Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-11-05
BROS VERY SCARCE.
POLK MILLER PLEADS FOR THEIR PRO.
LECTION FROM CANE BUTCHERS.
tenanccd-Desired Changes I'm
the Game Laws.

ana influential body OF Nimrods known
as the Virginia F'ield-sports Association,
is melancholy man. He says hunting
is not what 1t used TO be In Virginia,
and game is now scarcer than ever be-
fore.
". Miller was very blue over the
situation when the representative OF the
Dispatch called TO see him yesterday.
He said that from all he could learn thefe
Is a great scarcity of birds. and as FAR
as he was concerned, he did not expect
to kill twenty-five. and hoped that the
shooting fraternity generally would give
them rest. There are enough TO re-
, stock and give us big crop next year
II the shooters viii be satisfied with
small bags and the farmers VIII set,
hawk-traps. He advises the farmers to
be very vigilant this season In keeping
off the men who make business OF
shooting for the market. They are TOT
sportsmen," said Mr.. Miller, indig-
nantly, but game butchers. Thcy il
shoot into coveys on the ground ana
wound a great many that fiutter on ana
die The man who shoots for pleasure
usually leaves enough for seed, but the
man who shoots for money VIII XIII the
last one left OF n covey II he can Wheh
j say market-shooter' ! refer parucu-
larry TO those men who come down mere
as the agents for owners OF large restau-
rants In the northern cities ana dealers
in game. Our Virginia cities 90 not get
/ any except such as are killed by the
! farmers on their own lands, and TO such
shooters we have no objection. Inc nom
/ residents are the men who do the damage
| They not only kill a great deal OF game
and get big prices for 1t, but a great
many OF them are paid bys the owners
/ OF highly-bred young dogs TO train them
on quail.
BILL TC PREVENT SHIPMENT.
1--WE will endeavor TO get & bill passed
! by the General Assembly this winter, II
| possible, to prevent the Shipment Oh
| game by the express company TO points
outside of the State" continued Mr. MIL
! ler 1--WE will be careful 10 so WORD the
! law that II will not apply to the taxing
away of game by hand by gentlemen VINO
! come down here every season for recreation
| and sport, and whose coming gives pleas
ure to a large number Of our country
| friends. who are delighted to entertain
: them. and between whom and these Visi-
| tors very strong ties of friendship nave
/ been formed. Many Of them are mem
! beers of our Association, and during the
deep snow last winter, when ! made such
urgent appeals to the farmers 10 Ieeu
the starving birds and asked those VINO
had no wheat to draw on US for supplies.
our treasury was very much Increased
by voluntary subscriptions which came
/ from our northern friends. One con-
cern-Tatham Brothers, Of New York
sent their check for twenty-five dollars
to aid the cause of game protection.
In response TO the question Have you
been hunting7" Mr.. Miller replied, yes,
/ hunted on horseback with two fine dogs
for nearly q whole day, and over ground
In which usually Kill fifty birds day
but never saw the dogs wag their tails
over the scent Of a single bird in my eight
hours OF steady hunting. A wood-cock,
a swamp sparrow, and leather-winged
bat was all / had TO show for my days
| work We had a negro man along 10
hold our horses. and as he was much
'tossified discernin the present political
muddle, and asked my ''vice bout what
he mus do IN the coming election, ana
as he said he had a heap o henfiewance
wild de cultured people l took occasion
TO make him sofd for Mr.. Speaker, leaV-
ing him with a small donation and the
promise from him that he would Card-weh
the wool OF his dusky neighbors on cleo
tion-day."
A GENERAL GAME LAW.
what is going to be your programme
for the betterment OF the game laws|
asked the reporter
"Well, In the first place" said Mr.. Mil
Ter, I'VE are anxious 10 make the open
season on partridges from November ISL
10 February LIST In all the counties east OF
the Blue Ridge, and from October ISL 10
January LIST west of the Blue Ridge, anu
above all. have the shooting season open
and close I'm all counties on the same date,
instead Of as now haYing different laws
for different counties. In many OF the
counties rabbits are not protected by law,
but we propose to give. them the same
protection that we give TO birds, for there
is no telling how many birds are killed
by men who go after rabbits. ana VIII
slyly hide them; and besides, their hounds
destroy large numbers Of nests as Wen
as young birds that can't fly. think the
deer. turkey. and ducking laws are about
what the sportsmen want. / must own
I'D TO being ignorant about that class OF
shooting, for / never go after them. L
would rather hold FESTIVE horse IN a
cold rain than have TO sit down and wait
for game to come 10 me.
OUR OFFICERS ARE TOO LENlENT.
THE laws against trapping, netting,
and destroying the nests Of birds are very
plain. but our officers are very lax in the
| performance Of their duties in bringing
the violators to justice" the sportsman
continued. 1.-The truth Is, II Is hard to
enforce a law which doesn't allow man
u do what he pleases on his own prem
ises, and until our lawmakers will decide
the question as TO whether the game on
his property belongs to him or Is common
property we are going TO have hard
time in enforcing the law against trap
ping. netting, and the destruction of the
nests OF birds. There is one thing certain
the Virginia Field-Sports Association will
do all in its power to protect the farmer
in all OF his rights, and shall leave
nothing undone TO secure his goodwill
If we incur his enmity we might as wei
turn our gun-barrels into fire pokers. We
would like to become so entwined in his
affections that n membership ticket In ouI
organization will be a passport to his
fields and a sure guarantee that his
chickens, ducks and turkeys are safe. Sc
many people so upon the lands of the
farmer unlimited, and when accosted
give them sass that II has gotten to be
very disagreeable to the gentlemanly
sportsman TO have a man come and order
you OF his place. showing his temper by
abusing you for having taken such 6
liberty
KNOWS HOW TO TALK PRETTY.
"As a general thing when 1 am caught II
such a scrape," said the genial huntsman
81 talk back at him so mildly that m
Gains down. and 1t ends In my getting
his permission to go ahead and shoot.
few years ago / was hunting with m.
, friend Colonel John b. Purcell, in Han
over county. and coming upon one o
those chronic directors who forbade on
shooting, we told him that We were gen
tlemen hunting more for pleasure than 70
the game, and that we would like TO fol
low up the beautiful covey OF b,r's -rhicl
? we had just flushed. He replied, oh
ya-as there were three men up here las
week who told me the same thing; bu
arr they was gone l missed two or m
biggest and best goblers.' Whether IN
old elbow declined because he didn't lik
: the looks of, my companion or not.
don't know, but as that was the hrs
time that / ever had man TO refuse
1 let me hunt after / had talked 'humbll
TO him naturally concluded that he didn
, like the looks of my company.
Something About Dogs.
However poor the prospects for huntin
may be this season, there is no questo
about the fact that the interest In wei
bred dogs is steadily growing In Rich
: mond and Manchester.
( Mr. H.. Clay Chamblin the owner Q
: Whitby Stock Farm near Nancheste!
has added TO his kennel two splendid SCI