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will not tell things freely since they know that the commission is investigat- 
ing it. You have the affidavit from one of the parties near Alvin. I don’t 
think we can find much evidence at present. I think it advisable to wait 
_awhile until the fear leaves the people, as they appear to be afraid to tell 
what they know. I will go to Decatur, Springfield and East St. Louis and 
examine the markets and shippage. 
February 29—Went to Granite City by your order. Found that the party 
had taken out a license on Nov. 8th, 1907, for a trammel net and for which 
he paid $5.00 to the City Clerk of Granite City. The slough where he is 
fishing joins the Mississippi river. As the law is at present, we cannot keep 
him from seining it as long as he pays license on the nets or seines he uses. 
I notified the party who made the complaint that we could do nothing, as the 
party he made complaint against had complied with the fish laws. I then 
examined the markets at Hast St. Louis, Springfield and Decatur. There are 
but few fish being shipped on account of the high water in the river. 
March 28, 1908—Went to Decatur and found at J. W. Krifft’s fish market 
43 pounds of black bass, which I confiscated and gave to St. Mary’s hospital. 
The fish were shipped by Rudolph Shaffer from Havana. 
April 4, 1908—Went to Hast St. Louis and made complaint against John 
Wuest for trammel netting in Pittsburg lake. When I brought him before 
Squire Edw. P. Williams in East St. Louis, the J. P. asked him, after the 
complaint had been read to him, if he was guilty. He said he would not 
deny using the net, but that he was not guilty of violating the law. He said 
he wanted to test the constitutionality of this case. The case was then con- 
tinued until next Thursday, the 9th, at 9 o’clock. 
April 11—Went to East St. Louis to attend the trial of John Wuest in Edw. 
P. Williams’ court for trammel netting in Pittsburg lake. The case did not 
come to trial. John Wuest pleaded guilty and was fined $25.00 and costs by 
Edw. P. Williams, a J. P. in East St. Louis. The fine was paid the J. P. | 
July 18—Went to Custer Park and got S. W. Burt, the party that made 
the compalint to the Governor in regard to the fishway in the dams at Wil- 
mington, and took him over to the dam to show me what it lacked. He 
waded out on the dam and found the opening to the fishway. It measured 
15x18 inches, but we could not get at the fish_ladder on account of the way 
it was built and the water was so high that we could not get atit. This dam 
is owned and controlled by a firm that owns the paper mills at Wilmington. 
At the present time the mill is in the hands of a receiver, but I saw Frank 
Ream, the foreman that has charge and care of the mill, and I told him they 
would have to change the fishway; take it out from under the dam, turn it 
down stream so that it could be inspected at any time and to show to the 
people that there really was a fishway in the dam. I told Mr. Ream that 
there was much complaint in regards to the fishway, and he said that he 
had to repair the levee by the dam and while he had the men at the dam he 
would change the fishway and have it made larger. I think they will make 
it so that it will satisfy the people above the dam. 
August 22—Went to Chatsworth to answer complaint from there in regards 
to the fish perishing in Turtle lake, five miles from Chatsworth. Found the 
lake or pond nearly dry, so I took what fish were alive and put them in deep 
water in a dredge ditch. Went to Monticello and found evidence enough to 
justify me in making complaint against Frank Hess, Lee Baker, John Willy, 
Ed Loker, Jas. Merris, Oliver Beck, Wm. Taylor, Isaac Harver, Harvey Hiser, 
Sam Hiser and Jacob Hiser for trammel netting in the Sangamon river five 
miles southwest of Monticello. I preferred two charges against them, one for 
obstructing the free passage of fish, the other for catching fish with a tram- 
mel net in a stream not used for navigation. I made complaint in the 
county court, as I think I will get better results than I could before a J. P., 
as I have had several cases tried before the justices in Monticello with very 
