The record-union., 1896-09-28
CAUGHT THEM In THE ACT.
SoYen YoloiteS Arrested While Shooting
Wild Ducks.
Deputy State Warden Helms Made
Sunday Trip, With
Good Results.

Deputy State Game and Fish Warden
Helms turned a good trick yesterday
by going over into Yolo County and ar
resting seven men who were shooting
ducks there in violation Of the law.
Reports had been coming in from the
west side Of the river that ducks were
being shot over that way, so Helms re-
solved to do a little investigating yes
terday. He left the city about 4:3O
o'clock in the morning, with a COM
panion, and drove across the country to
the vicinity of Willow Slough, some six
miles this side of Woodland, where
there is a large tract Of overfiowed
ground, and where the wildfowl are
very plentiful the varieties being
chiefly teal and sprig.
AS he neared the duck-feeding
grounds Helms heard the reports of
guns, but he had no idea that he would
be able to make as big a roundup as
he did. He found seven men there,
| each with from one to five dead ducks
In his possession, the result Of their
| mornings illegal work. and one by one
he arrested them and took possession
OF their guns and game as evidence to
be used at their trial. The names Of
the men arrested are Emory and Clyde
Osborn, Tim Clifford, John and Au
guste Dieudonne and Ernest and W..
w. Lucas.
The men were all escorted to Wood
land and taken before a Justice of the
Peace. who released them on their own
| recognizance, but directed them to ap-
pear at o'clock this afternoon for
| trial Warden Helms will be there to
| testify against them The penalty for
conviction is a fine In each case not to
exceed $40, or Imprisonment for not
less than ten days, or both, according
| to circumstances.
| Yolo County is one of the best duck
| shooting districts In the State, but the
Supervisors have steadfastly refused
to appoint q County Warden, as they
| have the power to do under the State
| law. The suppositon Is that the Off
cials do not like to offend their tule-
! bottom constituents, many of whom
especially down along the river-habit-
| TALLY violate the law by shooting
| ducks at any and all seasons Of the
year. An energetic, fearless Warden
over there could very soon put r stop to
this evil, as has been done elsewhere.
Possibly there are ducks occasionally
| shot In out-of- the-way spots In this
county, but Warden Helms has prac-
tically broken up the custom by arrest
| ing a. few offenders, who have been
punished for their acts
| 1t seems strange that men who claim
to be even halfway respectable citi-
zens will perststently violate the game
! laws and then rail and howl about the
so-called injustice of laws. Men of this
class have even found defenders and
| apolog1sts who would have the laws
| enasculated in their interest.
| Down In San Francisco the game
dealers, who have been crying out
against that provision Of the law which
| says they may sell certain kinds OF
game only between November 10Th and
| January 10Th, are even now selling
prohibited game. three weeks before
| the law permits 1t to be killed, and
nearly two months earlier than It can
| be offered for sale. Last Saturday
Charles Campodonico and Robert NAL
colin, poultry dealers, We're arrested
by Deputy Game Warden Mogan. The
two men have a stall in the Clay-street
market and had wild ducks in their
possession.
These men-and there are plenty
more in their class-clearly have no re-
spect for any law. They would de-
stroy every duck and quail in the
State in one season if they could only
sell them and pocket the money the
game would bring. Yet these men will
be pleading before the Legislature
next winter to modify the game laws!