The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-28
JUSTICE ON SNoWSHOES.
AN INNOVATION IN THE WILDS OF
THE MAINE FORESTS.

&hSNN'AH N'N's
DAYS In tho great northwest woods OF Maine.
Game wardens Davis and Hodgkins reached
tho Canadian Pacific Railway station at jack
man this week. As told in THE Sun, thoy
left Bangor on March 1, going thence to Fort
Kent by raj, and striking into the woods at this
place they followed up tho st. John River to
Seven Islands in pursuit Of Peter la Fountaine,
an outlaw and alleged murderer who has
dcfied the officers for years. At Fort Kent they
secured the services of g. o. Collins, n local Trial
Justice, who put u copy OF the Revised Statutes
into his knapsack and accompanied them on
their lOoinilc snowshoe journey along tho north
western borders Of Maine. On their previous
visit to Seven Islands in February, the Wardcns
found many instances where the game laws had
been violated, but they were unable to secure
convictions, because the nearest Justice was 100
miles away. and tho cost of carrying the prison.
ers to court would amount TO more than all tho
fines they could collect. As the Commissioners
could not bring the poachcrs to justice. they con-
ctuGel to send Justice to the p%oaChcrs, and cm-
ploycd Judge Collins as a special travelling court
to make the circuit of the woods on snowshoes.
The first evidence Of law breaking discovered
was at the camp OF an Indian named 10 Caribou,
whore they found the bodies Of two deer on the
| evening of March :. As Caribou had no money
with which to pay his fine he surrendered his
winchester rifle and n pair OF snowshocs to JUS
tice. and was paroled on promise OF good be-
havior. Reaching Seven Islands on March 8,
they arrested Joe Carron and Thomas Govan,
the former on n charge Of killing six beavers
md tho latter on a charge of killing beavers and
deer. Govan's camp was at once converted intoa
court house, Judge Collins occupying the deacon
seat" for n bench, and the two prisoners standing
in front Of the open fire during the trial. Both
pleaded guilty. and Canon paid $4s for his Of
fence. Govan, who had no money. was told that
another band of wardcns was coming along the
next day to take him to Jail. And this had such
an effect upon him that he burned his camp and
started for Quebec that night. The next
day the snowshoc circuit held court in
Patterns camp. where James Crawford.
the foreman, was fined 800 and costs
for killing a COW moose. The same afternoon tho
Court overlook and captured Wentworth Nc
Keen and Frank Govan, n brother of Thomas,
who had fed to Canada, and both were tried
around a wood fire built upon the ice OF st. John
River. Each prisoner pleaded guilty, WIS fined
$40 and costs. and went on his way, promising
better behavior In the future.
On visiting the camp OF La F~ontaine, the man
for whom the expedition was organized, they
found the doors shut and n paddock attached to
the outside. Believing they would find further
evidence of outlawry. the wardcns broke down
the doors. Inside was n very aged Canadian
Indian who could not speak u word OF English
and understood but little French. From him
INV 'ihSu 'hot - ohthiht bhi tiu
three days before. saying he would be back
the next morning. Though there were pork
and deer 5I,,s meat meat, in &c camp mi the old Indian had no
buying furs ali winter. and sending them
through to Quebec by Indians and other mes;
and was waiting for a few more beaver skins.
when La Fontrtne vent owayand locked him
hat La F%on,ainSs hsd been kind 10
He believed that La F%ontaino was ont at some
spent two days hunting for the ~otftiaV, while
the trial Justice remained in camp. nursing. the
March, II. being assured that the man they
U ws5s af np i hSd ofbs sIoSa,n to C sms L,. the o anss
4 the foot Of. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Lake they
and found the bodies Of two moose which had
been Killed recently: When Bob smith; the
party of warions he ordered them out OF camp
about O'Clock one cold night. but on learning
Justice with full powers to impose fines
and Imprisonment, his courage failed him
tried in the camp over which he ruled. He
81 on paying a ano Of sloo. The case 81 against Mai
hin for killing the second moose was placed on
cook Lake and Lake Mek.nik-a-Sa.mif the p,TIy
broke &sls dosn the ro off Of q f their c snops oh The M nifh1
Of March Is, and sent them 10 the sprnce
W. asS%s .dsyIiEst and found %S"fS tho holy
net through a hole which they had cut in ihe
the men were caught and brought back to the
shore. where they Confessed to having Killed the
whose combined capital amounted to 81 So. and
t ss 6Sth in Locked fSs %od saHn tTS,S and mst weary xsIo from rom long
and burned and the cases against them were
Pourtiiotte:s lumber camp ON the shores Of
morning Of March II. and Joe Cutter. the fore.
killing two deer out Of season. lie pleaded NOT
guilty, and on crosscxamination swore that
stcr. who was mt a camp twenty miles fur
ther south. As evidence Of good faith, lie
and paidl his dnc. which viii be- taR"n
here and Lake KwSynataconsHnahsot they.
arrested and fined Peter Stevens for having two
lumber camp on The shores OF "H w Esias
wo~nguamook Pond, where 1920 was collected in
by his time their food was nearly oxhsnsied.
and their clothing badly torn from contact with
from Csncomagornae LAX, they heard that a
party Of poacheTs had killed twenty deer at tho
make 80 Tonga dctonr, and pushed on south 10
Lake observation-disclosures. whcro a young In.
$%o and aSie ocsts sf fP Say Tas t P%' c Sn ss," Of and a dc tipf id
his possession. ,Nlcolar was very pcnltcnt for
MS crime, and told of two camps some twenty
miles to the east where Il party %
INDIANS had been. staying, oil winter aud
Killing big game for their hides, which were
taken 10 Canada and sold. The meat was frozen
up until spring, when Nicolar said II was used
as bait to catch bears when they come out hun
cry after their long winter nap. Learning that
these Indians had no money with which To pay
their fines. and knowing II would he useless TO
try them and take them out TO jail. where they
would have. to be boarded AT the OK
pcnse OF the, county, the wardcns took
up their march TO the South and reached
Jackman, completing a snoeshoc journey OF
noarly 400 miles in about three weeks. Justice
sullins returned nj once TO his home I'm Fort
Kent. The two wardens came TO Augusta TO re-
port and pay the money collected In fines 10
Commissioner Carleton. They will rest for a
few days. when, i another trial Justice can hc
found who is willing, y third expedition will 10
started out for Seven Islands.
The wHrdcns say the worst outIaws urr tho