Harvey Van Fossan of Springfield, Illinois, was convicted of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, fined $450, and given three years of probation. Ordered by city officials to get rid of the pigeons that were creating a nuisance on a vacant lot near his home, Van Fossan had killed two common grackles and two mourningdoves with strychnine-laced corn. A neighbor sent the dead birds to the Smithsonian Institution, and after an autopsy, local officials decided to prosecute. Under the treaty, shooting the birds is permitted, but poisoning them isn't. The prosecutor declared this "one of the most important cases" in his office, even though there are more than 400 million such birds in North America.

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