Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1874-10-15
Trespasscx Upon Farmers.

soME RECENT ENPERIENcEA IN AND ABOUT THF
CIrY--A PARTY FIRED ON sATuRDAy WEEK.
Ever since the facts in the shooting of young
Lukens by Mr.. Woodward became known. they
have furnished prolific theme Of conversation
in all circles There has not been al
occurrence which has taken place
for some months past which has ex-
cited such general attention in this city IN this
unfortunate circumstance. Nor IN IL without
reason. The admonitions which it gives and the
lessons which il incncates appeal directly to
large number Of our citizens. Many Of them,
including those most exalted in life, have limo
Gently committed trespass upon outlying farms
around the city, and this occurrence has brought
to mind those occasions with great freshuess.
Then there ia that other class Of poachera
who have a far greater reason to dlscuss the
subject with more seriousness, They (there are
multitudes OF fthem-beardess youths and grown
up mem who have been guilty Of the same OF.
fence which cost young Lnkens his life, and who,
like him, while they have not deserved such Sc
we're punishment and which no amount Of simple
trespass will Justify, have yet been liable to pro
secntion under the law. These now feel some
what Of the weight Of the guilt which attaches
to them, ~ well ~ the numerous escapes which
many Of them have made in like manner AZ the
companions Of Lukens and Shelley escaped
The occurrence has also brought to the sur
face the experience of many farmers in the mat
ter Of tresspass. Some OF them have been most
ontrageously annoyed. We give few exam
pies SolOu1en iUWuheuu OWLS = uu tue
south side Of the city, Just beyond the limits.
He has fine fruit orchards, which are constant
source Of trouble TO him, keeping him almost
constantly at home to guard them Poachsrs visit
him by dozens, taking bags and baskets with
them, and they break up and destroy his tresa
and fruit unnecessarily. Sometimes they are so
plentiful that it kee ps him vibrating between HIS
pear and apple orchards BY the time he drives
crowd from one and returns to the other he
finds it infested with trespassers. Only on Sat
urj ba faif nd n a,npiny his
to aid him in driving OF crowd Of young men
who were up in his apple trees and lie fired two
loads Of shot directly into their midst. The
shot however, were fine. and he was at too
great distance TO seriously injure them. Lucas
Alrich, who lives down on the river, has some
what similar experience and is greatly annoyed
by these depredators.
Sometimes violence chnracterizes the acts OF
| their right to roam at will about the farms. but
| even seek to enforce that right by force. Last
| Sunday a party Of baseball players went out in
to field Of n neghbor Of Mr.. Townsend and
| opened game, aud when he went out to order
them away they began an assault upon him with
their bats and sougSSlt to frighten him from his
lhose a. only fes lsSsn from the nlAi,y 10
stances Of vexatious annoyancese (which this
shooting case has brought to our knowledge,
| but they are sufficient TO show the serions in
! convenience which attends farming in the neigh
borhood OF cities, and the necessity which exisIs
| for some greater protection than that with
which the law now invests the landbolder The
| profits of farming considerably deprecated
| by these pohchings, and Mr.. Townsend feels
that he will have to cut down his orchards alto
gether.
! NUT HUNTER SHOT IN DELAWARE COUNTY.
The Chester Ne'rs furnishes a case parallel
| in all hut its consequences to the Woodward
Lukens affair
"On Sunday morning, while lad named Com.
erford was foraging for chestnuts on farm