Smyrna times., 1900-03-28
LAWSUIT OVER AN OTTER,
CASE OF MUCH INTEREST TO OUR TRAP
PERS BEFORE THE MAGISTRATE.
Fine Specimen of Otter Taken From a Trap
on L. NJ. Prices Farm.-Fletcher HOl-
lis Held For the Larcency.

One of the most interesting cases ;,
that has been before Magistrate Cooper i
came off on Friday afternoon q
and evening, and attracted a large
number of people. 1t was case r
which interested fur trappers espec- +
tally, since it is busy industry on the ,
marsh lands of the Delaware River. :
George Inslow, of the l.. Nj. Price
farm, made affidavit that he believed
Fletcher Hollis, colored, committed
larceny of an otter, by taking it from
his otter trap along the shore OF
SMYRNA River, duck Creek.) Upon
this charge Hollis was arrested by
Policeman Garner and arraigned be-
fore Magistrate E. V. Cooper.
The story of the case as brought out
bv the witnesses, was as follows: John
Watson and some other parties, rowing
down the creek about o'clock last
Thursday morning, found in Inslow's
otter trap, large grown otter. They
pulled in shore, made thorough ex-
animation and saw that the otter was |
securely fastened in the trap by his !
hind foot, in fact so held that it would |
| be impossible for it to extricate itself.
! Had not the animal been securely held
! it was their intention to notify Mr..
Inslow of the fact. Finding the otter
fast and safe, they rOwed on down the
creek to their fishing grounds, feeling
assured that Mr.. InslOw attending to
his traps would secure the animal him
self Returning from the fishing
grounds about one o'clock on the
same afternoon, they found the otter
gone, and upon investigation they saw
evidences of the otter having been
killed, by blood and other proofs. In
the meantime Mr.. InslOw had visited
the place, and his views corroborated
! with Watson's and his party. The
conclusion was that the otter had been
stolen from the trap.
Fletcher Hollis, about noon the same
3 day, left Rothwell's Landing for Hud-
: sons brickyard, above Smyrna Land
: ing, and his route led him by the same
2 spot where the otter was fastened.
2 Hollis claims to have seen no trap, or
, otter. Friday morning about o'clock
: he went to the brlckyard with bag,
| and there met George and Lewis Rob-
, inson. Hollis told them he was bone
e hunting and would perhaps hunt some
: terrapins. He had his dog with him.
: A few minutes later, the Robinson boys
D.. heard the dog bark, and within fifteen
2 minutes from that time, Hollis returned
r with something i'll his bag, which he
e claimed was a coon he had caught in
: his mink trap. He said he had struck
Y it over the head to kill it, but found
e after he had done so, the animal was
e already dead After he had dumped
'e his prize out of the bag he was told by
l. the Robinson boys it was an otter, al
It which Hollis claims to have been very
:. much surprised.
lie At the hearing both George Robin
n son and Lewis Robinson stated undel
oath as above recited, and that the otte
was cold. The animal and traps wer,
produced in the office-the trap il
which the otter was caught, and tn
m trap attached to it when seen by th
Robinson boys. The first had ever
indication of being used for the catch
III but the second. a mink trap, was pei
IS fectly clean, and had no marks to ind
~ cate that an otter had ever been fas
US tened in it. In fact the opinion eS
pressed by experienced trappers wa
an that mink trap was not large enoug
ue to catch or hold an otter.
}" In the course of the hearing, Fletche
nc Hollis made several conflicting stat;
eS ments, viz: he set his trap from six
IL three days before and had not seen
oe until that morning; that the otter ws
Is dead when he found it, that he kille
ou the otter while his dog held it at ba,
all On the contrary the mink trap was
III ''dead give-a-way" since there was 1
'es indication on it of having been set
hs held anything, and in addition had I
'es chain or evidence of ever having
ase chain fastened to it.
es' The case was intensely interestiI
en- and continued from three o'clock
'h the afternoon to seven o'clock in Il
cal evening. There were seven witness
W examined, at the conclusion of viii
1er Magistrate Cooper decided that Hol
up should be held for court in $780, 90 b.
.n0 to answer charges. A. Lee Sisco al
:, ,No China Potts went his bail. The ott
was left with Hollis to sell with
strict proviso that the money receiv
should be handed to Magistrf
of Cooper.