Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1891-06-20
MIR. wAKEMAN,S JOURNEYINGs.
At Carlisle, England-The British
Poacher-Amongt the Fishwives of
Claddagh-The Corrib and Its Sal

Cla00aSn-1he COTTlD Ahu Its Sal-
mon. =. ... .s..-..-..- .
CARLISLE, England, June S.
To the Editor Of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
My first introduction to a British poach-
er was in the ancient city of Galway on
summers morning in 1888. wandered
out of Ellie Madigan's quaint little inn be-
fore sunrise, and after a few moments on
the quay among the fshwiyes of Claddagh
had started for a stroll out Oughterard
way. AS was crossing Queens bridge
my attention was attracted by hundreds
upon hundreds of salmon in the shallow
waters of the Corrib beneath. They lay,
punched in groups of scores and more, in
little pockety pools of the greatest depth,
their noses pointing up stream, but all the
shoals apparently as motionless as the
rocky bed of the river beneath them. 1t
was early for Galway, save at the Glad
dagh-side, as the sleepy old town is hard
ly astir before nine o'clock. But 1 had
stood there scarcely minute when man
in corduroy high-lows, jockey-c cap and vi
sor and bearing huge club in his hand,
approached me from the city side He
gave me a sharp look of scrutiny, touched
his hat apologetically, and walking smart
ly away, crossed the bridge and scram-
bled along the opposite shore, looking
closely here and therein odd corners and
shadowy hooks along the bank. Finally
he disappeared in the vicinity of the Sal
mon Leap of the Corrib above. He was
rf fho ;ol, hoi.
lifts, and was in quest of salmon poachers.
He was hardly out of sight before a
barefooted man followed upon the bridge.
He in turn scrutinized me closely and
passed. A moment later the mans arm
slid along the waist-high stone coping of
the bridge. Then there was gentle
splash in the water below. The man kept
straigt on. increasing the speed of his
walk. Directly saw his arm jerked back
as if by sudden grasp from the bridge
side over the coping. Then he seemed to
exert very great strength, while there was
some little commotion in the stream be-
meath. But the man kept straight along,
his arm now in position as if dragging a
half-foating burden. When near the end
of the bridge he turned, put his elbows
upon the coping in an attitude of contem-
plation, and waited thus for a few min
utes. Finally he passed off the bridge
end and turned towards the bay. With
out seeming to watch him, soon saw him
reappear near an old fulling-min several
rods below. With him there was now a
mangy-headed lad who was hastily un-
I'D e L. .,-,t y
one hand, while carrying his jacket in q
singularly heavy and baggy way with the
other. The barefooted man had within
three minutes time captured two huge sal
mon with murderous ''drag- hook" armed
with six huge hooks; and the lad with the
pouchy jacket who had rejoined him was
in waiting beneath the bridge-end to care
1 for fish, hooks and line. In fifteen min
utes more the two salmon were dressed
and in the ''herring- -skibs" of the fish
wives, being hawked about the city; and
the Corrib poscher had secured eight shil-
lings for his deft mornings work. The
entire procedure was so amazingly auda,
cious and clever that on meeting the poach-
or later in the day 1 taxed him with his
performance. He knew 1 would not be-
tray him. found that he was of respec.
table family, brother being a reputable
contractor in New York city, where he
had himself held decent wage position
but he confessed that poaching and power
ty were more fascinating in Galway than
contracts and a career in America.
Ny next experience was while q gues
during pheasant-shoot on the demesns
of a young nobleman in one of the Eng
lish Midland counties. Sometime during
the days murderous onslaught upon thu
birds had lost a diminutive, but to mt
valuable, notebook. 1t SO worried m.
that arose the next morning, dressed ano
stole down into and out of the castle yard
through the huge open gate facing the side
next the demesne, before soul was astil
about the entire place. The demesnt
which covered fully two miles square oi
"par"-tiny lakes, magnificent carriage
and drive-ways, dense patches of young
fir Interpreting huge beech-trees and oaI
was altogether one of the finest pleas
ant preserves in England. felt sure Of
my ability to discover the locality of the
previous days battue by following to the
right the demesne wall, which must lead
to the little patch of low open copse where
the pheasants had been driven by tht
ssbeating" of the attendants a number o.
whom, noted for their woodcraft, and who
we're 1oungers at the near village, had beer
pressed into service. The wall surround
ing the demesne was of rough stone ant
rubble, conical at the top, its crest bein,
rendered seemingly impossible by murder
GUS pieces of broken glass embedded il
the mortar. 1t was hardly daylight and
thick mist rendered ordinary objects still
more indistinct. I therefore simply fol
lowed the wall closely, now and thel
touching it with q stout waIking-stick
had taken with me from my chamber, bu
oftener touching it gently at intervals wit
my hand.
was not long in passing the line o
heavier forest and reaching the open plac
where felt sure the previous days slaugh
ter of pheasants had occurred; and just a
my hand left the wall, following my i'm
pulse of search over the shooting-ground
my fingers came in contact with the bush
hair of mans head. I am not e1actl
an athlete, but that hair and the man ur
der it came up alongside of that demesn
, wall to nearly my own height, as the Gel
mans say, '1m augenblickl" and instan
| ly saw l had taken, red-handed, fir
T specimen of the English poacher. tt
fact was all the more Interesting as re
ognized in the precious rascal one of Il
] "beatersp employed BY miloyd's gauskse