New-York tribune., 1903-03-08

ing for five weeks, he may spear through the ice
on MonCays and Thursdays; but he must carry
along small house with him, put it over a hole
in the ice in the morning, and carry it home at
night; he must sit cramped up all day in this
c00ps WIN q htfle coal stove, and, per-
chance, q flask, to keep him warm; and here in
the dark the sportsman must peer down through
q hole in the ice to watch for the 'Iunge." Such
an experience. If made a penalty for a crime,
would be regarded a; barbarOus as the punish
Inents Of MorocCO's prison system.
The farmers in the winter of 1902 caught such
quantities of the muskaIIonge that the city
sportsmen decided to take heroic measures. They
determined to procure legislation which would
wholly prohibit the spearing of muskaIlonge in
the winter time. They vowed they would not be
satisfied with anything except the utter rout of
the farmer spearmen. As soon as the legislature
convened, therefore, a bill was introduced at Al
bany which in its original form abolished spear
ing muskalIonge through the ice Of Chautauqua,
Lake. The townsmen Furthermore brought the
charge that their country cousins were drinking
too much whiskey in order to keep warm in
their coops- For the sake Of their homes and
families the city sportsmen said the farmers
ought TO be prevented from sitting all day over
a hole in the ice The farmers have Indignantly
Tefuated the whiskey charge.
Evidence of how widespread the controversy
became was shown in the two monster petitions
which were sent to the Assembly Committee
on Fish and Game. One contained $500 names
Of tcE.asmen for the repeal of the present
statU=4 and the ether had the signatures of
S.}UO farmers and their sympathizers. The
9chs!i even broke up homes and severed family
Ties. For example, Frank W. Cheney Of James
town, headed the town contingent to prohibit
spear fishing. while his brother, Mark Cheney
OF BemUs Point, ten miles to the west of James
town, was foremost among the farmers. The
summer boarding house keepers have natural
ly sided with the repeal party, for the reason
that a loss Of fish in the summer time will mean
a loss Of bOarders.
Assembyman J. Samuel Fowler of James
town, introduced the muskalonge bill. Mr..
Fowler has to introduce all the bills for his
county, for the reason that his colleague, S
Fred Nixon, Is the Speaker of the Assembly.
In this way Mr.. Nixon keeps out of factionaI
fights while Mr.. Fowler is in hot water most
Of the time. Besides being the author of the
muskaHonge bill Mr.. Fowler is said to have
further alienated the rural voters with his
skunk bill. It is said. however, that Mr.. Fowler
is too profound a politician not to try to win
hack this contingent with other legislation
which will prove acceptable to the farms. 1t
is said therefore. that he is now preparing a
bill fixing a bounty on sawed wood.
Frank ". Cheney. while favoring q bill pro-
hibting the spearfag of muskallonge through
the ice in winter, nevertheless is an adept at
this sport. BY some he has been called the
champion Iunge fisherman OF Chautauqua
Lake"
IF I wese to consult my own pleasure" said
3ir Cheney recently, Il should advocate the
continuance Of ice spearing, just as my brother
Mark does But take the opposite stand be-
cause believe we must protect this magnificent
species Of fish. Chautauqua Lake has long been
famous for its muskaiIonge, which sometimes
measure more than Eve feet in length and weigh
fifty more pounds.
THE muskaiionge is the gamest FISH that
sWims in fresh water" he continued. II feeds
on nearly every other species Of hsh life, ana
occasionally will eat one Of its own kind. It is
not only shark, but cannibal shark h A.
Walker. of jamestown. for example, caught two
muskaIlonge some weeks ago, and in the stom-
sch OF one weighing Fifty pounds was found
another rnuskaIIonge. partly 1igestedr which
was tWenty-four inches long snd which weighed
four and e half pounds. The big one was a
female and her victim was male.
ct is stirring sight 10 see Chautauqua Lake
on Monday Thursday In the winter fish
ing season Il makes one think Of Oklahoma