DEER-STEALERS
—are those nocturnal desperadoes who, setting at defiance all laws, all possession of property, and the protectors of it, disguise themselves, and, under cover of the night, attack, seize, kill, and carry away, from the best fenced parks, bucks or does, (according to the season,) with the greatest impunity. Their mainspring of action is a dog of the cur kind, called "a coney-cut lurcher:" this is a breed peculiar to itself, and those who use it; being a light sort of brindled wiry-haired mongrel, with a natural stump tail, having the appearance of a bastard greyhound. They are exceedingly fleet and lasting, run mute, (by either nose or sight;) and are so well trained for the purpose to which they are solely appropriated, that they are equally expert in picking up a HARE, or pulling down a BUCK. After having executed their office, though in the darkest night, they will soon recover their master by scent, and lead him to the game so pulled down, which is repeated till a sufficiency is obtained for that journey; the business having been so systematically conducted, by the various neighbouring emissaries and associates concerned, that horses and carts were employed, and a regular routine of robbery carried on, by periodical and alternate depredations upon most of the parks within fifty and sixty miles of the Metropolis. Many living in a line of respectability in other respects, were publicly known to be employed in the nefarious practice without fear of detection; for no informer could come forward, without a very great probability of destruction to his PERSON or property, from some of the many confederates concerned.
These offences, so long thought but little of, became at length enormities of such magnitude, that the Legislature discovered a necessity for the introduction of new and more severe pains and penalties. A variety of statutes were enacted in the reigns of former sovereigns for the punishment of such offenders, which are now fully concentrated in the Acts of Parliament passed in the present reign of George III.
By these statutes, if any persons shall hunt, or take in a snare, kill or wound, any red or fallow deer, in any forest, chase, &c. whether inclosed or not, or in any inclosed park, paddock, &c. or be aiding in such offence; they shall forfeit twenty pounds for the first offence; and also thirty pounds for each DEER wounded, killed, or taken. A GAME-KEEPER, guilty of either, to forfeit double. For a second offence, the offenders may be transported for seven years.
Justices may grant warrants to search for heads, skins, &c. of stolen deer, and for toils, snares, &c. and persons having such in their possession, to forfeit from ten to thirty pounds, at the discretion of the justices. Persons unlawfully setting nets or snares, to forfeit, for the first offence, from five to ten pounds; and for every other offence, from ten to twenty pounds. Persons pulling down pales or fences of any forest, chase, park, paddock, wood, &c. subject to the penalties annexed to the first offence for killing deer. Dogs, guns, and engines, may be seized by the PARK-KEEPERS; and persons resisting, shall be transported for seven years. Penalties may be levied by distress; in default of which, offenders to be committed for twelve months.
Persons disguised, and in arms, appearing in any forest, park, paddock, &c. and killing red or fallow deer, deemed felons without benefit of clergy. Prosecutions limited to twelve months from the time of the offence committed. Destroying goss, furze, and fern, in forests and chases, being the covert for deer, is liable to a penalty from forty shillings to five pounds; to be levied by distress; and if no distress, the offender to be committed to the county gaol, for a time not greater than three months, nor less than one.