The record-union., 1891-06-20
BRITISH POACHERS.
WakeHan Wandering Among
Other Curious People.
The Habits. Articles and Ingenious
Vagabondism of British Game Ma
rauders, With New Incidents Illus
tratfve of Their Character and
Woodcraft.
Especial Correspondence of the RECORD
UNION. Copyright 1871
CARLISLE (Eng.), June s, 1891.

MY nrSt introduction 10 BRUSH
poacher was in the ancient city of Gal
way on summers morning in 1888. l
wandered out of Ellie Madigan's quaint
little inn before sunrise, and after a few
moments on the quay among the fish
wives of Claddagh had started for stroll
out Oughterard way. AS / was crossing
Queens bridge my attention was at
tracted by hundreds upon hundreds Of
salmon in the shallow waters of the Cor
rib 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 ap-
parently as motionless as the rocky bed
of the river beneath them. 1t was early
for Galway, save at the Claddagh-side, as
the sleepy old town is hardly astir before
9o'clock. But had stood there scarcely
fFminute when man III corduroy high
lows, Joekey-cap and visor and bearing a
huge club in his hand, approached me
from the city side. He gave me a sharp
look of scrutiny, touched his hat apollo
getically, and walking smartly away,
crossed the bridge and scrambled along
the opposite shore, looking closely here
and there in odd corners and shadowy
hooks along the bank Finally he disap-
peared IN the vicinity of the Salmon Leap
OF the COrrlb above. de was one of the
Royal Fishery Board water bailiffs, and
was in quest of salmon poachers.
THE 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 a gentle
splash in the water below. TIE man
kept straight on, increasing the speed of
his walk. Directly [ saw his arm jerked
back, as if by a sudden grasp from the
brldge-slde over the coping. Then he
seemed to exert very great strength,
while there was some little commotion in
the stream beneath. But the man kept
straight along, his arm now in position
as II dragging a half-hoating burden.
When near the end of the bridge he
turned, put his elbows upon the coping
in an attitude of CONTEMPLATION, and
waited thus for few minutes Finally
he passed Oft the bridge end and turned
toward the bay. Without seeming to
watch him, l soon saw him reappear
near an old fulling-mill several rods
- below. With him was now NANCY
headed lad who was hastily unrolling the
bottoms of his trousers with one hand,
while carrying his jacket in singularly
heavy and baggy way with the other.
The barefooted man had within three
minutes time captured
TWO HUGE SALMON
With a murderous drag hook" armed
with six huge hooks and the lad with
the pouchy jacket who had reioined him
was in waiting beneath the bridge-end to
care for fish, hooks and line. In fifteen
minutes more the two salmon were
dressed and in the "herring-skibs'' of the
hshwives, being hawked about the city !;
ana the COrrlb poacher had secured eight
shillings for his deft mornings work.
The entire procedure was so amazingly
audaclouS and clever, that on meeting the
poacher later in the day I taxed him with
his performance. He knew l would not
betray him. L found that he was of re-
spectacle family, a brother being a repu-
table contractor in New York City,
where he had himself held decent wage
position; but he confessed that poachinp
and poverty We're more fascinating in
Galway than contracts and career in
America. My next experience was while
guest during pheaSant-ShOOt on the
demesne of a young nobleman in one of
the English Midland counties Some
time during the days murderous on
slaught upon the birds, had lost a di-
mlnutlve, but to me valuable, notebook
1t so worried me that / arose the next
morning dressed and stole down into
and out OF the castle-yard through
the huge open gate facing the
side next the demesne, before a soul was
astir about the entire place. The de-
mesne, which covered fully two miles
square of 'park"-tiny lakes, magnifi-
cent carriage and drive-ways. dense
patches OF young fir interspersing huge
beech trees and oak-was altogether one
OF the finest pheasant preserves in Eng
land. felt sure of my ability to discover
the locality of the previous days 6attue,
by following to the right the demesne
wall which must lead to the little patch
WI ha nh ,+e
had been driven by the ''beating'' of the
attendants, number of whom, noted for
their woodCraft, and who were loungers
at the near village, had been pressed into
the service.
The wall surrounding the demesne was
OF rough stone and rubble, conical at the
top, its crest being rendered seemingly
impossible by murderous pieces of
broken glass imbedded in the mortar. 1t
was hardly daylight, and a thick mist
rendered ordinary objects still more in
distinct. therefore simply followed the
wall closely, now and then touching it
with stout walking stick 1 had taken
with me from my chamber, but oftener
touching 1t gently at intervals with my
hand.
CAUGHT A PoACHER.
I was not long in passing the line OF
heavier forest and reaching the open place
where / felt sure the previous davis
just as my hand left the wall following
my impulse of search over the shooting
ground, my fingers came in contact with
the bpShy hair of a mans head I am
not exactly an athlete, but that hair and
the man under it came up alongside of
that demesne wall to nearly my own
hight, as the Germans say, I'm augen-
bhckp' and / instantly saw 1 had taken,
Ted-handed, fine specimen of the En-
glsh poacher. The fact was all the more
interesting as / recognized in the precious
rascal one Of the heaters employed by
mllords gamekeepers during the pre-
vious days sport. He was a handsome,
dirty, chunky fellow of twenty or there
aoouts, and he knew how to beg as well
as poach. Not being specially interested
IN enforcing the game laws of England, ii
occurred 70 me / could utilize this par
Icuiar misplaced natter both on the
lines OF acquiring information and in the
recovery OF my notebook. A proper
compact had no sooner been agreed upon
than TWO OF the poacher's companions,
agreeable TO his signal, appeared. One
was a weaZened old man, spry as q crick-
ct, and the other was lad of perhaps Is
years ne latter at once produced what
hau mace my quest for, and got half a
crown lor ms trouble. Then in q few
moments hasty explanation I secured a
GOOD ldea oil what had been going on in
that quarter during the night. All three
had been employed by the gamekeepers
the previous day as "beaters', and "help-
ers, the latter TO watch for the falling
birds and carry them back to ''tbe BAGS. .
A large number were thus slowed away
in secure coverts for the following NIGHTS
work The poachers well knew that After
the evenings tips, beer, pipes and boast
full stories in the servants hall and har-
ness-room, every gamekeeper would
sleep soundly that night if not another in
ba They were therefore ouar III.