Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-10-23
RAlDED POTOMAC
Destroyed Many Outlines and Issued
Warrants For Owners of Fishpots
Who Live on w. va. Side.

Who Live on w. va. Side.
| Mr.. sydney G. JONES, assistant state
game and fish warden Of Maryland
has just returned TO Baltimore from &
trip along the Potomac river from
| Dam NO. 6 to Cumberland and as Q
| result of his Investigations a number
| OF warrtnas have been sworn out foI
residents of Berkeley. Morgan and
Hampshire counties. and several ar
rests are expected in a few days.
Making Orleons Cross Roads his
headquarters, Mr.. Jones found and de
! stroyed 25 out lines, heard of perhaps
100 more. against which active opera
lions have been begun, located 10 fish
pots and caused warrants to be issued
from 8 OWNERS thereof Both out lines
and fish pots are Illegal An out line
is wire stretshed permanently from
shore to hore, strung with from so to
100 baitedhooks. The priced bass are
caught and hang until the lines are
visited. Fish pots are heavy V shaped
dams of stone, reaching from shore TO
shore. At the point of the ''V' is
placed a Stated box as large as a
good sized room. Into this fish that
swim the river are compelled to go,
and are caught in large humber.
Mr. Jones found that all violations
ar'ei by persons on the West Virginia
side of the river While Maryland
has jurisdiction over the entire bed of
the river. neither gams wardens nor
any other Maryland officers of the
law have the right to arrest anyone
in West Virginia. The West Virginia
authorities are not only Indifferent but
in some instances actually hostile
while i'm one or two cases constabIes
and magistrates themselves are own
ers of fish pots Mr. Jones found
that many of the Illegal pot fisher
men are fairly desperate and would
not hesitate 10 take a shot at war
dens who attempted TO brake up their
practices.
During Mr.. Jones campaign, accom-
panied by Deputy Samuel Rhodes OF
iitthApNhs Abhst Ihloi bbh " usS HtNui
ed sufficient 10 cause the issue of war
rants for the following: Conrad Kelley
Carey Gay and Richard Martin for OPP
Grating FISH pots above Lock SO of
Dam No 6 Charles Hood for operat
ing a pot at the mouth of Sleepy creek
George Newell, Allen Mendenhall, cash
Ter OF bank at Berkeley Springs, and
William huffman. for operating pots
ait Lock 80. and for William Miller, Il
constable, for operating a pot at Lick
ing creek. One old pot at Round Top
was destroyed The campaign against
the owners of other pots discovered at
Little Poo, the south OF Liking creek,
and at Chrry Bun bridge Earnest
who viii be pushed by Deputy War
den Rhodes and warrants win be is
sued for the owners as soon as found.
From Orleans Cross Roads to Dam
No. no pots were found. incidentally,
IL was discovered that a certain nagis
trate who owned pot himself paid no
attention to other West Virginia VIC
lators. but was terribly severe IL any
Mary and violator came under his jur
isdiction. This is mentioned to show
the attitnde of the West Virginia Off
Gals towards Illegal fishing in the Pc
tomac
AS to the warrants already issued,
an effort will he made in the next few
days to capture the offenders on
Maryland soil If this is found i'm
possible, State Warden Harmonscn
win ask the governor OF West Nr
ginia for acquisition papers.
Dt is said that a number OF persons
in Martinsburg and Berkeley county
have been violating the law against
Sunday fishing, end it is altogether
probable that The attention of the of
ficals will he directed to this. An
agreement between Maryland and
West Virginia enables the officials Of
either state 10 arrest violaters Of the
law of either state. and it is said that
a test case of this character viii soon
be made.