The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-03
WAR IN THE SUISUN MARSH.
Another So-Called Poacher"
Has Been Acquitted.
THE MALLARDS' BOATS IN HOOK
Reasons Why the Birds on the
Suisun Marshes Had an Easy
Time of 1t Yesterday.

The war between the Teal Club, the
Cordelia Club, the Mallard Club and a
number of other shooting organizations
that have frequented the Suisun marshes
for the purpose of Staying wild ducks. took
q new and emphatic turn last Saturday,
and yet those who are classed as poachers
on leased mud and water are happy. The
members of the Mallard Club, the Volun-
teer crowd and others, did not shoot ducks
on the Teal aud Cordela grounds yester-
day. The Superior Court of Solano County
las said that they mustn't until they show
cause why they should.
The members of the Teal and Cordelia
clubs grew weary of fighting their own
battles with the alleged encroachers and
therefore invoked the aid of the law. The
court was appealed to, and injunctions
almost innumerable were sued out in the
Solano County Superior Court. All day
Saturday a Deputy Sheriff was on the
marshes and camped on the trails of
sportsmen. just as soon as a duck-Shooter
epcroached on the alleged preserves" of
the Teal Club or the COrdelia Club, he was
served with an injunction fOrbidding him,
on penalty provided for contempt of court,
to enter on such grounds or shoot dncks
over the forbidden territory. Hence it has
come to pass that until the persons en-
Joined have shown cause why they are en-
titled to shoot ducks on the ground in
question they are under the ban of the law
and must either stay away, 60 to jail for
contempt or pay fine. The persons en-
Joined took the broad hint for all it was
intended to mean and stayed away.
For this reason there was no general
sport in the vicinity yesterday and the
shooting was very light. La spite OF the
favorable weather for ducks the bagging
OF birds was not heavy, the best record
reported being twenty-three birds brought
down by the unerring aim and gun OF
John II. Sammi, who does not belong to
either of the contending clubs; neither
does he "pOacb," but goes quietly ana
alone on his own way, padding his own
canoe on grounds that have not been ap-
proDriated for private uses.
MI Sammi came down with his booty of
ducks last hight. In speaking of The
troubles between the Teal, COrdela and
Mallard Clubs, he said:
II watched the proceedings yesterday
with considerable amusement. A Deputy
Sheriff with his pockets full of iHjunctions
from the Superior Court of Solano County
was fitting to aud fro over the marshes,
and whenever hunter not member Of
the Teal or CUrdelia Clubs made his APP
pearance. he was pTomp pity served with an
injunction and told to go and sin n more.
L couldn't say how many injunctiOns were
served, but l should estimate the number
at more than hundred. Oh, they have a
high old time up here and no mistake.
Last Sunday" he went on, five boat
loads of hunters went in on the Teal Clubs
marsh. The boats and the men belonged
TO the Mallard CLUB. No sooner had they
entered the forbidden territory than the
Teal men took possession of the boats
dragged them into the pond and held them
as spells OF war, or for damages for alleged
poaching. The Teals still hold the boats
by right of the laws of this war and the vir-
tue of seizure in the act of invasions.
But the iDjunctiOns do not seem to have
demoralZed the spOrtsmen or 'poachers,'
as they are called by the naughty Teals
and Cordelias. They are confident of vic
entire crowd of the yacht Volunteer were
eDjoined at the same time the Mallard
men got the courts plaster on The neck
At any rate, none of the Volunteer men
were on the forbidden marshes to-day. /
think the Mallard men all came back to
the city last night. In addition to the Vol
unteer there are four other yachts, like
war feet, lying close TO the Teal and Cor
della grounds.
IF the men on board attempt to en-
croach on the marshes of the Teals or the
Cordelas they. too, will be Immediately
enioined. One of the members of the
Volunteer Club was aTraigned for tlial
i
yesterday. He was charged with poach-
ing and was prosecuted by bath the Teals
and Cordelas. The testimony showed
that the defendant had shot and killed a
duck on private property. The defend
ants attorney wanted TO know to whom
the duck belonged. This was a sumner.
because, as the duck was a wild bird, NO
one could answer the question. The jury,
after being out a couple of hours, reported
that they stood ten for acquittal and two
for conviction. The court, after consid-
ering the matter for few minutes. dis
charged both the jury and the defendant.
The fact of the m latter is simply this,
the clubs who control the leased marshes
have made every effort to convict alleged
poachers. but as they cannot claim or show
ownership of the birds, it is next to i'm
possib bic to get jury to convict the go
called poachers. For my part, | never
'poach.' l am looked upon as a sort of
mysterious parsonage by the clubmen, be-
cause l go my own way on open ground
and bag more ducks than any of them"
From the reports made by a number of
sportsmen last night. duck shooting NAV
be said to have been not very good yester-
day. AS already stated, there were only a
few shooters on the Suisun marshes
Huntsmen from the Petaluma marshes
reported only Indifferent success.