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Everingham Family History Record Reprint... (c)February 2001
Times-Beacon Newspapers
Dec 23-24, 1998
Story of early 20th Century era.
Ocean County NJ Game Warden;
Mr. John Cranmer was popular and it was to the Acme (Hotel) that everyone went to hear good stories about fishing and hunting. He was a tough little man, no more than 5-foot-3 and was judged by his contemporaries to be "as ornery as they come." He always took the side of the sportsmen and hated the very sight of the Ocean County Game Warden J. Hamilton Evernham* as much as the gunners did.
In 1918, when the game laws were getting really strict, "Hammy," as he was known was making life miserable for every gunner on Little Egg Harbor Bay, John Cranmer used to hang a sheet out a top window on the west side of his hotel to warn all the boatmen far out on the bay that the game warden was snooping around and would be waiting at the dock.
Gunners with illegally shot birds would either not come ashore or hide excessive birds on the islands until the sheet was pulled in. It took a while, but the wily J. Hamilton Evernham caught onto the sheet trick. Cranmer was a step ahead of him though. He started leaving the sheet out morning, noon and night. Then, as soon as he got word from the bridge tender on the causeway that "Hammy" was on the Island and headed for Beach Haven, he took it in.
*Reference: James Hamilton Evernham
information sent by
Tom Phillips of PA
Feb 8, 2001 |
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