Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-02-20
Letter from Richmond.
CorrespoDndeuce Of the Alexandra Gazette. I
2 RICHMOND: February 10, 1873.


>>Ror ouo4 this session. tho members 81 the'
Honss had realty lively discussion. We owe
l. 10 Hunter, of Alexandra. add Frazier, OF
Rockbridge, fer they worked up the terrapin
bill which ecited it. May members OF tbs
House failed to see through the Joke for some
time, and thought it was really bill ct great
;mportance. No man cared to say aoyth'ng'
however, until the chairman of the Committee
m Game was heard from. sar q
The terrapin bill which was the subject. Ct
discussion last night, came up owing 10 Tue
strenuous efforts of the many friends OF the
hill The bill as read by the clerk with amend
ments was as follows: :,
IRE it enacted by the General Assembly OF
the State of Virginia that 90 water or dry land
terrapin or land turtle shall be caught. killed,
or moIested from the first day OF November
until the first day of June. = :,
Mr.. Hunter, as the chairman OF the Commit.
tee on Game. from which this bill was reported
explained Why it was reported from the Com,
mittee on Game. This bill, he said, which had
c.used 90 much discussion here had puzzled
him TN the committee. When that bill was sent
to the committee, said he, L had grave doubts
as to whether the turtle came under the head
Of fish or under the head of game. Laughter.
The gentleman from Gloucester MIR. Tallaferro)
saws That the turtle is fish. therefore want
the House to decide whether turtle IL tlsh
or game. Laughter Mr.. Hunter then went
nm TO show that the turtle came under the head
of game. Said be, / never heard of hunting
fish with dogs, and yet | know that on the
banks of tho Potomac they do hunt turtle with
dogs. Can any gentleman say that he ever
heard of fish being hunted with dogs? know,
MIR. Speaker, that at q certain season when the
turtles lay their eggs dogs are gotten to hunt
| them, and whenever they come upon the eggs
tbey give bark and The owner comes forward
and gets the eggs. ~. e.. = >,
Did you ever hear Of fish being hunted With
dogs? Then they 60 upon land to lay their
eggs | assume sir that they can not be h5h.
Another thing gentlemen about the turtle
You often soc tho turtle far from any Stream or
| from any water. will 60 further and say that
| thew are seen as far az $50 miles from stream.
| Laughter. a..,., ......
Mr.. Robinson, Of REORGANIZATION many
miles did the gentleman say they 60 from tho
water?
Mr., Hunter-I have known them to 60 $50
miles from the water. Laughter
Mr.. Hunter proceeding. said, the gentleman
from from Augusta had said that tho turtle
was an amphibious animal. | will say Mr..
| Speaker that an amphibious animal requires
water and yet you can catch aterrapln or turtle
and mt it in room and it will live for months.
Gao an amphibious animal do this? Prolonged
laughter Another thing, tcrrapins are known
| to be tie longest lived animals in the world.
| ILaughter. 1t is common practice when a
terrapin is caught to soc upon its back name
and date of it's capture engraved. Last sum:
u1er when was up 10 Giles county caught a
terrapin with this inscription on its back which
proyed to my mind that it is the oldest animal
adam and the year one" Laughter aud
applause. ~'~'.
Mr.. Hunters timo having expired he Wa:
cut off by the monitIon of the Speaker. BY
unanimous consent be was allowed TO 60 on.
Procsediug he said--.I have only got few
closing remarksto make upon this great subject.
As to this question, whether the terrapln is
! game or fish, [ want this house to derlda Tor
me. Laughter.1 I will mention, that there
is another thing that proves that tho terrap1
is not fish. Did any mau ever SEQ tish
head out off and the fish life. \ gu cut Oft {,
terrapin' 8 head and the terrapin will 1.-Two unit
the sun goes down. Laughter, And, Mr.
Speaker if Joshua were to como along aud, a,
though with touch. Of lthurcal spear. command
the sun to stand still fora thousand years that
terrapin will live until the sun goes down.
Prolonged applause. Aud, now, in concIud'
ing, [ call your attention to these iac's. q
fish has 90 legs. and yet, turtle or terfapiI
has. The turtle is hunted with dogs iaaind
vet, O fish never is. The turtle has claws Ike
o fowl; fish never has. Laughter can
bring any plumber OF books hero to prove This.
Laughter. have but one more remark tG
/ Al, I mi tho mnnbpra OF
this House to remember that tho eyes OF Frr
einia are upon them. Each and every man
here has got to 90 before his constituents. The
record here will show how he stands on the
great question. Applause and laughter.
Mr.. Lsc, ooored, OF Elizabeth, looked AT Tho
matter in moro earnest light. lie earnestly
hoped that this bill would not pass lie said
I have seen seven turtles to MIR. Hunter s
one. The turtle is certainly fish. You CAM
make them nothing more nor nothing less
county generally lives on turtles and this
proposes to prevent them from catching
them, | am against it,, sir. Laughter.
The gentleman from Alexandria has spoken
about terrapins. | don suppose any gentleman
ever cav anybody eat errapin because they
are poisonous and not fifth to eat. Laughter
| hope the bill will be dismissed. l will never
vote for such bill while the State OF v lrglnia
remains in the State. Laughter Talk about
terrapins, said the gentleman from the Isle OF
Wight, Indignantly. Isay let the people catch
all they choose. The gentleman then, By way
of refutiog Mr.. Hunters argument to the
effect that q turtle is game, said [ have caught
turtles with hook and line, and guess the
gentleman from Gloucester has caught them
With hook aud line Laughter, lie retu!ed
the assertion that turtles could be hunted with
dogs and insisted that they wcro caught in
marshes where dogs could not 60
The amendment proposed by Mr.. Mushbach
last night, namely. to insert mock turtle
after "turtle," was adopted amid great APP
rlsuse. -.-
Mr.. Robinson, of Portsmouth, moved to
further amend by adding the words. "or skill
pots" Unanimously adopted. ,...... .
The following independent section, prepared
with great care by Mr.. Mushbach, was offered
BY MIR. Walker, Of Westmoroand, while MIR.
| Mushbacb, was absent from his seat