Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-12-02
AT THE OLD GAME.
Some ColOrad0aus, Who Have Nothing
ll~ TO Dc, Abuse the Mormons-
J heir Fonudatiouless Asser lions.
EALT LAKE CI1Y,
December l., 1896.

December /, 1896.
To the Editor:
During the month OF December juet
closed l clipped number Of press and
special dispatches in which the Nor.
r1ons and Indians are accused OF
unlawfully slaughtering game 10
Colorado and Utah. Such sentences
as the following are employed by the
authors of the dispatches: "fhe hide
hunters and the Mormuns are responsi.
ble for the slaughter by Offering the
Indians big prlcea for the hides" "He
Colorado game warden) also turned
back large body of Mormon hu nters
en- route to this state tColorado)," SCI
Che warden) tell you that hide
hunters anu Mormons are the
ones who are killing most OF the
game" sand the Mormons, too,
have an eye to Colorado game. Nor.
mons are worse than Indians, and
Warden Land ought to be fired for al.
lowing them to escape" This last
excerpt Is irom the Cripple Creek
Times.
was confident that the "Mormons"
were wrongiully accused in these rel.
erences aud therefore wrote to Hon.
X. s. Collett,at Vernal, Uintah county,
Utah, and also to Hon. Gordon Lar d,
Denver, on the subject, and with my
letters l enclosed ABOVE excerpts. Mr.
Collett writes me as follows:
VERNAL, Utah, Nov. 90, 1895.
Hon. A. Milton Musser, Salt Lake
City:
Sir-Your avor OF the 22nd INST.
came duly TO hand, and after
noting contents, 1 wired you, "Let-
ter received; have made inqeiry ana
as nearly as I can ascertain, report OF
Mormons uRbteripg game is abso-
lutely false" Now / have extended
my Inquiries, and can learn OF but
one outfit going into Colorado to hunt,
and they were four in number, and
returned with seven deer. They tell
me they pasted and repassed the game
wardens OF Colorado, ana they did
not modest them in the least, though
they knew what they were there for.
have seen the paFer your letter re.
fers to, and the mention the "Mor.
mons OF Routt and Rio Blanco coun-
ties." 1t is notorious fact that there
ie not a Mormon in either OF these
counties in Colorado, ami the whole
tale is for eject.
Sincerely you're,
X. S. CoLLETT.
Mr.. Land has not yet answered me.
1 cannot believe that the honorable
warden OF Colorado would wiliully
misrepresent the citizens OF Utah,
and shall await his answer with in
terest.
In this connection will cay TINT the
fine and imprisonment OF b. s. Bsrth.
holf, and the c0nfiscation OF the 90, 900
pounds OF venison found in hls charge
at Grand Junction, Colo, last January
must and Will continue to have a salu-
iary effect in restraining, especially
white people, from violations OF the
game laws. This view Mr.. Land also
took OF the case, and cannot believe
that after that severe lesson, citizens OF
this State would indulge in lawlessness
Of the character charged, no matter
how great the Fecuniary inducements
inspiring such courte. 1t gives me
1 lessuIe to state that but for my per.
sonal efforts, and at my own expense,
Bsrthholf would not have been sue.
cessfully prosecuted, nor would the
venison, which WAS eold in Chicago
for a sum over 81 200, been confiscated
by Colorado. This credit was duly
given me by Colorado papers, ami by
her vIgilanl warden, Mr.. Land, direct.
A MILTON MUssER