The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1902-06-06
Canine Game Warden.

His name is scip andshe is four
legged detective. From a dog fancier's
standpoint he is not worth thirty
cents, says the New York Sun. He is
an understood cur with bright eyes and
sharp ears, of badly mixed lineage. He
is owned by one of the state game war
dens, whose duty it is to examine GER
tain trains coming down from the
game regions, to see that all game
transported is accompanied by the
owner and is in plain sight, and that
there is no smuggling of game meat
or birds, or any other evasion of the
game laws.
When the game season is at its
height the wardens' hours are long and
busy. Hunters by the score, Ind car
loads Of deer and moose come down
over the line of the Bangor & Aroos-
took railroad. Every piece of game
must be checked up. and suspicious
packages examined for contraband
game. Cases of game smuggling are
frequent. The Maine law positively
forbids the taking out of the state of
game birds under any circumstances,
but the average amateur hunter is
tempted to pack away a brace or two
Of plump birds in his gripsack or bag
gage, while the high prices to be OBJ
tanned are temptation for the pot
hunters to run the blockade and land
goods in the Boston and New York
markets, if possible. And right here is
where Scip gets in his work and earns
his board and keep.
AS the people alight from the down
trains few notice Il little dog lodging
about among them, shifting at this
handbag and that bundle and acting
for all the world like dog hunting for
his lost master. But Scip is far from
lost. Soon the warden hears a plain
tive whining bark and he knows that
Scip has discovered something worth
looking after. He finds the little dog
nosing about the heels of perhaps an
deliberately logged out sportsman car
rying big grip, or it may be woods
man, with his clothes and possessions
tied up in a meal bag. The warden
closes in on the game pointed by Scip,
and the astonished suspect is invited
into the baggage room, where he is
told to open his baggage for inspection.
There is usually something of a stormy
scene. Scip squats close by and looks
on approvingly.
The search Invariably discloses game
of some kind, sometimes saddle of
venison, but often number of birds.
Once in awhile the offender is ignorant
of any wrongdoing, but it has hap
pened that notorious poachers have
been brought to book by Scip and his
master. The dog has never made
m q 10 tn
and it is doubtful if much has escaped
him.
But inspecting the personal effects of
the travellers is not all of the canine
detectives work. After the passengers
are all out he hops into the baggage
or express car and applies his sharp
little nose to everything in sight. Ere
Quently he is found scratching about
an innocent appearing trunk, case or
barrel, which article promptly comes
in for examination. Scip's star piece
OF work was accomplished few days
ago, when he broke up a smuggling
scheme which had evidently been in
operation for some months without
suspicion. While making his usual
inspection of the car for express mat
ter he came across a barrel, to all in
tents and purposes, containing fish, it
rmelled fishy enough, and was tagged
Fish Scip shifted at it, went on,
and then came back and shifted more
thoroughly. Then he sat down and
considered. Finally he came to a deci-
son, and began scratching and bark
ing about the barrel as if it was full of
rats.
The warden found him in a highly
excited state about the fish, and
thought that the dog had made a mis-
take for once, but with faith in the
little animal born of long experience
he investigated the barrel and found
in the center of a liberal lining of
fresh shore cod several dozen of nice
plump parlridges.