The San Francisco call., 1896-10-27
BULLETS FLY ON
:. SUISUN MARSHES
=
Party of Hunters Attacked
While Shooting on the
Preserves.
=:
Fired Upon Seven Times by a
Gamekeeper Armed With
a R.fl>.
ESCAPE BY MERE CHANCE.
Sportsmen Swear Vengeance if
Mankilling Is Again At
tempted.

SUISUN, CAL, Oct. 26-George Rocks
berry of Benicia can bless his stars that
he is now in the land of the living.
Rocksbury and several friends who re-
side in Benicla concluded recently that q
few weeks outing iii the marshes of
Solano County west of Suisun woul1 ma
terially improve their health, and after
procuring guns and ammunition they
set sail in a pleasure-yacht for the
great duck-shooting swamps. The sports
men anchored in Cordelia Slough
within 100 yards of the barricade
that was erected this year by the Cordelia
Gun Club at the mouth of the Frank
Horan Slough. Rocksberry was aware of
the fact that gamekeepers were detailed
ION The marshes 10 prevent all persons ex-
cepting members of the ''preserve" clabs
from shooting thereon, but as the courts
have not as yet permanently decided the
right of gun clubs to debar so-calIed
poachers from shooting wild ducks upon
the swamp and overfiowed lands in the
vicinity of Suisun he and his companions
concluded that they had perfect right to
the enjoyment of pastime that the Su-
perior Court of Solano County adiudged
; a few evenings age Rocks sberry, F.
Tobelman and J. Unger of San Francisco
were shooting over what is commonly
known as the Taylor pond, distant about
800 yards from the railroad track, near
Teal Station, when bullet splashed the
water within foot of where Tobelman
was standing. Rocksberry was in his
boat at the time he heard the crack of a
rifle, and looking in the direction whence
the report came he saw q man standing
on the railroad track with a rifle to his
shoulder. The sportsman shouted to the
rifeman, who was evidently bent on
murGering somebody, and the echo of his
voice hau scarcely died away when a
bullet went crashing through the craft in
which Roeksberry was seated. Seven
shots were fired by the alleged Teal Club S
faithful officer, but fortunately the only
damage done was the puncturing of the
boat and the cutting of a small piece of
rubber from the top of one of Mr.. Rocks
berry's boots.
The hunters quickly concluded that it
was about time for them to decamp. as
they were notQIepared 10 return the sa-
lutte, not being armed with rifles.
This outrageous means of keeping So
called trespassers off the Iands,' said Vic
tor Harriet of Benicin to-day, 'has been
severely commented upon by the sports
men and residents of Solano County, and
IL HAS DCEu OpSnlg SLdle0 Dl lA0 hunters
that unless the keepers discontinue the
use OF rifles somebody will get hurt.
Threats have been made by the so-called
! oachers that they will return the fire of
the enemy in case another attempt at
mankilling is made.
1t must be said with all due respect to
the keepers" said Mr.. Myrtle, who was
one of the party OF hunters shooting on
the Taylor pond at the time of the unex-
pected attack, that with a few excep-
tions they are fair minded fellows, who
must, of course, obey instructions. but, as
the case stands at present, the clubs have
no legal right or authority to prevent by
threat or force of arms any sportsman
from shooting wild game on the Suisun
marshes"
D. McRae and a friend bagged 125 ducks
principally mallard, widgeon, sprig and
teal-last Sunday on the Teal Club
grounds. John X. Orr, who was for sew
.eral years a noted professional quail
hunter, bagged fairly good mess of ducks
on the Ibis Club grounds. Messrs. Hamil-
ton, McAIlister and Tubbs had tolerably
good success. MIR. Gerber of Sacramento
shot over the Taylor ponds and scored
nice bag of birds. The present rain
storm will very materially improve the
sport of duck and quail shooting and the
hunters expect excellent results on Satur-
.day and Sunday next.