586 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Nov. 8, 1913. 
Tragic Fate of Warden Reinbold. 
BY HENRY CHASE. 
It is with a considerable feeling of fraternal 
regret that I call the attention of Forest and 
Stream readers to the following news item clip¬ 
ped from the daily press: 
Nyack, N. Y., Oct. 23.— On his deathbed in 
the Nyack Hospital, early this morning, John C. 
Reinbold, aged thirty, a New Jersey game war¬ 
den, of Hackensack, identified Alvino Canando, 
an Italian, as the man who shot him in the woods 
at Tappan on Sunday morning. 
‘‘That’s the man who shot me,” he said as 
Canando was taken before him by Sheriff Serven, 
and a moment later he died. 
A son of Edward Taylor, of Rivervale, also 
identified the Italian as Reinbold’s slayer. Rein¬ 
bold was pursuing three Italians who had vio¬ 
lated the game laws, when Canando, it is alleged, 
shot him. 
If the facts in the above case are as have 
been printed in the newspapers, Warden Rein¬ 
bold died a real hero’s death, and yet his case 
has only received a mere passing mention. He 
has gone to join that little band of martyrs to 
the great cause of preservation of our wild life. 
I hat band, too, still continues to increase, while 
thousands of sportsmen throughout the land re¬ 
main laggards in their duty to aid in stamping 
out the cause which produces such deplorable 
events as the fate of Warden Reinbold. 
If we may depend upon press reports of this 
case, the act of this Italian pot-hunter consti¬ 
tutes murder in the first degree by the laws of 
every State in this Union. Will he be punished 
accordingly? A person who kills a public officer 
while the latter is attempting to make a lawful 
arrest in the manner alleged in this case com¬ 
mits murder, and assuming the facts are as we 
understand them, if proved at the trial of this 
Italian, he will be guilty of murder in the State 
of New Jersey. 
But without prejudging the merits of this 
case, every sportsman in the country ought to 
be at once aroused and deeply concerned in the 
outcome of this offender’s trial. I hope the 
sportsmen of New Jersey will be particularly 
active in aiding the court and prosecuting officers 
in collecting the evidence for this case, and in 
taking some collective action to see that those 
who are dependent upon Warden Reinbold are 
not left in want. Those are two important things 
they may do. 
In a warden experience of nearly twelve 
years I more than once received the compliments 
of a charge of shot from this same gentry which 
murdered Warden Reinbold, in attempts to arrest 
their numbers for wantonly slaughtering song 
birds. In fact, I long since learned that this 
class of game law violators will kill without 
discrimination any living wild creature which 
inhabits the country and then consign its car¬ 
cass to their pot or larder. I have gone into 
sections of the country after a large camp of 
these foreign laborers had been in the place, and 
as far as the wild life was concerned it appeared 
that the forests and streams had been devastated 
by some mighty plague or scourge—not a living 
wild animal or bird of any description could be 
found for miles around. Their slaughterings 
are among the principal menaces to the cause of 
wild life protection in this country. Moreover, 
for one or two lonely wardens to go into such 
a section and give battle to these ruthless in¬ 
vaders in order to uphold and enforce the game 
laws requires a degree of physical courage sel¬ 
dom demanded of other officers. Notwithstand¬ 
ing this, however, many ardent sportsmen will 
sit in their comfortable homes and offices and 
complain of the wardens for not stopping these 
killings. Why don’t the sportsmen aid the war¬ 
dens in a material way in this work? Why don't 
they go as a posse and take an active hand in 
suppressing these gangs, and thus learn at first 
hand what the difficulties are in connection with 
such work? 
There is also another deplorable fact in re¬ 
spect of these tragedies of the woods. For the 
past fifteen years I have been attempting to col¬ 
lect data in regard to murders of game wardens. 
Although my investigations have not been wholly 
satisfactory, still I have discovered some aston¬ 
ishing truths. I have a record of sixteen war¬ 
dens being murdered in the above period of 
time, and yet in no single instance was the mur¬ 
derer compelled to expiate his crime on the scaf¬ 
fold or in the electric chair. Why is this so, 
you inquire? The reason for this apparent 
leniency is highly significant and should be a 
warning to every man who accepts the onerous 
office of game protector. In a few cases the 
prosecuting officers seem to have been at fault, 
but in most cases the crimes were committed in 
remote places. Few or no eye witnesses were 
present, and very little circumstantial evidence 
could be collected to convince the juries that 
they were cases of wilful murder. This shows 
one thing certain. When a man takes up the 
duties of a game officer he should at opce re¬ 
alize the true perils of his position, and prepare 
to protect and defend himself. He should be 
fully armed on all occasions when he goes about 
his duties, in isolated places; move cautiously 
and never permit some vicious pot-hunter to 
“get the drop on him” if he can possibly pre¬ 
vent it by foresight. 
The great heart of the warden fraternity 
of this country will now go out to the family 
of Warden Reinbold, of New Jersey. Another 
human life has been cruelly sacrificed that the 
wild life of this country may be preserved from 
extermination. “Ah, he was only a game war¬ 
den,” some thoughtless ones will say, but permit 
me to inform such persons that throughout this 
land to-day there are more true, noble and un¬ 
selfish men making sacrifices without a murmur 
of complaint for the preservation of our wild 
life than for all of the so-called social and in¬ 
dustrial reforms and fads combined. They de¬ 
serve a better fate. 
The Angler’s Delight. 
A rod in his hand and brogues on his feet, 
With waders adorned, and outfit complete. 
He is ready to fish from morning till night, 
And who can compare with him for delight? 
A fast-running stream, beside birch trees and firs, 
With currents and pools where the breeze gently stirs 
The surface to carry the lure to the prey, 
Which cannot be seen in the light of the day. 
A- rise and a pull, a tightening line, 
A running of reel, no words can define 
The thrill of emotion and pleasure supreme 
When angling is good from the banks of a stream. 
The chirping of birds, the scene all around 
Is full of the peace which there can be found. 
And the angler, alone, finds solace and rest 
Deep-seated and full in the depths of his breast. 
—Erskine Houston in the Fishing Gazette. 
Central States Field Trial Association. 
The field trials of the Central States Field 
Trial Association, scheduled to be run near 
Hamilton, Ohio, on Oct. 28, have been declared 
off for this season. This much regretted action 
was made necessary by the appearance of hog 
cholera in some of the farms included in the 
field trial territory, and the absolute refusal of 
the owners to allow the dogs to run for fear 
of spreading the contagion. When this condi¬ 
tion became known, it was too late to secure 
other grounds, and the club thought it wise to 
cancel the trials, and not take the chance of their 
proving a failure.. There was every prospect 
that this year's event would be a banner one for 
the club, as a large number of entries had been 
received. Next year the association will enter 
the field with renewed energy, and it is hoped 
that no similar mishap will occur to prevent the 
carrying out of its plans. 
Southern Ohio Field Trial Association. 
The shooting dog stake of the Southern 
Ohio Field Trial Association is a popular innova¬ 
tion of field trials, judging by the number of 
entries received by Secretary Harris. A new 
trophy has been offered for this stake, emble¬ 
matic of the shooting dog tri-State championship, 
and to be known as the Munroe Hotel trophy. 
The open and all-age stakes have filled well, and 
the opening at Dillsboro, Ind., on Nov. 5 
promises to have a good field of starters. On 
one evening during the trials a field dog bench 
show will be held, a feature of last year’s trials, 
which proved so successful that it has been 
adopted as an annual affair. 
To a Trout. 
Over the hills in the grey of the weather, 
Wading knee-deep in the fern fronds and heather, 
Clad in the homeliest homespun and leather, 
On till the river is spread to my view; 
Out where the water with faintest of swish is, 
That’§ where I’d be, O most fragrant of fishes. 
Seeking a variant food for my dishes, 
Looking for you. 
Haven’t you got just the ghost of an inkling 
Who it was caught you last May in a twinkling, 
YV hile you could hear little breakfast bells tinkling, 
Till you escaped to the depths of your pool? 
Don’t you remember your horror and hurry, 
How you made off in the-of a flurry? 
Trout, it was I whom you fled in a flurry; 
I was the fool. 
Yes, you’re a mighty mercurial fellow, 
Beautiful, too, in your orange and yellow, 
Calling to mind the sleek back of the ’cello, 
Playing - your watery fiddle-de-dee; 
Y’et in your river from moonlight to. gloaming, 
Far from the fall where the water is foaming, 
Still are ycu idling, and still you are roaming, 
Waiting for me. 
Some time at eve when the creel’s off my shoulder 
f shall rehook you ere May is much older; 
Bigger you may be, and possibly bolder, 
Waiting a chance (just for fun) off the reel. 
Yet I shall get you all gasping and aching; 
Soon I shall have you ready for baking, 
Soon you’ll be steaming, and soon I’ll be making 
Oh, such a meal! 
— Truth. 
The average area administered by a ranger 
on the Federal forests of the United States is 
about 100,000 acres. In Germany the area ad¬ 
ministered by a man of equivalent rank is about 
700 acres. 
