The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-08-10
INDIANS SLAY At HUB J
REDSKINS MASSACRE SEALS
DAILY IN HARBoR AT BOSTON.
Three. Dollar Bounty for Each Taii
Brings Passamaquoddles from
Maine to Take Part In
the Hunt.

Boston. THAT real, live Indians are
supporting themselves by killing seals
In Boston harbor is not known 10
everybody around here.
For some seasons several Passama'
quoddy Indians from Eastport, Peas
ant Bay, Old Town and other parts of
Maine have been earning living dur
ing the summer months by Killing
seals and presenting the tails at the
city hall in Quincy. where they get
three dollar bounty for each tail
So far this year Town Clerk Keith
of Quincy says s54S has been paid out
in bounties to these enterprising In
dians, who make their camp at Squan-
tum or on Peddock's island
One of the Indians, Willie Nicholas,
lives with five others near the Portu-
guese village on Peddocks island. In
the winter he and his people make
baskets; in the spring they fish with
welrs in the summer they hunt seals,
and in the autumn they guide. But
they get more money from killing
seals than from any other source.
Two men go out In canoes painted
sea green and bark like seals until
they attract the animals to within
shooting distance, when they kill
them with shotguns. Sometimes they
hunt by day and sometimes by night.
When hunting from canoes, they al
ways have to get to the leeward of the
seals in order to avoid being detect
ed, for seals have a very keen sense
Of smell. Sometimes the crafty In
dians wrap themselves In dark canvas
or blankets and lie on Hangman's or
Veazie's rocks, and they are so sue
cessful in initiating the call OF the
seal that they are able to attract
them near enough sometimes to kill
them with a club.
It Is not an easy matter to get near
enough to shoot seal but 1t is FAR
more difficult to get him after he has
been shot, for he circles around In the
water for a few moments and then his
tremendously heavy body which
often weighs 500 or 600 pounds--sinks
TO the bottom Some nights couple
of Indians will get eight or ten seals,
which makes fairly good nights
work.
1t has been said that the Indians
present the snouts for the bounty In
Maine and then come up here with
the tails for another bounty. That
there is nothing to prevent this being
done except the Indians sense of
honor iG parfarf1v trna nf oo,,~aa
they are obliged to swear that the
seals have been killed within the con.
fines of the town or city In which the
bounty is applied for, but perjury has
been known to exist among Indians
as well as among white men. Then,
too, the tail is only two or three
inches long and very small around,
and therefore lends itself very readily
to transportation.
Many people have wondered why
the state encourages the killing of
the seals The answer is to be found
In the seals stomach. Last year a
hsh and game warden found in the
stomach of one seal IL cells, several
Holsters, few founders and general
assortment of smelt and other small
hsh to the amount of one peck by
actual measurement. Multiply several
meals per diem of this sort even by
the number of seals that have already
been killed in Quincy bay this season
that is Island you get some idea
OF the competition which seals AFFORD
the local fisherman.