The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-03-14
The TaTlanoosa Fish

81 think" said Uncle Jeems, s.thai
that ar story ar likely enough. When
Bagby was guv'ner was fishing on the
big bend NV the Tallapoosa whar had
once been with Gen. Jackson at the bat.
tie of the Horseshoe as it is called,
and sot my Tires out in a cove and
kindled torch, fur it was darker than
the inside of a tar bar'l. foteh my AK
with me. thinking | mout find ripe
possum in holler log. Well, when
got my torch to burning / found the
water was low, but thar had been some
awful big rains some time before, and
that thar was the cussetlest boots of owls
ever heard. L never had any fish-luck
when they put in their blab. So [ flash
ed my torch and took good look al
the black water, and / seed somethin'
moving and spurging about; at last !
made 1t out. 1t was the biggest catfish
ever seed. You'ns has seen Ben Dink-
erers new ferry-boat. 1t was big as
that--broader but not adzaetly so long.
Right at the mouth of the cove stood a
holler sweet gum. So seized my ak,
and in no time Il felled it across the
mouth of the cove to keep it from get
ting back into the river again. Fishin'
was up for the night, so l trugs back
home an gets crowd nv neighbors next
morning. and we fetched yoke of
steers and log-chain and power of ropes,
crOw-bars and such like Jerry Can
ant, fetched cross cut saw and 3
Grubbin-hoe, for YOU see we war all bent
on gitten that fish banciously out nv the
water.
Shur enuff, that fish war thar in the
morning communism in the mud with
the whole upper part of his backbone,
four feet above the water line. Sum
was fur taking him out alive, and sum
was for killing him outright and takin'
him out piece at time. Canant low'd
he might have some valuables in his
in ards, which would be lost if we did
that. So we made lassoe of an inch
rope, and arter dozen trials got it just
beyond his gills, and socked Il crowbar
behind it to keep it from slipping off,
then we hitched the log-chain and steers
to the rope, and with the help NV all
hands we dragged him out, (fact, GIN
tleman). 1t tuck sum time to cut his
head off.
THE snext thing we did was to cut
some big levers and git him on his back.
AFTER we chopped off his hind eend he
stopped his cussed wigglin. Jerry Can
ants cross-cut saw was too short, so we
jist nat ally explored his insides by dig
gin and cnttin and hackin ontil the loose
meat, scattered all about over the
ground, looked worse as if lightnin had
struck II city butcher-shop; arter which
we got into his craw or guzzle-bag. and
l wish l may be odestified if we didn't
find an anviI-a blacksmithshop; and
that warn't all-thar wus a sledge-ham-
mer, part of the bellussus, the smiths
leather apron, wagon-hub. bed-post
and we'll nigh on to a key Ohio e-shoe
nails.
beside all those leetle things we
found he rse's hoff with shoe on,
par o saddle-ba9s with two half-gallon
jugs full of corn whisky in 'em. We
sorter expected to find the blacksmith
thar, but we didn't. The next thing we
found was a taarapin, tar bucket,
par nv old shoes, some cells and mud
turtles, and at the bottom NV his vat we
found music book, the old 'MosOora
HARMONY and wish | mont he dick
Grated if all the ftty--so laws hadn't
taken roots in the side nv his stummick
and was CROWN. The fish would have
made fine sqnelin' worm if we hadn't
spill ed his music-bOx. I've seed boss
HAIRS grow in water and tadpoles aud
gumpficates my facwlties. Dag it, |
never had any luck fishing arter that,
and never did ketch "A fish in the ITALIA
poosa since. "-Amfrt~tfS (Ga.t Rep1tb-
lean