21 Facts About Guy Bradley

Guy Morrell Bradley was an American game warden and deputy sheriff for Monroe County, Florida.

In 1902, Bradley was hired by the American Ornithologists' Union, at the request of the Florida Audubon Society, to become one of the country's first game wardens.

Guy Bradley was shot and killed in the line of duty, after confronting a man and his two sons who were hunting egrets in the Everglades.

Guy Bradley's much-publicized death at the age of 35 galvanized conservationists and served as inspiration for future legislation to protect Florida's bird populations.

Guy Bradley's family had strong ties to the city; his father, Edwin Ruthven Bradley, was born there in 1840, and two members of the family held high positions in Chicago's law enforcement.

Guy Bradley was at this time a reformed plume hunter, who had given up the profession after the passage of the Lacey Act of 1900.

Guy Bradley was paid a monthly stipend of $35 to single-handedly patrol the enormous area stretching from the Ten Thousand Islands on Florida's west coast, through the Everglades, to Key West, which served as nesting areas for popular plume birds such as egrets, herons, spoonbills and ibis.

Guy Bradley took his job seriously; he educated locals about the newly implemented laws which made plume hunting a punishable offense, spoke to hunters directly, and posted warning signs throughout his territory.

Guy Bradley set up a network of spies who watched for suspicious behavior, and employed his brother Louis and others close to him to work as assistant wardens during the height of the plume season.

In 1904, Guy Bradley alerted visiting ornithologist and author Frank Chapman that one of the more isolated rookeries, called Cuthbert, had been "shot out" despite previously having been found to be in good condition.

Guy Bradley took the slaughter to mean that he was being watched by local hunters, who only could have discovered the rookery by tracking his movements.

On July 8,1905, Guy Bradley heard gunshots close to his waterfront home in Flamingo.

Guy Bradley set sail in his small skiff, and encountered a father and his two sons by the name of Smith, who were shooting up a rookery.

The families had known each other for years, but Civil War veteran Walter Smith had a reputation for being troublesome, and Guy Bradley had previously had altercations with him.

Guy Bradley had arrested Smith on one occasion and Smith's oldest son, Tom, twice for poaching.

Guy Bradley's body was found the next day by his brother's search party, after drifting 10 miles from the scene of the crime.

Guy Bradley maintained that the warden had fired first, but missed, hitting Smith's boat.

Those who knew Guy Bradley insisted that he had been an excellent shot, and would not have missed his target had he, in fact, shot first.

Guy Bradley's body was never found and the perpetrators were not caught, despite the offer of a $100.00 reward by Florida's Governor Albert W Gilchrist.

Guy Bradley was buried on a shell ridge at Cape Sable, overlooking Florida Bay.

Guy Bradley's martyrdom created nationwide indignation, strengthened bird protection laws and helped bring Everglades National Park into being.