Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-10-29
THE "FRIED SOLE" Inn.
London Truth.

'tlaIkOtl 1 dIhltS, Allb >uIlNlNN'ls sAE az
saw some bills announcing a sale put
ap in the windows of the Fried Sole
Hotel, ut the cornors OF the Pig Mar
Eet in Jowbewy.
Yes, failed, as Tarbcrry, PENNIES,
and several others before EN- have
failed in that house | call i waiting
room of the work house, do, am
Swcred Mr.. Walter, foreman TO salt and
Trcacle. the local brewers and lie
shook his head mySteriously. Truth
is, Mr. ParkleS, believe there is spell
on the place.
Il remember the time when il used
Ia be the best hotel in the country. re-
marked the lawyer.
AYE, SO do We all who are getting on
for fifty" replied Natter. The farm
ers used to have their ordinary there on
market days; the Free Masons had
their meetings and dinners iii the
house all the best harristcrS there at
Assizc time; and lor bless YOU, ut cleo
tons, when the Fried Sole" was the
conservative headquarters. I've seen
twenty barrels Of ale empticd there In
an afternoon.
There's ne electioneering done there
now" remarked Mr. Parklcs, drylS
NO; since old Dark, the last land
lord who made fortune there, hanged
himself, there's been, as Just said u
spell on the place. repeated the
brewers foreman emphatically. My
own opinion is that the place is haunt.
ed, I've beard nasty noises sometimes
whom I've ,at alone there III the coffee
room fan evening taking my glass Of
grog'
Tut, tut Walter, laughed rarkles
with CONSCIOUSNESS of superiority; and
made a joke about the grog at the
Fried Sole being perhaps 4 bit
strong, for he was no believer in the
supernatural, this lawNer,and he attrih.
utcd the failure of the Fried Sole to
mere commercial reasons.
He was wrong. however, for success
Sivc landlords had tried their very best
with this old hostclry according to their
lights They had tried honesty for one
thing; they had sold good wine cheap,
engaged capital cooks, hired walters
who were civil and smart in their at
tendance, and they had taken every
care to make the bedrooms clean and
comfortable. 1t was all to no purpose.
The house would not prosper. Per-
sons who came to it out of curiosity or
from ignorance Of the bad name it had
acquired, did not return to il again.
some found one fault with it, Somean-
other, but the majority found no fault
at all: they simply preferred to so else
where.
Abel DARK the last landlord who had
conducted tile " Fried Sole success
fully, had taken no such trouble about
the place rs his successors did, Money
poured upon him in torrents, and he
gave himself no concern TO make
more than lac got. There was a pain
FIJI story about this man. His Wife,
who was Il pretty woman, one day dis
appeared having clipped with an oili-
Ger it was said-and this event proved
upon Abel Darl's mind. After frctting
fora wear he hanged himself Il was
supposed that he had left large for
tune for his only child, Il baby-boy two
wears old, but this turned out to he an
error \ couple of thousand pounds
lodged in his bankers hands proved to
be the total Of the deceased's wealth,
Thercupon two versions arose Ac-
cording to one, the Eighty Mrs Dark
had taken away All her husband 5
money in clipping; according TO the
other, Abel Dark had long INDUCED IN
Il secret propensity towards gambling
and had squandered his substance IN
betting ON races One fact was certain
namely, that Mrs. Dark never reap
pearcd to claim Il share in her huS-
bands inheritance, or the guardian
shin III her boy The latter was adopt
cd bv some distant relatives, who lived
a long way from Jowbeuy, and the
Fried Sole" going to the hammer
was knocked down TO an enterprising
publican, who thought he should have
The same luck as Abel Dark there. but
who was fated, on the contrary. 10 be
the first in long series of landlords
who beggarcd themselves in this place.
Garbery, the last landlord, whose
failure led 70 the aforementioned con
yersaton between Mr.. Parkcs and the
brewers foreman had really done
wonders in trying to win back to the
Fried Sole" its old name. but he was
obliged to confess himself, when he
wound up his affairs. that there was
something uncanny III the house. lie
had heard the wind blowing there 1t all
sorts OF odd times, when it was not
blowing ont Of doors. 1t whined
through the keyholcs. it blew out can
ale, il passages free from draughts i
kept tired travellers from sleeping.
Then smallpox typhoid fever and
scaratne would rage there 10 the de-
struction Of cooks, walters, and chance
wayfarcrs. while the sanitary condition
i'll HI other houses IL tie town MA per-
feet. a beautiful young barmaid whom
Garbery had engaged. hoping that her
winsomc face and bright prattle would
attract the officer, ofthe garrison, died
ofdirhtheria after she had heen les-
than 4 fortnight III tic house, and ,he
iid not hell, 10 exercise the place ~
fact. as poor Galbery declared old
Nick seem to have set his seal on the
house, and there wa no resisting ~
malignant influence
When Garbery had been odd III i
- tt.l5 GtBfIp