Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-03-26

THEY KILL DEER.
Sidney Stevens Says Some Lumber.
men Are Poachers.
Replies to Manly Hardy and Says Som,
Severe Things.

sidney Stevens, a lawyer of MillinocI ct
formerly of Winthrop, in answer to g
communication recently printed from
Manly Hardy of Brewer. regarding tn,
illegal killing of deer in the Maine woods
says:
In Wednesdays Commercial commu
hication from Mr.. Manly Hardy of Brew
er, treating Of the absence of Illegal kill.
ing OF deer in northern Maine arouses
our interest. We send this reply from
Millinocket as the voice of one crying
from the wilderness-the wilderness in
winch the deer under discussion abound.
The writer is deeply touched by the
beautiful confidence which Mr.. Hardy
places in the law abiding qualities of the
lumber operators of northern Maine. He
seems to believe that even if the woods
men were inclined to poach they would
be restrained by the operators. This
sounds well indeed but in the Moosehead
lake region it is accepted as a fact that
some of the largest operators hire men
in close season to supply meat from the
forest for their table.
Many of the Maine lumbermen OF
wealth, we regret to say are among the
most unprincipled men in our State. This
is easily proved by amy one who will in
quire into the matter by referring to the
poor woodsmen whom these lumbermen
have robbed l only refer to this to show
that these lumbermen are not above
countenancing the killing of deer or
moose by their men.
There is one thing absolutely certain.
The a restrained from n 20
of the operators only from fear of being
branded as men who have "peached. y
How often have we heard woodsmen with
grievances darkly threaten, and hint al
what they might do. 1t is clear enough
from the manner of these men at such
time that it is not mere idle talk and
that they could reveal if they chose to dc
so many damning facts.
AT Greenville or at any other point IN
the heart of the game district any man
who put forth Mr.. Hardy's ideas would
be met either with polite smiles or by
open ridicule.
20 advance the idea at such place
that deer are not commonly killed to sup
ply the lumber camps in close season
would be met with the same sort of Gre
dence that a statement that there is nc
liquor sold in Bangor would be met in
that city.
THE people in Bangor ought to know
about the latter question, and leave it to
the people of northern Maine to know
whether Mr.. Hardy is right in saying
that mo operator would run the risk (of
having venison Illegally in his camp fol
what it would cost him.
I'm a large part of northern Maine
three-fourths of the people capable OF
killing deer are poachers at heart and
are only restrained from constant viola
ton of the law, either by laziness, or by
fear of getting caught The fact is that
after all the high sounding talk that Is
made. our game laws are unpopular IN
the game region as much so as the pro-
hibition law is in some of the more thick
ly settled portions of the state.
THE people here divide the wardens
into two classes. There are the "gooo
fellows" who come into your camp ano
don't stick their noses into things, MOI
ask too many questions, who accept
nice piece of veal for breakfast ana Cal
| it veal and say no more.
.sThe other class of wardens as noted
hcreabouts are in the minority. They
are regarded as 'sneaks; they sly arount
and catch people without sending around
notice beforehand and cannot be counted
on by "a friend" These men are re-
sarded with general aversion in northerf
Maine. and the operators seem TO thlnR
that it is fortunate that there are so few
| OF this class"