Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-21
SKILL OF P0ACHERS.
How They Hook Salmon Almost
Under the Bailifs' Noses.
AGILITY THAT Is MARVELLOUS.
Brutal Methods Of Men Who Gather in
Frightened Pheasants.
WHAT ENGLAND PAYS FOB IT'S SPORTS
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE prsrArcH.I

CARLISLE, ENGLAND, June 1.-My first
introduction to British poacher was in the
ancient city Of Galway on summers morn
ing in 1888. wandered out of Ellie Madi-
! gan's quaint little inn before sunrise, and
after few moments on the quay among the
fshwives of Claddagh had started for
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
Claddagh-side, as the sleepy old town is
hardly astir before 9 o'clock. But 1 had
stood there hardly minute when man in
corduroy high-lows, jockey cap and visor
and bearing huge club in his hand, ap-
preached me from the city side. He gave
me sharp look of scrutiny, touched his hat
apologetically, 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 disappeared In
the vicinity of the Salmon Leap of the
Corrib above. He was one of the Royal
Fisohry Board water bailifs, and was in
quest Of salmon poachers
How the Poacher Works.
He was hardly out of sight before bare
footed 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 straight on, increas-
| ing the speed of his walk. Directly saw
his arm jerked back, as if by q 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 beneath. But the man kept
straight along, his arm now in position as
| if dragging half floating 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 off the bridge
end, and turned toward the bay.
Without seeming to- watch him, soon
saw him reappear near an old fulling mill
several rods below. With him there was a
mangy-headed lad who was hastily unroll-
hand, while carrying his jacket in a singu-
larly heavy and bsggy way with the other.
The bare-footed man had within three
minutes time captured two huge salmon
with q 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 for
| fish, hooks and line. In 15 minutes more
the two salmon were dressed and in the
'herring skibs" of the fshwives, being
hawked about the city; and the Corrib
poacher had secured shillings for his deft
mornings work.
Has Peculiar Fascination.
The entire procedure was so amazingly
audacious and clever, that on meeting the
poacher later in the day I taxed him with
his performance. He knew 1 would not be-
| tray him. 1 found that he was of q respect
| able family, brother being q reputable
contractor in New York City, whore he had
himself had decent wage position; but he
| confessed that poaching and poverty were
more fascinating in Galway than contracts
| and career in America
NV next experience was while . guest
during a pheasant-shoot on the demesne of
q Young nobleman in one Of the English
| Midland counties. Some time during the
DAYS murderous onslaught upon the
BIRDS had lost diminutive, but to me
| valuable, notebook. 1t 50 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 soul was astir
about the entire place. I was not
long in reaching the open place
where I felt sure the previous days
slaughter of pheasants had occurred; and
Just as my hand left the wall, following my
impulse of search over the shooting ground,
nv fingers came in contact with the bushy
hair of mans head. l am not exactly an
athlete, but that hair and the man under it
came up alongside of that demesne wall to
nearly my own height, as the Germans say,
'Im augenblickp and I instantly saw
had taken, red-handed, q fine specimen of
the English poacher. The fact was all the
more interesting as I recognized in the
precious rascal one of the "beaters" en-
ployed by milord's gamekeepers during the
previous days sport.
The Information Proved Serviceable.
He was handsome, dirty, chunky fellow
of 20 or thereabouts, and he knew how to
beg as well as poach, Not being specially
interested in enforcing the game laws Of
England, it occurred to me 1 could utilize
this particular misplaced matter" 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 a cricket, and
the other was q lad of perhaps Is years.
The latter at once produced what had
made my quest for, and got half-crown
for his trouble. Then in a few moments
hasty explanation I secured good idea Of
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 "helpers," the latter to watch for the
falling birds and carry them back to 'fthe
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
boastful stories in the servants hall and
harness room, every gamekeeper would
sleep soundly that night if not another in
the year. They were therefore over the
demesne wall and at work long before mid
night Their outfit was simple and ine1-
pensive.
Equipments for Catching Pheasants.
A strong rope shout IL feet long with
triple nooses, one in the middle well bound
for securing fastening on the Jagged wall
coping, and another at each end, answering
for a ladder A handcart, the wheels
wound with straw and rags to prevent
neise and lessen the trail, with fourth
man beside it as q sentinel, was brought
along for carrying away the plunder. The
three who entered the grounds had long,
1.-the poles, each "bulP s-eye" lantern, and
between them sulphur or some such stuff
and matches for making. smudgers. They