Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1922-02-18
TWO FORMER GAME
WARDENS IN COURT
W. nj. Kirk and Claude H. Rice Found
Guilty of Violating Trapping
Laws. Caught Beaver Out
of Season.

/ w. NJ. Kirk and Claude H
Rice, residents of Iron county and
former deputy game wardens, were
found guilty of violation of the
trapping laws in municipal court
Thursday Judge Thomas assess
ed fine of 500 and costs each, a
total of Sl31 "A, or 90 days in the
county jail. Kirk appealed his
case to the circuit court. Rice
elected to take the Jail sentence.
The case attracted more than
usual attention and lasted through
the day, the verdict of the court
being returned late in the after
noon.
Kirk and Rice conducted their
trapping operations in the vicinity
of Epson. They were apprehend-
ed and arrested after three beaver
hides had been intercepted in tran
sit from Epson to Chicago by Con-
servation Warden Frank Russell at
Park Falls. The hides were being
shipped to market by Max
Mahoske, of Epson, who said that
he bought the hides from Kirk and
Rice.
The beaver trapping season in
northern Wisconsin counties open
ed the first of February. The
charge against the former wardens
was that they had caught beaver
before the opening of the season.
The evidence was largely circum
stantial, the question to be de-
termined being whether the three
beaver hides alleged to having been
sold by Kirk and Rice to Mahoske
and intercepted in transit by
Warden Russell had been taken
from animals caught before the
season opened.
About dozen beaver hides were
on exhibit in court, including the
three taken by Warden Russell.
Three witness were called by the
prosecution in the effort to prove
that the three hides in question had
been taken out of season. Warden
Frank Russell was the first witness.
With this witness District Attorney
Warren b. Foster attempted to
prove to the court that the skins
were not prime in that they had
been taken out of season. Russell's
testimony was to the effect that
q beaver skin taken before the
first of February is darker on the
flesh side than one that is prime or
taken IN season aud that there is
also a difference in the texture of
the hides.
Attorney VIM. T. Lennon, counsel
for defense, brought up the ques-
ton of the hides being dried art
ficially and cross examined the
witness along that line. At one
time he asked the witness if il was
not possible that the hides could
be dried artificially in four days.
Other witnesses were K. c.
Jacoby, of Phillips. and John
Long, of Park Falls, both hide
buyers. Jacoby is an expert on
hides. Long is a former conserva-
ton warden. They told the court
what they knew about hides and
the way of telling the difference
between process and artihcially
dried hides. Jacoby testified that
one of the beaver hides had been
taken in December.
To be found guilty of violating
the trapping laws was not all that
fell to the lot of these former
wardens. They got in pretty deep.
| At the conclusion Of the trial they
were Immediately served with
warrants and arrested for melting
and procuring another to commit
the crime of perjury. Kirk will
have hearing on this charge on
March g. His bond was fixed at
81. 900, which was furnished by
Steve Costello. Rice will have a
hearing following the completion
OF his Jail sentence.