Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-01-08
AUGUSTA LOCA1s||
ALLEGED PURCHASE
OF 4 MUSKRAT PEL1|
BRINGS CASE IN CouR1
James C. Scates Of Mt. ven,.
Arraigned for Violation Of f.,
Fish and Game Laws but a,
Close of Lengthy Hearing n,
Is Discharged

James c. Scates of Mt verno, -
before the municipal court Friday .a.
noon on complaint of Game Warasr
e. Smith of Augusta and followi,,
visit by Warden Smith few days =.
to the Scates homestead and the ss,,va
by the warden of a number of m;,'
muskrat and skunk skins Mr.. Sc..'
was arraigned for violation of the Nv
visions of Sec. 81 of the fish and s,r
laws as amended by Section ~ of Chan,'
2T of the Public Laws of 1915, but N,
specific charge against him was that :,
buying a muskrat skin Jan. /. The >,
spondent was represented by Walter NJ
Sanborn and entered plea of not g,n,
Warden Smith was represented by Ernss
L. Mclean of Williamson. Burleigb I,
Mclean.
Not a small part of the interest in II.
case hinged on some telephone conys.
sation between the respondent and n,
fish and game department at the Sta.
House. Miss Myrtle Hodgdon. one Of III.
clerks in the department, testified to hss
ing called the respondent by telephone =.
his home in Mt. Vernon, asking il h,
were Mr.. Scates of that own. and as
asking if he were the fur buyer arl
regarding fox skins. and stated to II.
court that the line to Mt. Vernon W.,
a good one-that there was no difficult,
in understanding the conversation eitbr
way She was followed by Miss Lo,,t
IJor clio in,
ment, who corroborated what Miss Hoas
don had said.
Mr.. Scates took the stand and testifsi
that he lived in East Mt. Vernon an,
operated a mill for the manufacture d
lumber and shingles. but that he did nt
buy fur skins; the telephone call he r.
membered in part. but not all, that h.
was hard of hearing and that he though
that the girl on the phone was askir,
about fir lumber. Regarding the Skin,
@eiZed he said that some of them he
longed to him and others to Albert Trass
young man iwlro lived at his house AM
worked for him. He admitted that he hal
small game by shooting. but denied thai
he bought fur.
Albert Trask and Roy Cottle Of N
Vernon were called and testified regars
ing Mr.. Scates, neither of them admit
ting that they had ever heard that b
was a fur buyer. Cottle was of III,
opinion that some of the skins which III
warden seized belonged to Trask-tha
he had seen Trask carrying skins I
Scates' house; that he did not know q
Scates buying furs this year.
Miss Hodgdon was recalled by Mr.. N,
Lean in relation to the telephone conye'
sation and said that Mr.. Scates did ne
ask her to repeat any of the conversa
ton.
Mr.. Sanborn's argument was very hrf
being in effect that the government ha
failed to make out case. Mr.. McLea
was more eloquent in presenting his al
gument. He began by saying that Il
phone conversation by Scates was in il
self enough evidence that ne was a fu
buyer. and then went on TO pick I
pieces the testimony Of both the respor
dent and his two witnesses. He close
with further allusion to the telephoE
matter.
1t was $50. when Mr.. Mclean close
his argument, after which with fe
Introductory remarks Judge Lancast'
pronounced the respondent not guilty an
ordered his discharge. He also ordere
the furs returned.