The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-10-15

4 GAME VlRDEN'S DUTY
A Business Sure to Prove
Profitable to an En-
ergetic Man.
ESSEX OFFICIALS EXPERIENCES
Great Discomfort Among sportsmen
The Old Law and Its
Improvements.

needs energetic work to make it lucra-
tive. 1t was never a dignihed position in
this State as a rule, but men could al
avs lend dignity to 1t or debase IL. ac-
cording to their habits and desires. says
the Newark Sunday Call" 1t was sell
dom regarded as either lucrative or hon
orary, and when a good man sought it
his motive was usually a strong interest
In the fish and game Of some certain
locality and a desire to punish offenders
against the law and to preserve the OBJ
servation of the law in a special district.
IL was for this reason that Mayor Froth-
ingham of Hopatcong became a warden,
and he subsequently secured the appoint
ment from Governor Werts as a Fish and
Game Commission from the same mo-
tive.
John N. Arkarman. a former superin-
tendent Of the Newark street cars, secur-
ed the appointment as a warden in this
county for a similar motive. but he cool
ed rapidly when he found what his as
s~ociates of that time were like, and 1t
cannot be shown that he ever did any
thing to promote game or fish preserva-
ton. Unde the old law many Of the
wardens were pothouse politicians in
country towns who did not have either
courage or inclination to arrest or con-
Wet anybody, especially IL the violator
OF the law was a neighbor or a man of
any influence. Others were out for money
and got It by putting big expense bills
IN Tor the hire OF tug boats and help in
patrolling the Delaware In the shad sea-
son. Others bled the State In various
rays through their connection with fish
Matching enterprises and as a general
thing the wardens needed more watching
than the poachers received from them.
Under the old law a fish warden was
permitted to charge s. a day for every day
actually spent in the pursuit of his du-
ties, provided he did not charge more than
$50 in any one year. A warden who was
not inspired by the lofty motives Of stop
ping poaching was likely to feel that he
must not work more b a day and a
half in a month, and that if ne did, the
State was getting the best Of him mas
much as convictions then paid him only
the fees of an ordinary constable. Now
the wardens have stronger incentive to
work They receive a salary of $50 per
month and are allowed expenses not to ex-
coed $500 per year, for which they must
present an itemized account under oath.
h Chief Warden receives 500 a month
and is allowed to spend $500 a year. This
is by no means the whole sum nor is il
the incentive toward exertion in the dis
charge of the duties of the Office. The law
as il stands now gives the wardens an
opportunity to pursue their duties with
out any sacrifice Of money. and the more
industrious and persistent they are The
4 LII t4-t14Cr itE1 a 81 u VI ! hey
are sure of one-third of the fines collected,
and where they make the complaint and
| procure conviction they receive two-th rds
OF the penalty exactsd. If a man is
caught with fifteen robins or other in
sectivorous birds in his pockets his fine is
5000, and Of this the warden gets $500 If he
makes the arrest, prosecutes the case and
| the fine is paid. Besides this amour he
may demand the regular fees as a con-
stable, but il is seldom that the wardens
do that. In every case where the law is
broken a fine is provided and ene-third or
two-tnirds must go TO the warden. Il
last months report seyenty-two cases of
violation were enumerated, and of these
cases four were suspended one was dis
continued, two are pending, four defend
ants paid fines running from $40 up TO
$l0e, an average of over SIS per case. Of
this amount 1888 was turned into the fnnd
of the commission, to be accounted for
to the State treasury. and there is a bal
anee Of something like SIS to pay The
rest went TO the sixteen wardens WHO
| made the complaints. On deputy warden
figured in two cases in the report, and
each. Warden George r. Riley, Of Essex
county had five cases, a~ggregating S140
In fines, with two holding over.
Warden Riley will do much better this
month. In fact he has done nearly as
well in the FIRST six or seven days. He
is on foot all day long. and thinks moth
ing of walking twelve or fifteen miles in
quest of men who are shooting game out
! VI CDcO V = ON
inseetiyoreus birds. He does not conhne
his attentions to Essex county. but ven-
lures into Hudson n Bergen, Morris,
gency may demand. An ordinary observer
! would not give Mr.. Riley credit for the
1 push n pluck he exhibits. He puts his
to arrest an Illicit gunner. but that does
| not deter him from performing his duty.
/ One day last week ne discovered a mar
| shooting fickers. or highholders. over in
1 TJ.-1rarE n.rn% Tfa man 0Nfdnn-3U
| knew that he was transgressing the law.
| for he ran away when Warden Riley APP
preached him. TIL warden pursued, and
| the man turned and pointed his gun at
| him. warning the warden that he would
\ shoot If he came further. Mr. Riley
\ had his revolver in his hip pocket, and
who lowered his u and ran again.
| Twice the man turned and raised his
| gun. but neither man was willing to
shoot at the other. Warden Riley finally
4 caught the offender and took him before
| a Justice of the Peace. to whom he plead
ed for lenieney. He had to pay his
fine. On another occasion a few days
ago the warden was shopping near Ar
lington. and caught a young man who had
| just slaughtered two brown thrushes, our
sweetest songster and most innocent
learned that he was under arrest, and
said that he had a permit from
tie United States Government to
shaf he 0l was : a0f fax sspsnslnf P Wap9ss R ana
felt that he would like to see such a
sweeping permit. and asked for II. III
young man said that he had 1t, but it was
in New York. The warden told him that
it would be no great value IN New Jer-
sey unless the shooting was done at
Sandy Hook or Pickatjnny. and that he
would have to go before a Justice Of the
Peace. The young man said that Mr..
Riley was '.real mean and the warden
said thai he could not conceive of any
body much meaner than a man who would
kill a song thrush. The culprit turned ont
to be the son of a Presbyterian minister.
who paid a fine OF $40 for him.
Warden Riley said last week that ignor-
ance of the law aid not exist any longer
in the case of the men who were found
shooting song birds They show that
they are aware that they are breaking
the law ne said. They are extremely
wary about any man who approaches
them If they do not see a gun In his hand
ard conclude that he Is a fellow law
breaker. They hide In the bushes or run
away when any stranger approaches. I
carried a gun one day but soon found it
an Inconvenience ! had 70 take care Of
my own gum confscate the other mans
| gun and hold him at the same time"
One day last month Mr.. Riley discov-
| cred a mar shooting woodpeckefs and got
evidence tina he had killed three birds.
| The man ran from him and escaped. but
| the warden met him In the street a few
days later and pat him under arrest. The
| prisoner then offered to pay the fine Of
| $50 X the warden would release him, and