Feet of clay just like lessor mortals

[WV Sawmiller]

  I was traumatized a couple nights ago to learn while talking to my first cousin that our paternal grandfather had feet of clay just like lessor men. I loved and admired my grandfather above any other man I have ever met but I found he committed a shameful, and actually, illegal act. My grandfather was one of the first game wardens in the state of Florida and evidently he planted evidence to help him convict a suspect he had arrested and charged with poaching game fish.

    The story as I heard it was Grandpa caught a man gigging fish on the Suwannee River. Now gigging fish is a legal means for taking non-game fish such as bowfin (locally known as mudfish), suckers, gars, mullet, etc. but is specifically prohibited for taking game fish. In this case Grandpa caught the man with at least one big bluegill he had gigged so Grandpa confiscated the fish, I assume the gig, and wrote the man a ticket. Grandpa took the fish home and put it in the fridge to keep it fresh until the eminent court date.

  My first cousin, who will hereafter be considered an unindicted co-conspirator (even if an unwitting accomplice) lived next door and came over and spotted the intact fish in the fridge. This was unusual as Grandpa always cleaned his fish before putting them in the fridge but she assumed he had been in a hurry. (I guess you could say this is where the chain of evidence gets broken.) She took the fish out, scaled, gutted and cut the head off and may have even cooked and eaten it. My grandmother found out and told her Grandpa was going to beat her butt when he got home so she ran and hid under the table when he got home.

  When Grandpa found out instead of being angry he laughed and said it was no problem - he'd just catch another bluegill about that size and poke holes in it. So I assume the suspect had his day in court and the planted evidence was used to convict him and nobody has ever been the wiser until now, some 60+ years later.

  I don't know the man's name so I can't contact the ACLU or others to apply for a pardon to clear his name for this miscarriage of justice.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I was talking to by brother and mentioned this and he reminded me one time Grandpa had confiscated a mess of illegal fish from a guy and the man's lawyer was probably the only attorney in the county (I think his brother was Grandpa's SIL) and he offered to keep the fish in his freezer till the trial since Grandpa did not have a freezer. Grandpa did but during the trial the attorney asked Grandpa if he could swear that was the same mess of fish he had confiscated and Grandpa thought about it and said he could not swear to it as he realized they guy could have switched them so they turned the poacher loose and Grandpa learned his lesson not to use the defense attorney's freezer. It was a small county and everything was different back then. 

   The judge at first would not convict anyone for violating the game laws because he did not believe in them then Grandpa (Well, somebody...)  started burning the bridges behind the judge every time he'd go in the woods to check on his cows and such and the judge finally realized it was easier to just follow the new laws whether he agreed with them or not.