The San Francisco call., 1899-10-21
COURS|NG MEN
FEARFUL Of THE
LAWS OBJECTION
Sport to Be Declared
to Be Cruel.
LOCAL POLICE WILL NOT ACT
SECRETARY HoLBRooKs HANDS
ARE ALSO TIED.
The Condemning Decision of the Los
Angeles Judge Will Not Be
Enforced in This City and
County.

Local coursing men are greatly agitated
over the decision of Superior Judge Smith
of Los Angeles declaring coursng to be
cruelty to animals and enforcing the pen
atty imposed upon an offender by a Jus
tees Court The followers of the hares
and hounds in this city need not unneces-
sarily disturb themselves, for the present
at least. None of the authorities that
would have power to act will move until
certain other legal muddles in connection
with the case have been cleared up. It is
CANNED, however, that any citizen may
take action and have coursng arrested
tor what IS now contended to be a law of
the State. There is no appeal from the de-
cision of the Los Angeles Judge except by
Court.
Charles Holbrook, the secretary Of the
society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, Will do nothing to prevent cours-
ing at 1ngleside. He says that his hands
are tied by the directors of his society
and whatever his own personal opinion of
coursing may be, he cannot act officially
that the decision of the Los Angeles
court" he said yesterday, '1s absolutely
just. 1t is now a law of the State that
coursing is cruelty to animals, and any
citizen may arrest those who indulge In
It. Personally have always believed
that coursing is cruel sport, which
should be abolished l have consistently
advocated its abolition, but the officers of
the society of which am secretary have
decided that the sport is not cruel and
consequently ! am unable to act I have
seen scores of instances where the sport
was unquestionably cruel, but my opinion
unfortunately, has no force. 1t is claimed
that coursing removes a pest and for this
reason should be encouraged This may
be very true but the hares are not a pest
in San Francisco, and their destruction
here under the conditions of coursing is
cruelty.
Il believe that the police now have no
excuse to tolerate the sport in this county.
They have the law and two decisions to
support them. We have convicted men in
this county for rat killing, and if we can
do that there certainly ought to be every
prospect Of conviction for hare killing
Chief of Police Lees Will also remain in
active until there are further develop
mentS in the case. Il am absolutely
powerless to act" said the Chief yester-
day. Il am personally opposed to cOurs-
ing and would stop it in this county il
l had the power, but an injunction has
been placed upon me and ! cannot move
argued shortly, and then I shall enforce
the law as the courts interpret 1t. The
whole matter, involving many more ele-
ments than that of cruelty, is now tied up
before Judge Murasky.
The coursing men have their point of
view from which they discuss the oppo
on two points said T ]. McHugh field
steward at Ingleside Park. There is 10
cruelty, because invariably the hare is
killed instantly, its spinal column being
broken, and in addition the hareS are
pest. The residents of Fresno, Merced,
Visalia and other points in the San Joa-
quin Valley speak Of NJ. ]. Brawning, the
man who traps all the hares for coursing
parks, as a public benefactor. He is cred
tied with doing good for the communities
where he sets his nets for hares.
by the system now in vogue the hand
of man never touches the hares used in
coursing. They are sent here in the boxes
in which they are caught. They are lib
Grated for exercise, and when taken up
to be coursed the box system is again
brought into use For real cruelty one
must look to the rabbit drives when the
whole countryside turned out for a holi-
day and killed the despoilers of their
vineyards by thousands"
Peer Tiffany of Union Coursing Park
spoke in the same strain. He pointed to
the history of coursing in England dating
back to ancient times. 1t has always
been a standard sport there, being fol-
lowed by people of highest class.