The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-28
A MAINE POACHER'S CAMP.
GAME WARDENs OUT TO CATCH Old
PETER La FONTIINE. '
Cnrcnsses OF Hundreds OF Deer. Moose. ana
Carbon Killed TOR Their Hides Pound About
His Camp In the Remote R;acLwoods-
Difficulties or Lodging Him SAFE In JnIi.

Cnrcnsse. OF Hundred. OF Deer. Moose. ana
Carbon Killed ror Their Hides Pound About
His Camp In tbe ftcmote Sack woods
Dincuiues or Lodging Him SAFE In Jnii.
AUGUSTA. Me-, Fob. 2G.-Thc game wardens
and guides Of the Maine backwoods agree that
Peter La F~ontainc, a French Canadian, who
own four camps at Seven Islands, is the worst
man in the State. He has been an outlaw with
a price offered for his delivery TO the Maine
courts for the last dozen years. During the war
he made q good sum Of money by smuggling do
serters and unawa from the draft over the
line into Canada by the underground railroad.
II is said that his nanc has been substituted for
SataD's by the fond mothers OF Aroostook coun-
~ who want TO hush their little ones 10 sleep
and cannot do IL by other means.
At the clogc of the war La Fontaino built a
line OF camps near Seven Islands in Aroostooie
county, close 10 the Canadian lire. and began to
snare big game animals for their hides, ~pcddling
his pcltrics in Quebec, where the skins OF moose,
caribou, and deer brought good prices. Though
the wardens got after him rs long ago "a 1878,
and have been looking for him ever since. he has
either cyndcd them or fought them off and o.
capped. The officers have crept up and
surrounded his camp four or fvo times in tho
last six years. but on every occasion tho
man they wanted was not inside. Once he hid
away under the hemlock boughs of his camp
'Na 'f' hh' II li'h0hlp vi hh'NA INK thlA WV
OF his would.be Captors were sleeping on him
over night. In the winter of 1894 four wGrdens,
one OF whom was n half-breed Indian named
Alexis, started out on snowshoes TO run him to
cover. In spite OF their best cndcavors La Fon-
taine got wind Of their coming and was away to
the woods OF Canada two days before their ar
rival. The outlaw knew not only that the war
dens were coming. but also that one of them was
n half breed. or, at least. that is what hoitold
H.. l.- - - - - -
his Seven Islands camps. lie also informed At
kins that he would kill that Indian half breed II
he had to chase him into tho Atlantic Ocean.
The next summer n party OF Boston fishermen
going toward Canada found the body OF n dead
Indian hanging In n moose snare twelve miles
above la Fontaine's camp. Though the man
might have stumbled into the snare md been
killed by accident. 1t was the general belief that
La Foitaine had slain him. believing he was
Alexis. the hated warden.
On Friday Of last week two wnrdens in the
employ Of tho Game Commissioners came here
10 report TO Chairman Carleton. after having
completed n 30O.milo journey on snowshoes
through the wilds OF the northwest. and called
at the camps OF La Fontainc and other hide
hunters on their route. They are WilliamL.
HodRkins Of Enfield and Frank f.. Davis Of
Madison. Hodgkins is 81 years OF age, and was
n guide until last fall. when he hired out as Q
warden. Davis has been "A warden for four years.
Both are able.bodiod and courageous men. Hav-
ing received orders TO capture La Fontaine at
any cost, they left Bangor on the morning OF Jan.
II, going to Jackman by rail and making the
rest Of the journey on snowshocs. From Jack
man they made n trip OF twenty miles and ro-
turn TO capture a man who had been killing deer
and selling the meat Ia the lower camps. Though
ittooI them only four days to catch and convict
their man, IL IS presumed that somcbudy started
on ahead while they were away and informed
| In EnntninA N n flatr .ntfn A. !. Nnn .Ta1tfy.r
was bad. they went down the south branch Of the
Penobscot River ~ far ~ the Forks. and then
followed up the north branch to PcnObscot Lake,
md crossed the watershed to the tributaries OF
the st. Johns River.
travel, having made nearly thirty miles a day,
Both the wardens were nearly used up, and
ihbaciirrS c wqs id iior hf ,Sey! f . Mg'T +, fFSmtfaTy 20
home, and with him were Joe Savarin OF Ed
mundston., y. b.. and a Frcnchman from Mon
trcal, who had come to the States TO avoid meet
ing the Canadian Sherii!s. As La FOntainc and
his guests were well armed and alert, and as all
three were outlaws. the wardens concluded they
would defer making the arrests, and pretend 10
he buyers IN search Of frr.. The rnse worked
well. SO well in fact that La F%ontaine showed
them u hundred ar more pclts Of big game
which he had stored in camp, and took them
outside TO another big heap: iIodgkins
trees, nd found hundreds of deer, moose, and
caribou cnrcasscs that had been stripped OF their
hides and left for the foxes and bobcats To eat
Davis continuing i'll. HOlGk!ns gave up attempt-
ing 10 make any arrests, and bargained with Ia
apiece for deer hides and from ~ 10 81 FOR those
of moose and, caribou. A. soon as Davis was
able 10 travel they started out for MGsardis, 40
miles away, reaching that place on Friday morn
ing; Feb; IL, and, arriving in Augusta the, same
days, and had travelled 200 miles on snowshoos
in that time, besides waiting II week in La Fon-
taine's camp for Davis 10 get well.
The story OF their trip was So remarkable and
convincing that steps were al once taken TO send
b wardrns 30 Seven Islands aud wipe out the
whole gang: Hodgkins snys that twenty miles
back from ~. Johns River the woods are illcd
with snarcs set for largo game. The material
used Is thrce.fOurth- inch hemp rope. \ large
slip moose il made and then the ends uf the rope
are tied to Two sapIinEs. The n4O.c hansiny 30
that any large animal passing that way will 10
likely To walk into II. Whenever a deer. a
moose. or q caribou puts its head or foot through
the moose the line slips up and catches the ami
NAL, after which the beast stays there and chokes
or starves todcath. The warhens believe they saw
the skinned carCasscs OF more than "a thousand
large animals that had persisted by this method.
They say, that La Fontninc and his gang have
practically cNterminaicd the MOOSE and caribou
In that region. and declare that deer are bccom-
ing very scarce; II seemed MS II all the carnivor-
had learned OF the slaughter and were present
AT the banquet. Snowy owls, eagles, and n few
winter hawks We're also noticed IN The Vicinity.
cash River, they thought they heard wolves
howiing, though they are MOI certain. At any
feast, and come 10 Maine in hordCs.
After considerable tclcgraphing and consulta.
ton q WAS arranged that on the morning Of
Washington Birthday sis wdrdCns should start
GU. from different points in Maine and con.
%centrate upon Seven Islands for the purpose OF
surrounding la fontainc and his crew. Two
We're To start from lackmun and follow the route
pursued by liodskins and Davis, Two were to 20
from Masardis and travel northwest lao miles.
while two more were to leave Fort Kent and go
100 miles southwest. The plans were carefully
laid, and by this time the six men are well along
ioward seven Islands. AS the nearest trial
Justice is at Fort Kent the outlaws, II captured,
will he taken there for a hearing before going 70
jail 10 await trial.