New-York tribune., 1901-04-03
LICENSED CRUELTY.
TWENTY THOUSAND PIGEONS BUTCH
Erred FOR SPORT"
MANY WOUNDED ONES FLUTTER OUT OF
BOUNDS TO DIE SLOWLY IN
HIDDEN PLACES

ADDi>-N il@NANfo.
Twenty thousand pigeons were provided for
the Grand American Handicap marksmen to
slaughter at Interstate Park Queens, Long ISL
and this week. If the marksmens aim We're
perfect twenty thousand separate acts of wan
ton cruelty would be perpetrated in professedly
Christian community without one hand being
raised to prevent it. AS ii is. the birds which
escape being shot are comparatively few. and a
large proportion Of those which are shot are not
killed outright. but lnger in agony for hours
perhaps days. before death comes TO put end
10 their tortures.
Why is such degrading exhibition permitted
TO proceed? Superintendent Hankinson of the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ami
mails told Tribune reporter yesterday that ne
was powerless to stop II. because a special act
Of the State legislature makes shooting at live
pigeons within the grounds Of an incorporated
gun club lawful sport. II seems difficult to un-
derstand why this law has not been repealed
long ago.
The society protested against the passage of
this law. arguing that clay pigeons thrown from
spring traps afforded a test of the marksman's
skill sufficiently accurate for all practical pur-
poses Advocates Of live bird shooting maintain
however. that an additional zest is lent TO the
sport by the fact that many a pigeon hit by the
marksman receives small a part of the
charge in its body that it has strength enough
left 10 struggle out Of bounds. This the
rnarksman to lose instead of win a point.
which he would have scored had a clay bird
been used, which drops inertly to the ground.
For the sake Of this extra element Of doubt.
and TO be able TO draw this fine distinction be
tween one shot full upon the centre of the living
target and another shot which varies a little
from the centre and wounds only with the scat
tering pellets Of the charge helpless birds by
the thousand must be butchered for fun.
In support OF this alleged pastime. il is often
argued that ii is no more cruel 10 shoot pigeons
for sport than it is TO wiring their necks for mar
ket Hollow as this argument is, it does not
attempt to cover the case Of birds which are
only wounded by the gunners. The law imposes
upon gun clubs the duty of killing all these
manned birds which fall upon the clubs
grounds This is done after a certain delay. de-
pending for its duration upon the more or less
humane feelings Of the men or upon the presence
Of officers of the law. Three times on Monday.
the first day Of this big match at Interstate
Park agents OF the Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty 10 Animals stopped the shooting until
all such ''cripples'' had been dispatched. but II
was impossible, Of course. 10 end the suferings
Of the large number OF wounded birds which
few outside the grounds hid themselves IN trees
or bushes. grass or whatever cover they
could find, and there slowly bled 10 death
Superintendent Hankinson says he viii have
his agents present each day OF this shoot TO
see that such small mercy as the law does grant
the birds is given them, but he can do little
toward mitigating the wantOn Crueltles which
attend the unnecessary massacre of twenty
thousand meek birds TO make a New-Hork
holiday" Here is a chance for some legislator
10 win public approval by introducing a bill in
the interest OF the birds, well as Of the morale
Of those who shoot them.