Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-05-13
TROUT SMALL BUT EXPENSIVE.
Six Local Fishermen Fined For Hav'
ina Fish Under Legal Length.

my SUSSI 6SSes s'o"'''
Six Brattleboro fishermen, whose
incllnations led them TO go forth on
the Sabbath day In quest OF trout,
were arraigned before Justice II. ID.
f. Stowe Monday on warrants Issued
by States Attorney Schwenk at the
Instance OF II. II. futile OF Williams
VILE, fish warden. The complaints
charged the fishermen with having IN
their possession trout under the legal
length of six inches. The six fisher
men We're IL. c. Rice. ]. III. Allen, q.
II. Dupaw, A. l.. Pettee, b. Nj. swift
ger and George Harrington. The first
three each pleaded guilty to having
! five fish under length and were lined
the minimum amount, 81 per fish,
which with costs amounted In each
case TO sil.37. The others pleaded
guilty to three offences and were lined
/ So and costs making total of 1881.
! All the fines We're promptly paid
| Willamsville was the town where
Warden futile began his operations
and II proved TO be a fertile field
About o'clock in the afternoon
Frank Waite and Dupaw, who were
fishing Baker brook I'm company with
Allen and Walter Harris, noticed two
men waiting for them at a bend in
the stream. Waite at once surmised
that one of the men was a fish war
den and said as much TO Dupaw.
They thought, however, that II would
be best to fish past the men as II
they suspected nothing. When they
reached a point about opposite, Tut
tie, for It was he, made a lunge at
Dupaw and grabbed his basket from
off his shoulder before the latter
could move. He then asked Waite for
his, but Waite allowed that he would
have 10 be caught first and started
down the middle of the brook at a
rapid rate. He came back pretty soon
and was willing TO show his basket TO
the warden, who found no short fish
within. Meanwhile Allen came down
the brook and was relieved of his bas-
ket by a similar method as was Du-
paw. Both had a few short fish and IN
consequence their whole catch was
taken by Mr. futile who claimed
(wrongfulIy as was found out after
ward) that he had a right to do so.
futile and Waite then had a few
words about the formers running
away, futile claiming that Waite had
thrown away all his short fish, but
there was no way to prove this.
Tuttle's argument with Waite EVIL
IDENTITY aroused his fighting blood. As
he and Frank Willard were driving
into Williamsville village they saw
ahead Of them a team which re-
sembled fishing rig, and they az
once gave pursuit. overtaking the We
hicle about a mile below the village.
futile drove ahead and then swung
his team crosswise of the road block
ing the highway etfectually. He
found the men whom he had been
chasing were II. c. Rice and \. l..
Pettee. returning from an angling
excursion i'm Dover. Gentlemen
said futile, Il shall have to examine |
your fish baskets. i wouldn't do this
but I've had trouble with |
one cuss from Brattleboro and so I'm
laying for all the Brattieboro fell /
lows" Rice and Pettee thought in |
view of the size of the warden II
would be best TO show down and they |
did so, Rice losing five 1
fish and Pettee three. -. /
Having taken the names of all his |
victims, Warden futile came to
Monday morning to in /
stitute proceedings. AS he left the I
train at Brattleboro he saw b. Nj.
Switzer and George Harrington show
ing their fish, and a glance told him |
that some OF them were under size. |
he entered complaints
against them with the result named
above Tuttie's share of the fines
was s12. i
AS it happened there were several
other Brattleboro fishermen on Baker
brook Sunday but as they did not
come within the clutches of the law
there is no use calling their names. |
Whether they had any short fish or
NOT is, of course, a matter OF con-
lecture but it is safe enough to say |
that they didn't.