bird Grinnell. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
When writing an account of how I killed a bear with a 
Colt's Texas Ranger pistol in 1855, I was told by a m.an 
who claimed to know all about it that the first Colt's 
pistol had not been m.ade so early; and wanting to be sure 
of it, I wrote to a New York paper to tell me when the 
first Colt's firearms had been put on the market, and got 
about the same reply that you did when you wrote to the 
makers themselves. Colt's pistol was an old one even 
in 1855. 
Those Burnside carbines which Coahoma mentions 
were all carried by the volunteer cavalry. We called 
them "pop-guns." 
The Spencers which were used on him around Atlanta 
were all carried by our regiment, the Fourth U. S. 
Cavalry. No' others, so far as I know, had them. They 
were caliber .50, though ; not so small, after all. I may 
have done some of the shooting that he tells about my- 
self there. 
Another of these pop-guns was the Ward-Burton, a 
bolt gun. We were given it to try in 1869; then it was 
condemned. Next we got the Remington ; it did no better. 
Then next we tried the Sharps ; it was a very good gun, 
but was soon thrown aside for some reason or other. We 
got the Springfield carbine next, but it would not carry 
far enough ; so we threw it aside for the Springfield rifle, 
and in a year or two exchanged the rifle for the Hotchkiss 
carbine, the best gun of them all. It was another bolt 
gun, having a magazine in the stock, and with it I have 
done some of the closest shooting I have ever done with 
any gun — better even than I could ever do with my 
favorite gun, the Marlin rifle. 
Coahoma mentions the fact that the Colt's repeating 
rifles had the fault that several of its barrels would be 
discharged when one of them was fired. The worst arm 
for that I ever met was the old Remington army pistol. 
You were never sure when firing it whether one shot or 
the whole six would go. Generally the six went. Just 
after the close of the Civil War we had a few of these 
pistols. (I took good care not to have any of them, 
though; the Colt's suited me well enough.) While we 
were on the way to Texas from Georgia we camped a 
week just above New Orleans at the coal boat landing; 
and one afternoon a dozen of us were shooting at a mark 
with pistols just beyond camp. A young trumpeter had 
one of the Remington pistols, and when it came his turn 
to fire, three or four of his chambers went off, and taking 
the pistol he threw it as far as he could into the river in 
about forty feet of water. It might be supposed that this 
pistol was lost now; but it was not. The boy found it 
again. Nothing is ever lost in the army. If you cannot 
find it anywhere else, you can always find it in the pay- 
roll. The boy found it there, and it only cost him $13 to 
find it. 
I always thought that the thin walls between the cham- 
bers were the cause of these shots going off in a bunch, 
or there may have been small holes in some of the cham- 
ber walls. All of these pistols did not act that way. 
Cabia Blanco. 
New Hampshire Winter. 
Derry, N. H., Jan. 16. — We are having a good old- 
fashioned winter here. Partridges are all right, but find 
tough budding. Two good flocks of quail were left over, 
but there is no knowing what will become of them by 
spring. My friend, C. N. Sprague, and I tramped several 
miles through the snow to-day with our pockets full of . 
grain; we fotmd no signs of them, but we left the grain 
where we hoped they might find it. A few foxes have' 
been shot. It has not been very good weather for rabbit ■ 
hunting, so there are plenty of them. We have botti : 
kinds, the cony and the large swamp white hare. They 
run like a fox ahegd of the dog, and don't hole like the . 
little conies. A herd of eight deer was seen a few days 
since up QH tlif Snglisli rang^. ' ' Johit W, Basbitt, ' 
