The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-23
Seven Men Caught in
the Act at the
Lake
NEAR MUDDY BROOK
Strong Effort viii Be Made
to Secure Conviction Be-
fore Judge Utley.

Paul Lamont, L. M. HILL, M. X Bou-
cher, A. L. Streeter, jeremiah King, T.
H. Prue and Michael ]. Sullivan were
caught in the act of spearing fish at
Lake Quinsigamond last night by War
den Henry A. Mower and officers Hall
and Clifford, in citizens clothing.
Abundant evidence was found to war
rant the officers in allowing the men
to go on agreement to answer a sum
mons to appear in central district court
tomorrow morning. All Of the men were
known to the officers, and a strong eff
fort will be made to secure a conviction
before Judge Utley when the men APP
pear.
This is the first decisive step in plan
that has been brewing among sports
men for three months. 1t is but the be-
ginning Of an active campaign against
Illegal killing of fish in the lake and its
tributaries. Annually the question Of
preventing spearing, SEEMING, netting,
and the use of travis and set lines, has
been actively agitated, only to wear
itself out in talk The superb fishing at
the lake this spring has been a decided
encouragement to the sDortsmen, who
have been expanding time and money
in buying trout for the lake, and to the
state commissioners of fisheries and
game who have devoted a large part
of the output of the state hatchery at
Wilkinsonville to stocking the waters
of the lake About a month ago a num-
Der of sportsmen subscribed a sum Of
money to enforce the law at the lake.
The subscription was liberal.
Hundreds of signs have recently Teen
posted about the lake and its tributary
waters announcing the law and warm
ing against Illegal taking of FISH. A no
tice warning against spearing, setting
traps, netting or otherwise taking fish
illegally, was posted last week. The
law also prohibits Sunday fishing.
The objection of the commissioners is
not against spearing of suckers or pick
erel pure and simple, but it is q motor
lous fact that more and larger trout
are annually taken from the lake with
torch and spear than are taken with
hook and line in a decade. The knowl-
edge that the spear was being put to
deadly use at the lake, caused the COM
missioners to prohibit spearing any
kind of fish.
The men caught last night were at
the mouth of Muddy brook, just Mt its
entrance into the head of the lake. nhey
We're in three parties and were doing
COHSlutIdDlG 6AGCuliOlls "
the statement of the warden who ac-
complished their arrest. Several other
parties of fishermen took warning that
the officers were near and fed.
One Of Worcester's most prominent
sportsmen and man who has taken
a strong interest in the welfare of fish
ing at the lake, looking to the future,
said to The Spy man last night: This
is but the beginning. We have money
and mean to push the enforcement of
the law. The trout are in the lake for
everybody, and anybody may have
them, but we are determined that every
trout taken shall be taken legitimately.
The depletion of the game fish at the
lake has been going on for years, not
by proper fishing, but by the contri-
vances of lawbreakers, in one way and
another. We want every fisherman to
have an equal chance, and money will
not be lacking to put abundant trout
in the lake as long as they are caught
by hook and line. Every other kind of
fishing at the lake will be effectively
stopped if determined effort can do it."