The San Francisco call., 1895-11-02
FOR SELLING WILD GAME,
Four Retail Dealers Arrested
Under the New Game
Law.
Warden Morgan Denies Statements
Accredited to Him by Mr..
Robinson.

Four retail dealers in poultry were ar
rested yesterday for selling game out OF
season. Louis Harris of the California
Market had sold quail. Joseph Meyer and
Adam Carl of the Central Market had also
sold quail. John Compagno of the San
| Francisco Market had sold duck. The
men were all arrested on warrants sworn
out by Deputy Fish and Game Commits
sioner Babcock. Several more warrants
| remain to be served.
The arrested men were released on put
ting UP $50 bail each. Their cases will
come UP to-day in the Police courts. There
is no doubt but what the accused will con-
test their cases to the bitter end. The
contest will not be made upon the facts
for the dealers acknowledge that they sold
the game in question. but upon the legality
| Of the act. They argue that any law that
permits rich men to kill and eat wild game
after October 10 and denies the privilege
| of poor men to eat game until November
| 10 is unjust and unconstitutional.
In these cases the State will be repre-
sented by the Attorney-General,w who will
| contend that the law is perfectly valid and
constitutional. Many well-known sports
men will be called as witnesses, and many
will be in attendance as matter OF per-
| sonal interest.
| At the meeting of the Fish and Game
! Commissioners last Thursday when there
was an examination and investigation of
| the statements of crookedness on the part
of the deputies Crittenden Robinson was a
witness. He testified substantially that he
| had seen MIR. Morgan, the Game Warden
! OF San Francisco, who stated that he,
Morgan, had appealed to the commission
| for help in fighting the cases of persons
arrested for violating the game law; that
Deputy Babcock and Secretary Stearns
had told him, Morgan, that the Fish Com
| mlssloners could not do anything to help
! him as there was no money at their dispo-
sal to fight such cases. Babcock and
| Stearns denied that they had ever made
| such statement.
On Thursday evening Mr. Babcock. ac-
| companied by shorthand reporter, called
upon Game Warden Morgan, and Babcock
asked: Ibid you tell Mr.. Robinson that
| refused to help you in that game case?"
| Morgan answered that he did not He
emphatically denied that he had ever ap-
pealed to the Fish Commissioners for help
or had ever told Robinson that he had.
| He stated that on one occasion he spoke
with Babcock or Stearns about hiring an
attorney to prosecute people he had
arrested, and Babcock or Stearns remarked
that the Prosecuting Attorney of the Police
| courts should prosecute such cases. Nor
| gan said in addition that he told Robin son
! that he ought to have the Sportsmen' S
Association back of him in order TO secure
convictions, as the offending parties usually
| had a pull and got off with small fines. In
conclusion, the Game Warden said:
| told Robinson that thought the Fish Com
| missioners were very anxious, the same as |
| was TO get heavy fine imposed on everybody
| that was arrested. Robinson asked me first if
l ever went to the Fish Commissioners in
| regard to this case (of a game-dealer who was
| under arrest), and told l never did, except
| that merely mentioned about having some
| body to help me out there. did not go there
| to demand anybody or TO ask for any assistance
| OF that kind, and at that time did not know
| 1t was to be a test case.