Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-06-16


have been imposed, had all charges
been prosecuted. but the Department
of Inland Fisheries and Game felt
that the ends of justice would be
served by the payment of $1,000 only.
and recommended a sentence not ex-
ceeding that amount. The deer in
this case were, it is understood,
shipped to Massachusetts, by boat
from a Washington county port. and
the Maine officials were handicapped
in their investigation until the Fed
eral authorities took a hand and Sc
cured evidence in Boston which they
alone could secure.
! Chester Newell and Roscoe Emer-
son of Damariscotta were in the dis
trict court at Bangor last week and
Justice Hale fined them $35 each for
illegally shipping a deer out of the
State out of season. The boys. Tor
they were young chaps. thought to
make a dollar by shipping a deer to
Massachusetts. regardless of the law.
1t was only their youth that saved
them from a more severe penalty.
Other cases of illegal transporta-
| ton of deer to. Boston from otner
parts of Maine. not only last year, but
| in previous years, are under lnVestl-
cation by the State and Federal au-
thorities, and later interesting devel-
opments are looked for in these cases,
one of which it is understood IS
against a Bangor party. who. 1t IS
alleged, shipped deer to Boston IN
| 10 thar
! December, 1917. one Bangor market
man paid a fine Of $3.50 to the state
for the illegal shipment of deer to
| Massachusetts,.
1t is hoped by all interested In the
conservation of our game that the re-
cent prosecution, and others when
will doubtless soon follow, will put an
end to market traffic in Maine game.
| Under the new law which becomes
effective on July 4th a resident OF
Maine cannot transport in any way
any deer or part thereof beyond the
limits of this State. Under the pre-
vious law a resident could. by accom-
panying the shipments take out OF
the State one deer which he had
legally killed. 1t has been practice
for some time for market hunters to
| kill several deer and then induce
some friends to aid them in taking
the deer to Boston, and it was ex-
tremely difficult-well-nigh impossi-
BILE in some cases-for the State to
secure evidence that the shipper did
not actually kill the deer himself.
The new statute will put stop to
this practice. as with the close in
spection Of markets not only in Mas
sachusetts, but New York and else
where. the pot hunter will find it diff
ficult. to successfully transport any
game out of the State in future.
The Provincial authorities in Que
bee and New Brunswick are actively
cooperating with the Maine Depart
ment in this work. During the win
| ter Quebec game wardens seized some
deer meat which had been taken
across the line from Maine. where it
had been killed, and friend Of the
department who was in that vicinity
shortly after reported to the COM
missioner that this seizure. the
first incident Of the kind that
had ever occurred in that ter
ritory. had done more than
anything else to put stop to, these
illegal practices in that locality: He
stated that the life of the poacher
was not now an easy one. inasmuch
as the State had placed an additional
force Of wardens on duty in that ter
ritory. and the law-breaker was con-
fronted on one side by the Maine
wardens. and upon attempting to get
across the border with his illicitly-
gotten game. he was confronted by
the Provincial wardens. and would
no longer dare to violate the laws as
in the past.
| Other interesting cases which have
developed Of late through the assist
ance Of the Federal authorities have
been some illegal shipments Of beaver
skins outside Of Maine. For several
months the department, with the aid
of the Federal wardens. has been Sc
curing evidence in various parts Of
Maine of illegal traffic in beaver skins,
with the result that already more
| than $500 in fines have been paid in
this State by violators Of the beaver
law, and when the Federal investiga-
ton is completed. Uncle Sans treas
ury will doubtless be enriched still
further by contributions from Maine
law violators.
Many interesting incidents have
developed in connection with the in
vestigation Of some Of these illegal
beaver shipments. In one case in
particular 1t is stated that after the
department had been notified by tho
Federal authorities that a certain
resident of Maine had made an lille.
gal shipment of beaver skins. the
local Maine warden was detailed to