The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-09-14
NEW OCCUPATION FOR WOMEN.
Perilous Duties Discharged by Mrs. War
rem Neal, of Neal, Mich.

Once again new and startling occupa-
ton has been found for the new woman,
says the Philadelphia Inquirer. 1t is
that of game warden, aud the woman
who distinguished hen self by making this
brand new departure is Mrs. Warren
Neal, of Neal, Michigan. This woman
was appointed game warden for Grand
Traverse county not long since, and from
the appearance of things she will attend
to the duties of her Office in business
like manner.
The duties of game warden are of such
nature than many men would not care
to undertake to I'LL the place but Mrs.
Neal is plucky little woman, and she
has no fear whatever of not being able to
overcome all obstacles. A game warden
is supposed to travel all over the county
and keep sharp lookout for violators OF
the game and fish laws. AS Grand Ira
verse county, of which Mrs. Neal has
control, is densely wooded and has many
lakes, she will be kept very busy seeking
out and bringing to justice violators of
the law.
Mrs. Neal handles gun like an expert,
rows boat and is a skillful woodsman,
and she knows every inch of the territory
she has to patrol. In order to make her
way through the dense growth in the
forest land as easily as possible Mrs. Neal
has adopted q costume modelled after the
much reviled boomers.
AS to the trousers, Mrs. Neal saws
that she had no desire to be considered as
setting the pace for the new woman, In
fact, she told the writer she thought eve-
ry woman ought to dress according to
her own ideas of comfort, though for the
life of her she could not see why any
woman should want a skirt when hunt
Ing or rowing. 1t really appears as if
Mrs. Neal is the sort of new woman that
has mind to advance her sex along SEN
sible and health giving lines.
She usually makes trip over the en-
tire county once week. When out after
the violators of the game laws she rides
over the country on horseback, and when
she comes to lake she secures a boat,
and with steady, swift oar she rapidly
covers her territory made up of water.
She carries rife on all Of these trips,
and woe to the evil .doer caught mapping,
for this pluoky game warden is relen5-
less pursuer of all law breakers, and she
has brouhgt many of them to Justice.
DuTluS MAY bQ6 0k3Je dd1Q6 ana d 1Sh
Narden's department. prosecuted 100 al
legged violators Of the law and convicted
ninety-six, growing out of 149 COM
plants. This breaks the record for any
previous month in the history of 1.-THE de-
partment. All but three OF the conyic-
tions were obtained for violation of the
fish laws, and the majority of these cases
were established by Mrs. Neal.
Her skill with the rifle is something
phenomenal and she drops her quarry
with the ease of professional Nilnrod.
Mr.. Neal, who Is an enthusiastic sports
man, long ago taught his wife to be
skillful with the revolver. Last July
when they were in the upper lake region
camping, heiinduoed her to try her hand
with the rifle. He declared that a woman
who could shoot SO well with a revolver
would with practice become dead shot
with the larger weapon. Now rifle shoot
ing requires good eye, a steady hand
and wrist and control Of the nervous
system that very few women possess.
Generally the novice fires at target.
Mrs. Meals first target, however, was
glass bottle thrown In the air, and at a
third shot she struck the bottle, surpris-
ingly good attempt. Mrs. Neal kept on
practicing, and now Is so expert that she
can hit the glass bottle nine times out Of
ten.
In addition to her other duties, Mrs
Neal carries the mail three times a week
to Traverse City for Uncle Sam.