In New York, those charged with enforcing fish and wildlife regulations are called Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs), but this was not always so. In 1880, they were brought into existence as game and fish protectors.
Those early days were challenging as many Game Protectors were shunned by a society that considered poaching an acceptable activity. Threats were numerous and assaults were common.
Samuel S. Taylor is a name synonymous with courage, valor and exceptional service within the ranks of the New York State Environmental Conservation Police. In fact, the division’s highest award is called the Samuel S. Taylor Award, in honor of the first state Game Protector killed in the line of duty.
It is given to ECOs and investigators who, “by a conspicuous act of valor, courage, integrity, resourcefulness and bravery in the protection of our natural resources and/or public safety, have clearly set themselves apart in the performance of their duties.”
Game protectors enforced fish and wildlife laws at a time when wildlife was in jeopardy. New York’s deer, beaver and fisher populations were dangerously low; turkeys were a rare sight. Many other species were swiftly becoming extinct.
Species such as the eastern elk, Labrador duck and heath hen had been completely wiped out; moose, gray wolf and lynx had been extirpated from the state. The wood duck (one of the most common waterfowl today) was nearing extinction.
It was a period of market hunting, defined as the killing of anything that would bring money to sellers at the market. The millinery (hat making) trade was large and widespread; bird feathers were much sought after as decoration on women’s hats. As a result, many species of desirable birds were shot at will.
These early days were not easy. The idea that the government had a right to regulate the taking of fish and game was an alien concept, and not well-received. Game Protectors were not respected, and public sentiment was most often on the side of poachers.
Early game protectors were threatened and assaulted routinely. Their homes were vandalized and their horses poisoned.
Samuel S. Taylor was born, raised and resided his entire life in the small town of Bouckville, in Madison County, NY. He was born on June 5, 1876 to Clesson F. and Ella (Scranton) Taylor. Little is known of his early life but it appears likely that, as a young man, Taylor had a strong desire to pursue a career in law enforcement.
Extensive research has suggested that in the early 1900s, he became a constable and deputy sheriff for the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Some articles mention that he was one of the exposition guards for the 1901 Pan American Exposition in Buffalo. One article further suggests that he was close at hand when President William McKinley was shot there.
On August 5, 1912, the NYS Conservation Commission hired Samuel S. Taylor as a Game Protector. By that time, the force had grown from eight men in 1880 to 110. Still, there was a lot of ground (and water) to cover.
Game Protector Taylor was assigned to his home area of Madison County. Although each officer had an assigned area, they often traveled to adjoining areas of the state to assist other officers in the protection of the state’s natural resources. They still operate this way today.
Taylor was said to be a superior officer from the beginning. Despite being new, he had an arrest record better than most seasoned officers. In a written statement shortly after his death in 1914, the Conservation Commission called him “an exceptional game protector who showed no fear in the
performance of his duties.”
This attribute may have contributed to his downfall, but it is also what placed him in the forefront of the Game Protector force at the time.
It was Sunday, April 5, 1914, when game protectors Samuel S. Taylor and John Willis (another officer of the Commission, assigned to Oneida County) were working in Willis’s patrol area. Together they walked the banks of the Mohawk River within the city limits of Rome.
They were primarily looking for waterfowl poachers (the season was closed) east of the city proper, near present-day Riverside Park, when they overheard gunshots.
The Game Protectors cautiously advanced, expecting to deal with unlawful duck hunting activity. As they approached, they observed two individuals shooting protected songbirds. One man was shooting the birds, while the other was retrieving and bagging them up. It was a common practice at the time, as songbirds were considered by some a culinary treat.
Taylor and Willis continued watching, noting and developing their case against the two violators — actions a modern day ECO would take. The Game Protectors then decided to reveal themselves, in an attempt to arrest the poachers.
Research indicates that Taylor and Willis stepped from concealment and confronted the two men; they ordered them to put down their weapons
and said they were under arrest. Without responding, the man with the shotgun (a firearm later determined to be a double-barrelled 12-gauge) fired both barrels at close range, at Game Protector Taylor.
Taylor was struck with a double load of #6 shot in the abdomen and lower chest area. His assailant quickly turned and fled. Mortally wounded, Taylor fell to the ground as his partner drew his service revolver and fired. Reports indicate the second man pulled a revolver from his pocket, discharged two rounds at Protector Willis, and then also fled the scene.
Willis was unharmed and turned his full attention to his brother officer. Willis carried Samuel Taylor (who was, by all accounts, a large-framed, athletic man) a half mile to the Oneida County Hospital.
In the early morning hours of April 6, 1914, Game Protector Taylor died during surgery. It was determined that he had succumbed to internal injuries far too numerous for the attending physicians to address.
In fact, doctors marveled at how the man could have possibly survived as long as he did. It was the final testament to the tenacity of Samuel S. Taylor.
Rome City Police were summoned and quickly responded. John Willis gave police a firsthand account of what had taken place. Officers then went to the scene to gather evidence. Game Protectors from adjoining counties came to help investigate the murder of their fellow officer.
One located the shotgun — tossed by the fleeing poacher — that was used to shoot Taylor. Newspaper articles indicate that later the same day, Rome Police located the wife of one of the men involved.
A search of the home uncovered the revolver used to fire at Protector Willis, wet hunting clothing, and wet boots that matched the “hobnail” boot prints discovered at the scene.
The two men were identified as brothers-in-law living in Rome, who frequently hunted the area. Though they were two married men, living and working in the area, they were nowhere to be found. With several hours of lead time, they had fled the area and escaped apprehension.
The Rome Police, Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, NYS Game Protectors, and surrounding law enforcement agencies were alerted to the identities of the perpetrators; an extensive search carried on for months following the incident. Officials followed leads and eliminated persons of interest. Sadly, however, all leads proved fruitless in locating the men.
Later, a Grand Jury convened and indicted the two men; one man for murder in the first degree in the killing of Samuel Taylor, and the second for
assault in the first degree for firing at Protector Willis.
In April of 1938, 24 years after the incident, the Commission received a letter from the Rome City Police that indicated the whereabouts — complete with addresses — of the two suspects had been discovered. One was purportedly residing in the Chicago area. The man who fired the fatal shotgun blast at Protector Taylor fled the country, and was currently residing in Italy.
However, the District Attorney of Oneida County did not wish to undertake extradition proceedings from Italy. It appears no further attempt was made to bring either man to justice, and the matter was dropped. Research suggests that the two men never returned to the Rome area.
Newspaper accounts indicate that Game Protector Samuel S. Taylor’s funeral was one of the largest ever witnessed in Bouckville. He was well respected in his hometown. After the funeral, his remains were taken to Hamilton and interred on the family burial plot in Woodlawn Cemetery. He was buried alongside his mother and his sister.
Archives indicate that Taylor may have been married for a brief period, but he had no children. Samuel S. Taylor’s sacrifice was not in vain. It opened people’s eyes to the fact Game Protectors were law enforcement officers, in a dangerous profession.
Shortly after his death, force numbers increased from 110 to 131. In 1916, Game Protectors received their first uniforms. The look had an immediate effect, both on how the public perceived them and how they perceived themselves. Protectors were also issued revolvers and were trained in their use. This was the birth of formalized training for ECOs.
For 100 years, Samuel S. Taylor’s gravesite was marked by a small stone, carved with his name and his birth and death dates. On April 9, 2014, environmental conservation police held a memorial service at his gravesite. The event was well-attended, complete with the Environmental Conservation Police Honor Guard and Pipe and Drum Band.
The New York State Conservation Officer’s Association purchased a white marble stone and plaque, which was placed next to his headstone. It reads, in part, “Samuel S. Taylor, End of Watch April 6, 1914. He was the first of us to fall in the line of duty. We will forever mourn the loss of our beloved Game Protector.”
In May of the same year his name was finally placed upon the State of New York Police Officers Memorial Wall in Albany. ECOs stood side-by-side with retirees who had been around long enough to remember when they were called Game Protectors.
The pipers played a stirring rendition of “Amazing Grace,” and the volleys of the gun salute filled the air. Afterwards a lone bugler blew taps as a northbound pair of Canada geese flew by. Samuel S. Taylor had finally received his well-deserved recognition.
Authors Lieutenant Ric Warner and Captain Tom Caifa currently serve as NYS Environmental Conservation Officers. A version of this article first appearsed in Conservationist magazine in December 2014.
Photos, from above: Game Protector Samuel Taylor (Rome Daily Sentinel, 1914); Robins poached by market hunters in the early 20th century, held by a Environmental Conservation Officer in Albany; and ECO Lieutenant Ric Warner ECO Tom Caifa at the installation of a memorial plaque at the gravesite of Game Protector Samuel S. Taylor in 2014
