The Washington herald., 1909-07-11
SEEK TO PROTECT
BIRDS AND FISH
Tragedy Follows Campaign
Of Audubon Society.
AsSASSINS KILL A WARDEN
sketch of Work Done and Attempted
Written by Secretary OF Society.
Farmers OF south Carolina Aid the
Movement - Public Opinion Vow
Aroused-WhO the Officers Are.

Spartanburg. s. @. July 1o.-In response
10 your invitation 20 say something OF
the Audubon work in South Carolina.
take pleasure in telling a part OF its story.
for II Is a story IN which there have been
all the elements Of tragedy. eliminating
in the murder OF a warden and the shoot
Ing OF several other persons.
The work has gone on despite this. and
South Carolina now has the largest Au-
Cubon Society In the Southern States snd
the most vigorous and aggressive. n
vigor and aggressiveness are measured
BY results attained with means a. com
mand
The Audubon Sociscy OF South Carolina
was chartered by the general assembly
OF the state al the session or 1907, the ex-
act date being February q
Under that charter the society was or
ganized with full board OF directors and
the following officers: President. Z. F,
Taylor Columbia: vice president. DR.. H
y Snyder. Spartanburg. secretary. James
Henry Rice. 5r.. Spartanburg. and Albert
r. Hayward. f.. Columbia. was made
treasurer by appointment OF the governor.
as was required by law.
The campaign began in April by the
secretary going on the road 10 solicit
members among the citizens OF the state.
this being the only source Of revenue. ex-
cept the nonresident license fund. which
the society had 10 collect one hundred
and thirteen regular members were Sc
cured for the first year and a report pub
hshed showing dozen convictions and
other work.
Interest Slowly Aroused.
Some interest had been created and II
was expected that the general assembly
would take action toward providing reve-
nue. for carrying on the work The gen
eraI assembly. however. did nothing ex-
cept TO pass an act which came near de-
stroying the nonresident license fund.
The secretary and president held a con-
sultation after the meeting OF the general
assembly 10 agree on q plan OF action.
and both decided that the work should
proceed, cost what Il might.
Then the campaign began in earnest.
The secretary went 10 Aiken, center OF
many tourist hotels and a camping
ground for the -Four Hundred OF New
York City. He found over 1000 partridgeS
IN cold storage il the various refriger-
ators OF hotels and restaurants, kept
there contrary 70 law These parties
were taken hold OF and the business OF
serving partridges (quaiD came TO a sud
den halt Many of the visiting sports
men had never paid a license The Secre-
tary had these licenses paid.
One irate magnate, well known n
Philadelphia and New York. swore that
nobody should make him pay license for
a warrant taken out for him and instruct
ed his wardens to handcuff the gentle
man II he proved obdurate even though
they found him at the Aiken Club. Some
how the irate individual got wind OF the
proceeding and soon a high-power auto
mobile was speeding out Of Aiken toward
the Georgia line and by the next mail
came back the check for the license.
This Stirs the state.
Every part Of the State was now stirred
IN turn by the work OF the wardens.
Conviction followed conviction. and the
net result at the end OF the year showed
a total OF Io4 convictions in which fines
were laid Some 400 had been allowed to
sign confessions Of guilt and the cases
were not pressed on account OF the mani
fest ignorance Of the parties
The game laws OF South Carolina had
never been enforced, even IN times before
the war, except that planters took care
OF their own plantations 10 a great ex-
tent, but even there poaching went on
by the poor whites in the woods.
The fish laws were also dead letters.
Every stream was checked with wire
traps and nets. Dynamiting fsh and
poisoning them with walnut juice. lime.
and other substances were everywhere
practiced. Many OF the finest streams no
longer afforded fish az all, except iE
small quantities. and these were under
size
Ths~sale OF game was universal, and
here. as throughout the rest Of the coun-
Try. this practice was wiping out the
supply.
OF course. the stopping OF this. even
partially. led 10 a howl from selfish peo-
pie who cared nothing for the welfare or
the country and thought only Of their
own pleasure
But it soon became evident that game
and fish were really disappearing. as the