Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1899-04-20
EVADING GAME LAW.
Illegal Killing of Game Birds Is
Quite Common.
Protective Agencies Are Circumvent-
ed by Ingenious Schemes of Hunt
ers-Gnme Shipped as
COrpgeH.

ers-Gnme Shipped Us
COrpses.
Four-ffths Of the game sold In this
city Is stolen. The sportsmen OF Chi
cago, joining hands with the bird-pEo-
tective agencies, are engaged just now
In an effort, which they consider lnud-
able, to induce Illinois to turn aside
from the evil of her ways and 10 keep
her eye on the eighth commandment.
No game birds except ducks and snipe
that are killed In Illinois may be sold
in the state. This is to prevent the eX-
termination Of prairie chickens, quail
and rutred grouse. The result Of this
is that Chicago and the state as we'll
have to look beyond the borders for the
table game supply. Now it happens
that nearly all the states and terri
tories have laws which forbid the eX-
portation of game from their limits.
Chicago gets most Of its birds and VENT
son from these states and therein its
inhabitants, most OF them unwittingiy
perhaps, are compromising, as it were,
feathered and furred felony.
The Chicago market Is too strong
temptation for the gunners and fish
ermen of "nonexport states" to with
stand. Good prices prevail here and
the hunters will get their game through
If the shipping costs greater cunning
than the shooting. Game wardens and
deputies cannot be in all places al once
and so they direct their energies al
points where game shipping has been
most frequent and most fragrant. AT
many of the smaller unmatched places
In Minnesota or Wisconsin week after
week there appears on the railroad sta
ton platform boxes marked for Chi
cago shipment and bearing the word
poultry" Poultry nine times out Of
ten turned out to be quail, ruffed grouse
or woodcock when the package IS
opened in the Chicago commission
house. In places where the game war
dens are alert all sorts of subterfuges
ure tried to get the game through 10 the
Illinois consumer. Many crate Of
cabbages has had game heart. Many
q barrel of apples has had core Of
grouse. Not long ago q pine box of the
regulation coflin-inclosing size and
marked on the outside Corpse" was
delivered to commission house in Chi
cago. 1t was from a small town In
Minnesota and came through on pas
senger ticket, as is usual when body
is shipped. 1t was treated with respect
by the railroad people, who did not
doubt that the person to whom the box
was addressed was al undertaken. At
the depot q man appeared, took charge
Of the remains" and had them taken
to an express wagon, whose driver only
grinned when told to drive toward
South Water street.
us it corpse?" he asked.
at is several of them," was tho an
swer, and the thousand or so of dead
quail which were afterward tumbled
out of the receptacle verified the state
ment.
Some Of the Audubon society mem
bers keep sharp outlook along the
commission store fronts to see that no
song birds are offered for sale, One Of
fac society's directors was walking
through South Water street one day
when he came upon q huge box of snow
buntings, beautiful ieathered visitors
from the far north. 1t Is against the
law TO kid them or to have them in
possession for purposes Of sale, The
Audubon follower asked the dealer
what the birds were.
Reed BIRDS" said he.
"Rats!" muttered the questioner.
That word cost him his case, for when
the game warden 90 minutes later ap-
peared at the store the birds had disap-
peared as completely as though they
had taken on life and fight and gone to
their arctic home.
1t may not be known, but 1t Is fact
that no restaurant or store has the
right TO offer reed birds for sale. The
reed bird is simply the bobolink in his
fall plumage and the bObOlink is pro-
tected by law. The reason that the
Audubon people and the game warden
don't bother much about the reed bird
question is that ninety-nine one hun
dredths Of the reed birds sold in Chi
cago are English sparrows.
The severe weather during the latter
part of January drove from the far
north to Lake Michigan great focks OF
beautiful ducks known as "old squaws.'
They are beautiful and after tkat all is
said that can be said. They are abso-
lutely unfit for food, the flesh being
short Of disgusting. The poor,
confding creatures have been slaugh-
tered by the hundreds recently from
the piers along the lake front. Many OF
them were to be seen hanging in front
Of the stores and are offered for sale.
The man who will eat one will have |
bill that will outweigh 20
times that of the duck.
The Wisconsin people are just now
struggling with the problem of the pre-
of the fish in their small lakes.
Here Chicago figures again. AChicago
sportsman went TO q Wisconsin lake |
during the last muskellunge season.
The place had been famous for the big |
fellows year or two back. He hired
an oarsman and fshed all the day
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