The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-08-04
OF BIRDS KILLED
IEleTea Men Indicted Under Audubon
| Law for killing the Birds.
Tbc Case Will be Tried OH Saturday
afternoon at 6 O'clock-Nen Hal
Been ShoOtin. the Martins Which
Make Their Roasting Place i'm the
Trees in Front Of the Atlantic View
Hotel.

FOr the past few weeks thousands of
martins have been congregating in the
trees in front of Atlantic View hotel and
they became such a pest that a num-
Der of gentlemen decided to kill a few
of them. It is said that up to the pres
lent time something like 1900 have
been killed. These figures sound large
mess, but only give the figures as given
us. When the merry marksmen went
Iout to make a few light spots in the
black cloud which lowered over the
Atlantic View grounds late each after
moon, they forgot that there was such
a person in the state as Prof. T. Gilbert
Pearson, of the State Normal College,
in Greensboro, and that a few years
lpast he got the legislature of this state
to pass a stringent law relating to the
protection of birds. This law has
never been enforced in New Hanover
icounty and this will probably be n
IOI Tic uISs, Ii uOI int uISL CdSG u TIC
kind to be tried in this county.
Warrants were on yesterday ewOrn
lout by Mr.. &. Horton Freeman. state
jgame warden, against DR.. Barnes Dr..
Durham, Messrs. John H. Handy,
ICharles Foard. VIII Moore, Charley
IRogers, J. F. Mason, Ed Craft, Waiter
fStokley, Tom Piner and Will Grant.
EThe warrants were served by Deputy
ESherif Dick Stok1ey and the trial We'll
flake place IN Saturday afternoon at &
O'Clock in the pavilion i'll front of the
Atlantic View hotel. The cases will be-
before Justice George. Harriss.
| 1t is claimed by many who make a;
Istgdy of such things; that the general
killing of all spaciesE of birds is what
has caused many Of the insects which
now damage the crops; to exist. They
IclaEal that the birds prevented these
insects from becoming numerous
)enough to do any serious damage. it
was ns view of such arguments as this
that caused the Legislature of 1908 to
ipass a law making it a mlsdemearOr
Ito kill certain birds during any season
lOf the year. This law has never been
generally enforced, but those who were
instrumental in getting TT passed are
lexerting themselves each year mOr
land more in seeing that the law is
lenforceu. In Gu1lford county the .aw
twas enforced from the beginning anl
also in the adjacent counties. Ihe
lquick recognition ofthe law was nc
doubt due to the fact that Professor
Pearson was a resident of Greensboro
land he saw that the game warGens
kept on the look out for offenders.
Eleven thousand BIRDS! And in most
lplaces the price of a bird under the
audubon law is 81 90. There are eleven
of the naarksmen arrested yesterday
land this would mean LOCO each, no,
Isuch an exhorhitant sum after divid-
ling the 81 900 up between SO manv.
Perhaps the most important case evrf
tried under the Audubon law was one
lin Burlington in which a wealthy cit
lizen of that place was fined heavily
flor killing swallows. The gentleman
lin question had been greatly worried
Iby swallows building in. his chimney,
lin fact 1t became so bad that the CHM
|ney became almost filed with nests
land the result was that the draft vas
livery poor. The man decided to get
|clear of the birds and never having
Tread the Audubon law, he fastened
some netting over the top of the chin
Iney while hundreds of birds were in
lit. then kindled him a small fire under
meath to smoke the birds to death. His
lscneme was very successful and the
local paper heraided his success, nam
ling the number of swallows he had
killed. To his surprise, a few days
later a warrant was served upon HIN
flor killing the birds. The trial came
loft and the man was taxed with a heavy
fine. He took the matter into the
~lcourts, but eventually had to pay his
fine.
In Guilford county the law has always
been rigidly enforced. One section of
THE law provides against quail being
shipped out of the state and in Green's
lboro each winter thousands of qnail
(which are seized in the express Office
There are sold al public auction, The
law is also enforced in regard TO the
killing of non-game birds. Il Is no
Unusual thing for some man to be De-
fore a magistrate for killing several
bull bats and the customary fine is
Isl. 90 per bird and the cost in the case.
There will no doubt be a large crowd
lat the pavilion At the Atlantic View
hotel on SATURDAY. afternoon to hear
1.-THE trial.
Rev. 4. ". Seabrease, rector of ST.
iDo.rfe. En,roora chs.~oh hnr oc~~ L.