Freeman Reeves), and Hannah, beloved wife of James Arbing, (a sister 0 Samuel Matthews.)

On the last Saturday in June, a heart-broken community tenderl laid to rest in the shade of the birches, six of her fairest and best-love young people.

“Still, still with Thee, when purple morning breaketh, When the bird waketh, and the shadows flee; Fairer than morning, lovelier then daylight, Dawns the sweet consciousness, I am with Thee.”

(Harriet Beecher Stowe)

THE QUESTION OF SALMON

The Dunk River is one of the best salmon rivers on Prince Edward Island. The fish come up each fall to spawn and then go back to the ocean; In the days of earliest settlement when meat was hard to come by, these fish were a boon to rich and poor alike, and a barrel or two of salted salmon made all the difference between dearth and plenty for the following winter.

To catch salmon they were attracted to the boat by a light (in the early days it was a lighted pitch—pine knot, later by a modern gas lantern) and speared with a long-handled spear. Soon, however a law was passed making it illegal to take salmon on their spawning run, and as far back as; 1870, according to McAlpine’s Directory, river bailiffs were named whose? duty it was to see that the law was enforced, and to bring law—breakers t0! justice. These bailiffs were usually appointed because of political patronage, and not for any ability they might have had to cope with the situation. Consequently apart from smashing a few boats and occasionally catching up with a few poachers, things continued pretty much as they had been,‘ with the fish still being caught 7 and in some cases the bailiff taking home the lion’s share.

About the year 1890 a salmon hatchery was built on the Dunk River about a quarter of a mile upstream from what is now known as “Old Mill“; Bridge”, although many old timers still refer to it as the “Hatchery Bridge”.{; The hatchery was run by a man by the name of Henry Clark, and his; children attended classes in Lower Freetown School. The hatchery was constantly being raided by poachers and on one occasion the care—taker was hit over the head with a salmon gaff and knocked into the river. He would most certainly have drowned if someone had not been there to pull him out. Sometime afterward the hatchery burned to the ground and was never rebuilt. Thus ended, in something less than success, an honest effort by the Government to conserve and propogate the Atlantic salmon.

Bailiffs continued to be appointed with varying degress of success, with the salmon usually coming off second best. judging from their diminish- ing numbers. In the 1930’s the RCMP. were brought into RBI. and the

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