Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1891-01-01
HAHlLTOH'S BROlDSIrE.
TT B00Ms NEARLY AS LOUD AS PETE
ST. GLARS BIG GUN.
William Says he Didn't Apologize, and
Delivers a Lecture on Game
Destruction.

Billy" Hamilton is hot. He has been
in that caloric condition ever since he read
Pete st. Glars statement in the RECORD
UNION the other day to the effect that ne
(Hsmilton) had apologized to the latter for
having denounced his game. killing meth
DDS. When reporter entered the County
Clerks office yesterday ne noticed heavy
cloud pass over that officials usually pleas
ant countenance.
Happy New Year to you !" ventured
the visitor, by way of opening up a con.
yersation.
Thank you-the same to you," he re-
piled; but he did not thaw out, for all that
You seem to have something on your
mind replied the reporter. What might
1t be?''
Take seat, said Mr.. Hamilton, land
listen 10 me for few minutes. | no.
ticed in your paper of Sunday last an arti-
Gle entitled PETE St. Clair's Cannon in
which it appears that am represented BY
Mr.. st. Clair as having made to him an
apology for my share of an article which
appeared recently, announcing that he had
brought to market one morning a thou
sand wild ducks, and that he employed in
their destruction a shotgun of No. 2 cali
beI; that he used it in conjunction with a
white horse, with which to sneak upon the
wild fowl He further represents that my
alleged apology was made through false
statements made by Mr.. Eberhardt, gun
smith of this city"
Yes, that's about the gist of st. Clair's
statement; he said You had apologized to
him"
II did nothing of the kind !" declared
the county official, land there were several
gentlement present who will bear me out
in this denial. am at loss to under
stand how anyone could possibly construe
what | said to him into an apology.
He came here with copy of the
RECORD UNION containing the article con-
demning his wholesale slaughter of
wild ducks in this county, by the use of
what it is not a misnomer to call a cannon,
and wanted to know what l had against
him by Directing to his using the gun re-
ferred to. My reply was that Mr.. Eber.
hardt, the gunsmith, had complained that
he (St. Clair was killing wild ducks by the
wholesale, and that in short time there
would be no more game of that kind left
sportmen to shoot; that he used two
gauge shotgun, and had killed as many as
81 wild ducks at one shot. l further
told him that there was a unanimous sem
timent among not only the market hunt
ers, but among the sportsmen of the county,
against such methods, and that had been
requested to communicate with President
Reuter- of the Fish and Game Commission,
and to urge him to advocate before the next
Legislature the passage of bill which
m a oh last ,nfs1 sc
Upon that suggestion l wrote communi-
cation to Mr.. Routier concerning the mat
ter, which Mr.. Eberhardt took and had
numerously signed before forwarding it.
further informed him that complaint was
made by persons who occasionally enjoy a
shoot after their weeks work in the CITY
that he had posted notices all around what
is known as the Overflow" north of the
city, warning all persons that no hunting
was allowed there, but that their chief OBJ
lection was to the enormous size of the gun
he used.
''St. Clair informed me that his gun was
No. gauge. think this was about the
gist of our conversation. Now, Mr.. Eber.
hardt's information as to his gun being a
3-gauge, bored out, making it No. 2, is, l
am informed upon good authority, cor
rect"
That would make it almost cannon,
Cannon! Well, If it isn't young can
non l don't know what one isl Why,
when the north wind blows, what hunter
in this city has not heard the roar of Pete
st. Clair's artillery? Ask any school child
north of the American river in this county,
within the radius of ten miles, when the
sBoomf Boomn of his gun is heard: What
is that noise, sonny?' and he will answer
quickly: Why, that's Pete st. Glars gun!
You bet, he's got the gun that knocks the
ducks and geese outr
There is but one conclusion in this
matter, in my opinion, either that such
large gauge guns must be prohibited by
legislative enactment or the passage of re-
strictiye ordinances by the Boards of Super
visors; otherwise the total extinction of
wild ducks is foregone conclusion. Just
imagine Mr.. st. Clair, or any other hunter
promenading with horse among the
marshes OF Europe and banging away at
the wild fowls with such guns! Why, they
would be suppressed instanter."
You seem to be very much in earnest in
this matter, Mr.. Hamilton. Then you
really think the game is in danger of ex-
termination?
1.-The mallard and canvasback are grow
ing scarcer every year in California; deer
and grouse-in fact, all game species-are
fast disappearing, owing to onslaughts by
hunters who have no care for the preserva-
ton of game, and are only interested in the
number of pelts they can get to sell, or the
and bring to market. If the principle
which Mr.. st. Clair argues is correct, why
not allow anyone, who so desire, to use
giant powder in the Sacramento river and
kill fish at his pleasure? No doubt, if the
law did not prevent him, the powder fish
ermen could supply thousand salmon
land general variety of fish every morn
ing for the market, and not have to use
side boards on his wagon when delivering
the fish. Game and fish must be pro-
tected and proper restraint placed upon
those who resort to unusual means to de-
stroy them"
When the reporter left Mr.. Hamilton's
Office the latter was in better spirits, and
looked az If a load had been lifted off his