Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-21

upon the scene. Dozens went over the
wall into the waiting cart in the Few MIN
utes of my investigation. The poles, tne
burly fellow / had caught followed these,
and he was still astride the wall where ne
had pounded the glass away and daubed a
covering of hard clay, asked him how
many they had probably taken
"Hus doa mt rightly know, was his mod
est and hoarse1y whispered reloinder;
'"likes there be nigh unto 40 braceP
Money England Spends for Sport.
Few people in America, or for that mat
ter here, have any adequate idea Of the
tremendous sums annually expended in the
preservation and taking of game In
England, Ireland and Scotland. On q
former occasion I had need to secure the
figures for Scotland alone Hunting and
fishing with attendants expenses annually
cost British sportsman in Scotland
$40, 600, ,000l What must the sum total
consequently be for the three Kingdoms?
Here then is at once found the real origin
of poachers and poaching. Every Briton,
is born sportsman. Hence with every
square rod Of ground under lease as
Shooting" and every ineal rod of shore of
beck, burn, river, loch or harbor, under
lease to somebody as fishing" millions
are debarred by the severest game laws in
the world from any use whatever of the rod
and gun, save by stealth and illegally. Al
most every one of these millions becomes
quasi poacher, on opportunity, as against
not unwilling poachers' agents in the dis
position or consumption of the illegally Sc
cured booty.
Low as is the scale of the professional
poacher, it must not be supposed that he is
a prescribed outlaw. British newspapers
always discuss him from his humorous side.
His vocation is everywhere known among
villagers and countryside folk, and there
are none so dastardly as to give him into
the hands of officers. T personally know Of
many instances where poaeher graduates
have become gamekeepers. Other game
keepers often seek their friendship, rather
than their enmity, thus reducing ravages to
the lowest limit. And there are well au-
thenticated cases where Milford himself has
hobnobbed with them for lessons in cunning
and woodcraft.
Two Poachers Of Reputation.
Two of the most noted and incorrigible Of
British poachers infest the lochs and deer
forests in the vicinity of Fort William,
Scotland. One is named Macewan, and the
other, confirmed tramp poacher, is known
about the region of Loch Eli, as ''Drousy
Mogins." Macewan seems unvanquishable,
In 1888 Lord Abinger of Inverlochy House
obtained an interdict against hi m. He i'm
mediately secured its removal for e15, q
part only of the proceeds of two days
shooting in Lord Abinger's preserves, since
which time his operations have not been in
terfered with. His greatest revenues are,
however, secured by night sweeping" by
seines Of the pools of the river Lochy, hun
dredsbf grilse or young salmon and some
sea trout always being secured
"Drousy Mogins" is more of poacher
angler, and less of q pirate. he wanders
at will among the Grampian trout
streams supplying the tables of the nobility
with the choicest trout from their own
streams: and has been offered fabulous sums
for glimpse of his marvellous ''fies." But
a year since Lord Morton sent a young
poacher resident on his Ardgour estate to
Cameron of Loch Eli, begging him to en-
ploy him as gillie in order to suppress his
genius for poaching. An entire volume
might be filed with similar incidents and
illustrations.
The Bailiffs Usually Fear Them.
Poaching is carried on among the vast deer
forests and in stream and pool sweeping"
by net in a most lawless and defiant manner.
It is simply impossible to provide sufficient
gamekeepers and gillies to protect the for
ests from the inroads of poacher "stalkers;"
and the poachers of fish are SO thoroughly
organized and in sudden conflicts with water
bafliffs handle the latter so mercilessly that
the bailifs usually seek seclusion rather
than the marauders
Genuine cunning, patience, with marvel
GUS moor and woodcraft, are, therefore, more
=, h, han
about the outskirts of well-stocked "shoot-
ings" and preserves, alert as sparrow hawks
or moor buzzards for poults of every descrip-
ton which have market value. Pheasant
and grouse poaching bring the most pro6ta-
BILE returns. Aside from the night raids
described above, the ingenious device is re-
sorted to of fitting gamecock with artificial
spurs, and stealthily placing him alongside
the pheasant covert. The pugnacious pheas-
ant cocks instantly respond to the game
cocks growing challenge, and often three
or four brace Of pheasants are thus taken.
Again in the highways near where pheas-
ants are bred they may often be seen
scratching and rolling in the dust of the
road. The poacher provides himself with
corn kernels into which short bristles have
been inserted These are greedily devoured,
and the birds, choking to death in the
hedges, are quickly and quietly dispatched.
Grouse are taken by being shot from be-
hind stone walls, an entire brood often being
picked off at time, if the poacher keep
himself out of sight; with fine hair snares
set on the moor hillocks, in the "runs"
around them, and between the 'rests"
among the heather; and just before day
break, by silk dragnets with glazed bottoms,
on moors which are systematically burnt, an
entire covey often being bagged at one
sweep. EDGAR l.. WAKEMAN.