Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-12-20

THE BATTLE OF EAST CHAIN !;
How People of Martin County Drove
Out the Licensed Selners Who
Wanted Their Fish.

. 2. So ,
Fairmont Sentinel: More excite
ment occurred at East Chain on
Thursday than has wracked any
community in Martin county in many
moons, and it all resulted from the
fact that there are supposed to be q
few thousand pounds Of buffalo, carp
and plain sucker fish in the waters OF
East Chain lake.
The good people Of that commun-
ity are very much opposed to having
any seining done in their celebrated
waters and several weeks ago sent
long petition to the state game and
fish commission protesting against
such fishing being done in their lake.
The commission replied that they
already issued license for fishing in
East Chain lakes but it was the pol
ICY of fishermen not to sein any lakes |
where there was serious or wide
spread opposition. ~ !
This ended the matter until Thurs
day when Seeley Bros. with their
crew Of fishermen, numbering twelve
men in all, arrived there to begin
SEEMING operations. The residents
had all agreed not to allow the fish,
| ermen to cross their lands and in this
| agreement they were shut out from
the lake. However, the fishermen
took the bits in their teeth and cross
ed J. E. Ruble's land to the lake
shore. This is where they made a
mistake and where their troubles re-
ally commenced.
Phone messages were hurriedly
sent out to the residents within
number Of miles Of East Chain and
soon men commenced to hurry to-
gether from all directions, coming in
groups Of two, three or half dozen,
armed with axes, shot guns, pitch
forks, sled stakes, fence rails and
other useful things in such contest.
They made a record Of getting to-
gether equal to the minute men Of
rs. At first the twelve fishermen
| mentally formed a hollow square and
| resolved to fight until the last armed
fisher foe retired, and proceeded to
| talk back and get their sein ready.
The common folk did not remain
idle, but commenced to chop small
holes in the ice and drive fence rails
or anything else long enough, deep
into the bottom Of the lake, which
| would prevent the drawing Of the sein
under the ice. The fishermen started
to pull up the stakes, but it was a
slow and difficult job and they soon
discovered that fifty men could drive
down the stakes about ten times fas-
ter than the twelve could pull them
OPP.
Finally the carp catchers collected
in a group on the ice and gave the
isherman's grand hailing sign Of dis
tess, while the heartless minute men
hollered in glee and groaned in deris-
ion. They 'phoned Sheriff Ward to
come over into Macedonia and help
them-by driving the sons Of Uncle
Sam, Scandinavia, Erin, Teuton and
Poland, far away so they could fish
in peace. The officer replied that he
would need a warrant to do anything.
The county attorney also heard the
carp catchers hoarse cry of distress
but of course he was too lame to
hurry to East Chain on foot, and the
official mace Of Martin county was
not waved in authority as the war
ring elements agitated the air and
the ice at East Chain.
The fishermen finally held a coun-
Gil of war and decided to withdraw
from those waters and cast their
nets where the men folks did not
wear war paint and seem so threat
ening and thus make the fisher folk
nervous and afraid.
j. E. Ruble had taken the necess-
ary steps to have the fishermen ar
| rested for trespass because they