Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-12-28
PETE ST. GLARS CANNON.
HE DECLARES THAT IT Is ONLY A FIVE.
GAUGE sNIPE GUN.
A Newspaper Item That Stirred the
Blood of the Old Hunter-He
Dfspels DeIusion.

uuck-hunter the moment he entered the
reporters room yesterday. Those long.
legged gum boots coated with tule mud,
canvas coat and pants despatched with
gore, wooden shirt and dipgy gray felt
hat-all bespoke the visitors calling. Even
if be had not carried in his hand we'll
worn copy of the RECORD UNION and
marched across the room with the tragic
air Of one who believed he had suffered at
the hards Of the press, tie reporters would
have known that they were in the pres.
essence of Pete st. Clair, the famous hun
ter of the locality known as The Over
fow."
Gentlemen, goodday; l am Pete S..
Clair, lie said as he halted ia the center
OF the room and uncovered his head. "Td
ike to see the managing EDITOR
That functionary happened to be present.
having yisi ed the reporters room with
blood ii his eye. He wanted to ascertain
who was responsible for a stupid blunder
| IN the heading of a local in that mornings
lssue-the author of the item or the per-
son who set the type. Fortune favored
the former iu this instanee-the culprit
was the intelligent compositor.
| MT. Ot. Clalc then Grew forth from the
capscious depths of his geme.pocket the
following document and requested him to
read it:
ITEM.-In Saturdays RECORD UNION of the
Goth IS an article headed "st Clair and His Cam
| non.' The statement is false from beginning
70 END, as far as my way of shooting is con-
cerned and, as Eberhardt has not corrected the
statement, am compelled to pronounce the
whole thing false and a lie. Mr. Hamilton has
| apolog, zea for his share of it, as it was done
N 10h q fnft@lD rs la e.
PETER ST. CLAIR.
snow, gentlemen" said the visitor
who, despite his rough garb and humble
| calling, expressed himself in excellent
language-"I wish you would do me the
| favor to publish this denial of the state.
ment made last week concerning my
method of hunting. which was calculated
to do me considerable injury
I'm what particular Mr. St. Clair?"
We'll, it isn't true that l shoot ducks
with No. 2-gauge gun. 1t is No. that
| hunt with, and it is the same gun I use
in shooting snipe or sand-pIpers.''
"And you are not the merciless slayer of
| ducks by the carload that you have been
represented to be?'
The grizzlei beard of the old hunter
parted and permitted the smile that played
about his features to escape as he replied:
why. gentlemen, that is all nonsense
that the San Francisco papers have been
jumping on me since that item appeared
in the RECORD UNION, and one of them has
declared that | am il the habit of killing q |
thousand ducks at one shot with nv can.
non. If were staying ducks in that way
ought to be rich, tor I've been at the bus. |
mess good many years, but the truth is
as you may judge from my appearance |
am very poor man" |
n IN nd
work with your little snipe-gun, Mr.. st. |
Clair?n
well" replied the mighty tule hunter, !
after rejecting moment "the best have
done this season has been to bag 16O pairs |
of ducks, and don't remember ever hay
ing killed as many as sixty at one shot. |
That article published last week declared |
that whenever turned loose on flock of |
ducks from eighty to 100 keeied over at |
every shot, and that 1 had marketed as
high as 1000 ducks as the result of one
days. shooting
81 like Joke as we'll as anybody he
continued, with some warmth, "but those
fellows who stuffed your reporter with
such nonsense went entirely too far with |
it, and, as said before, such statements
are calculated to do me an injury"
what kind of ducks do you find to |
shoot up your way, Mr.. st. Clair"
"Ah, there's point had forgotten" he |
replied. THE idea has been conveyed |
that am killing off all the choice ducks in |
this part of the country. which is not true. |
There are scarcely any where l shoot ex-
cept widgeon, better known as 'baldys.' |
These do not rank with mallsrd, canvas. |
back, teal or sprig, and you can't kill 'em |
of. They are the ones that do all the |
damage complained of by the farmers. |
They swarm upon the fields at night and |
eat the sprouting grain, and certainly do |
great deal of damage. They are fairly |
good eating, however and there can be no |
possible objection to anyone killing as |
many of them as he can"
Then the prejudice that the farmers en-
terrain against wildfowl in general is not,
in your opinion, as an experienced hunter, |
well founded?'
"No, the farmers are off on that PROPOSE |
ton. The mallards and other large ducks |
do not trouble the grain fields to any |
extent, am market-hunter, and yet l |
would willingly sign petition to-day to |
have mallards protected for four years /
against all persons-market-hun and |
sportsmen alike. This doesn't look as if 1 |
were DESTROYS of having the wild ducks ex-
terminated"
How do you suppose all this talk about |
your wholesale slaughter of ducks origin !
ated?"
"Oh, l suppose there are some persons !
about here who are little jealous of me. |
You see, hold lease from Cox g. Clarke |
to several thousand acres of their land |
north of the city. l have agreed to look !
after their property, keep the fences in re-
pair and prevent trespass on the land, and
they give me the right to the shooting
privileges. Now, there are some men who |
go out from the city to shoot, and if don't
let them have the best of the shooting on
my ground they commence to kick at once.
l am perfectly willing to let visitors shoot
out there so long as they don't interfere
with me directly. l make my living by
shooting ducks, ard when 1 am on good
pass can't afford to have my days shoot
| ing spoiled by men who have no more
| idea of politeness than to stick their guns
| in under my nose and interfere with my
| business. Isn't that asking q little too
much of a man ~
The veteran hunter, having had his say,
J was provided with an armful of reading
matter to take to his lonely camp amid the
! tule, and he departed. A moment later
he poked his head in the door and
shouted
SAY, Mr.. Reporter, please state that 1
! creep up on the ducks That's where
that item last week was wrong again-my
horse is sorrel ~
Before ST. Clair had gone more than a
hslf-block from the office the door again
opened and bright-looking young man
entered. He, too, had paper in his hand.
His earb denoted that be was farmer.
SIS the city editor in ?' he asked.
This way, please" said that individual,
wondering what new trouble was coming.
j The visitor approached and spread out a
copy of the RECORD UNION of Saturday, the
Goth, on the reporters desk, and pointed
to an article therein, headed Pete st.
Clair's Cannon
well, what's the matter with that ?r
demanded the reporter. trying to look Sc
we're while almost ready to burst with
laughter.
why, you see," said the young man,
"that statement does old Pete an injustice.
He's one of the best.hearted men you ever
saw, and Pm sure if you knew him you
wouldn't give publicity to any of those re.
ports that have been going about concern
ing his alleged slaughtering of game.
live out near where Pete hunts. and know
he barely makes living, and doesn't harm
anyone. I've known Pete for
The new visitor seemed about to enter
upon detailed account of the great hunt.