A POACHER OUTWITTED.

Shannon News, 17 February 1925, Page 3

A POACHER OUTWITTED.

"THE KING OF THE STROKE - HAULERS." I , A ranger in disguise caught two men stroke hauling m the Rakaia River, and the details of his exploit were related hi the Magistrate's Court at Chrisiehuroh. The North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society' had instituted'a prosecution against William Cromie, who was charged with stroke hauling for trout. Mr Bed, for the deieadant, pleaded guilty. Mr M. J. Gresson, for tne society, said tnat die ranger, Digby, had reason'to believe tnat stroke naiuuig was in vogue on the south bunk of tne Rakaia' Kiver. it was a practice whicn was very difficult to. detect as tlio.se, coiicerned could recognise tne ranger wnen apiJiuacning. Digoy himself and went to tne soutn oaniv. jue saw two men standing on me siungie. He started iishing alter tiumaimer ol stroke liuuieis, and one oi the men 'asked him wuetner ine came from Asiuiuiion. Tne man replied: "it is ah right, we are all meiuioeis Ji'Uw old stung toaud. gome oyer liure anu nave a yarn. I am croaine, the king pm of the stroke haulers. • Giuinie siaited lisning. Digp.y went on lislmiu and U'omi.e proceeded tu I criticise the methods ol tne ranger, ami snowed him a more adept nieuiod iJigJjy men asked .to be siiown waial kind of gear. Cioime was using. When Digby got possession oi uio gear he said: , ~ ~ "1 am surprised you fell so eu.saiy, Cromie said;-" its you, Digby, The' gear used by Cromie, Mr ures>son said, was. used in one 01. the most deadly forms of stroke hauling, arid under these circumstances the society pressed lor a penalty. It could bt said in Cromie's favour, that when discovered he made no attempt tQ iesist Mr Bell submitted that I)he.re was nothing in Cromie's statement that he was the "king pin of. stroke haulers and that there was nothing to show that he was doing it Persistently The Magistrate (Mr. wyvern Wilson) said that the only difference between the case' and an ordinary one was that the man was detected toy means of a disguise on the. #art Qt the ran " cer "I expect every fisherman poses as 'an expert whether he is stroke hauling or fishing," said the Mo** trate, "but he posed as an expert which leads one to suppose that ne nad considerable experience The Magistrate imposed a fine of to and ordered the defendant to pay costs, 7s, an solicitor's fee, £2 as.