The sun., 1901-08-11
RIOT OYER A FISH PRESERVE.
IyEyGLIsHMAN'S CONTEST WITH
pOACHERS IN COLORADO.


Array In which One NAN IVES Killed
and Another wounsied - Colorads's
governor ncfuscs Him Protection.
The long fight Of William Radcliffe. an
rovlisl,rnan Of wealth aud leisure and q
believer In clean sport. TO establish high
,l.ss flsaing prcserve on the Grand Mesa
4, Colorado, culrninated recently In shoot
,,, arson and other violence. The imme-
dist,. causc Of these demonstrations was
,be killing by one Of Mr.. RadclifYe's ON
ploy,cs o! poachiny fisherman and the
vouading of another.
Thc settlement which the Englishman
Nal erected at the irrigation lakes In Delta
county .,ased by him from the Surface
Ditch and Reservoir Company. was attacked
by an armed band Of masked men and all
the buildings werc burned to the ground
Mr.. Radclitfcs employees and their families
xerr driven out by threats OF death. The
Sheriff Of the county. who was within $50
feet Of the settlement at the time, was
sxed by the mob and made no attempt to
protect the Englishman's property.
When Mr.. Radcliffe appealed to the
Governor OF Colorado the latter absolutely
refused to aid him In any way TO regain
peaceful possession Of his property. Tho
mob boasted that they would lynch Rad
clifye II he ever dared to show his face again
IN Delta county. Tho Governor knew
this, yet he would do nothing toward offer
Ing Mr.. Radcliffe a safe conduct to the
lakes in spite Of the fact that enormous
damage was being done to the 100000
6.h eggs and young fishes which the mob's
action had deprived Of skilled care.
If that man Radcliffe ever returns to
thIs part Of the State and We can get our
hands on him we will hang him TO the
biggest tree on the Mesa
These words were addressed to Fish and
Game Commissioners Harris, who paid q
visit TO the scene the night after the riot.
by an armed man on the road from Delta
70 Cedar Ridge. Near him were a dozen
or fifteen other men armed with rifles and
revolvers They gave the State official
clearly to understand that the spokesman
had expressed their sentiments. Yet when
appealed to, the Governor OF the State
merely spoke Of the horrible outrage
Of the shooting Of the poachers by Mr..
Radclne's watchman.
In marked contrast 10 the Governors
authorities when appealed to by Mr.. RAIDS
cliffe kilograms were Immediately SEN
70 him from Washington that the Attorneyt
General had instructed the officers of hi
Department In Denver to afford all the
services and support in their power, with
directions as to the apprehension OF all
those who. under any ,pretence. had inter-
contracts which Mr. Radcliffe had with the
Government to furnish young flsh to its
hatchery on the lakes.
Friction between Mr. Radcliffe and the
people who live in the neighborhood Of
the lakes began In 1895 when he purchased
from Richard Forest his title under United
States patent to 100 acres Of land and his
lease from the Surface Ditch and Reservoir
Company Of the right to fish and propagate
fish In the lakes. His aim, he says, was
TO attract tourists to the Grand Mesa by
establishing there a really good place for
fishing and so create a summer resort
which, he hoped, would in time be second
His predecessor. Forest, had had great
trouble in preserving the fish from dyna-
miting and constant depredations. II was
the habit Of the poachers to take. by clos- |
ing the headgates Of the connecting streams, |
carloads Of fish running up stream for
In the first year Of his lease Mr.. Radcliffe !
found 1t very difficult TO secure 100000 |
eggs. He saw that in order to protect !
his property he must watch 1t closely and |,
with the consent Of the State fish and game
wardens he established a system Of watch |
ing which decreased illegal fishing to the |
extent that in 1900 he was able to get over |
100000 eggs and in the first six months |
Of this year at the rate OF 100000.
In the last three years Mr., Radcliffe has |
handed over to the United States Fish |
at ieadville over s,OoO, 900
eggs. so per cent OF which have been dis
tributed In the public waters Of Colorado
and the balance In the public waters Of
other States. In l899-lo00 he presented |
to the State Fish Commissioner about 100000
young fishes. In all the time since he has !
leased the lakes Mr. Radcliffe says he has |
taken less than $1,000 grown fishes from .
them. This, he declares, disposes Of the ,
charge tina, ne was fishing the lakes out.
The rules which Mr.. Radcliffe promul- |
gated for fishing in the lakes were simple !
but severe, and they promoted bitter feeling ,
toward rum, because they effectually pre- |
vented, not only dynamiting but also the |
illegal use OF snag hooks, snares, soines,
&c, all OF which had been favorite and |
profitable methods employed by the poach-
ers. All that was required 10 fish legiti-
mately in the lakes and to take away the l
cent was a permit from Mr.. Radcliffe or
his agent
But the people Of the neighborhood
didn't want to fish legitimately. They
wanted To keep on in the same old way |
~ when Forest leased the lakes, in spite
pi the fact that Mr.. Radciffe's rules were
practically but an echo Of the State Game
Ind Fish laws. They charged him with
Trying to establish huge game preserve
.n the European scale although he had
but l8O acres of land and only n small part
of that fenced in. They also held it against
him that he was a stranger.
10 the attack by the masked band was
Frank A. Mahoney, a special deputy game
warden He killed W A. Womack and
, funded A. w. Hinchman. According
p the story told by the latter to Commits,
Doner Harris there had been bad blood
tetween Mahoney and Womack for wears
MI the shooting was more the result of
Jist troubles than any desire to enforce
NE law
The special deputy game warden came
apon party of pOachers Immediately after
.hcy had opened the gates Of the reservoir.
W omack, who was in the party, declared
ehat he had a p 'rnit to fish. but declined
" show il, w..ereupon a quarrel began,
which ended in the shooting
Mahoney is in jail. He asserts that he
bred In self-defcncc. Mr.. Radcliffe was not
at the lakes whom the shooting occurred
he was al Red Stone when he first learned
oi It several days after, and he Immediately
made preparations 10 start for Delta on a
special train. He was intercepted by tele-
grams from friends, warning him that If
be went there his life wouldn't be worth
moments purchase The whole country
vide was atire owing to the shooting BE-
tween Delta and rho lakns tharo was |