The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-09-23
SENATORIAL FISUEH MEN.
Their Favor!tc Resort nj Point Of Hocl>s In the
Maryland Mountains.
(corrcsp p,ndencc Of The Philadelphia Tmcs)


PoINT OF Rocks, Md, September IT,
ALONG tho Potomac near this littl,
[ mountain station is one of the finest
fishing places in the South. 1t is only
! thirty miles from Washington and has
long been the favOrito resort Of lcgisla-
tors who havo II pCnchant for the rod.
Three rocks jutting up from the stream
arc known as the "Scnatorial Rocks
and one further down as the "PrcSidcn-
tial Rock" The people of the village
are ever eager to tell OF ihc famous fish
ing excursion here three years ago, when
President Arthur and Senators iIamp-
ton and Vest sat on those rocks through
four long hot days and caught ucarIy
four hundred fish. Nearly every week
| during this summer one or moro Scna-
tors have been seen pcrChcd on the rocks
| angling for the spOrtivc swimmers. Ac-
| cordlng to the testimony Of the villagers,
| Senators Wade Hampton, Vest and
kcnna arc the most persistent and sue
cCsSful anglers, with lLumunds, FRYE and
! GOrman as good seconds.
Hampton was here iour times during.
the spring and carly summer, and
stopped over for two days after Con-
grCSS adjourned. He is the most silent
OF all the Senatorial fishermen. While
ms negro body servant keeps the hooks
baltcd and mysterious dark flask ever
at his masters hand, the Senator is con-
stantly bent forward, with eyes intont on
tEc sparkling, except when the passing
fish bites. Then, unlike r,,%t Senatorial
fishermen, he does not Get lNui, | and
give the line tremendous jerk whlCl.
throws the fish high into The air and
back again into the water As il afraid
OF hurting the swimmer, he clcvHteS the
pole gently until it is above the surface
draws it IN slowly, let's the negro Gctach
1t; then III Il moment the line is once
more sinking i'll the water and the soma
tor is bending forward as if his life de-
pended on catching every motion Of the
string. 1t is said that nc has ncvrr lost
a fish III getting it out OF the water, and
that no man who has over HplpuYrl on
these fishing grounds has been moro nuc-
ccSstul than he. \ catch OF sixty fish in
one morning IS credited to Hin. From
t those caught, he selects Il dozen or SO
5 Tor dinner and gives the rest 10 any one
who will take them.
, There are some queer stories anuat
/ here about his servant going into the
{ village three times day Io rcllcnish the
; mysterious dark flask, bat no eyewitness
OF the occurrence could hc found. BE.
; sides it was IL time when Senators Vest
and blackburn, Of Kentucky, occupied
l the adjoining rocks, so if there be guilt
, Hampton should not bear it all.
Vest is hardly inferior 10 tie South
Carolina Scna.ur i'll handling the rod.
i Occasionally he gives way to Il little cy-
cItemcnt when there IS a particularly
sharp naGgin9 at his line, but. generally
speaking, he is n calm and scientific fish
crman. He was the teacher OF President
Arthur III the science and this accounts
for the warm friendship which exists be.
tween the two. just before Congress
adjourned Mr.. Arthur wrote To the Sen
ator, saying that as soon as his health
permitted he would like to have another
week ut Point of Rocks. Senator Vest
IS not so silent. He intcrSprrScs his
catches with stories about his fish sue
ccsscs i'll Missouri and out nt Yellow
stone Park, but nll the time Keeps II close
watch on his line. lie has, perhaps, the
finest fishing tackle that ha| been seen
il these parts. The rods are Of prcu-
liar cherry reed and his reels are
silver. The set cost, it is SAID, about
| $50.
Kcnna, of West Virginia, who was out
on the river yesterday, has the rcpruta-
ton of being the champion angler Of
West Virginia. Unlike every other fish
elman, Senatorial or otherwise, be car
rics real bait bottle. 'IiIis may bo nc
counted for by the fact that ne is tenn
pcrancc man III private life. The West
| Virginia Senator goes about fishing in
regular baclIwoods style. Dressed in
jean trousers tucked in boots, Il E!Hc
shirt and short rusty alpaca coat, nc
looks like the typical dwcllcr on the
banks of the Potomac. lie digs his own
bait, attends to his own hooks and
manlpulatCS his catches with lis own
hands. In fact he believes in carrying
out the role to the letter rather than
playing the gentleman angler. He loves
to tell stories about his great dOimgH on
| the kanaWha, and the truth Of his tales
are corrobOratcd by his homo people.
He ranks next to Vest as Il iish-story
teller and is infinitely more truthful.
Senator Edmunds, who is now up in
Maine handling the rod, is known to
every yilIagcr about here. What is
strange to WnahimGtonians, they speak
of him rs the ''joliy Old bald-hcadcd fcl-
low" He is certainly bald, and his
looks Justify his being called old, but
Just how the people got the impression
that he is jolly it is hard to guess. Per
hapS hC thaWs out away from the dignity
OF the Senate chamber. PERHAPS The
mountains and the river and the simple
country people recall the days of his
childhood and stir the sluggish blood j
his veins to its youthful vigor, Hcrhaps
the Senate rcstaurant-!;@opcr kindly puts
a good 8unlly Of cold tea in his yalisc
toE use on the Potomac, or pc: haps-.!ur
after all it is all only guess, rn The
Vermont Senator iG ike Hampton III
silent contemplation OF dc waves and
llko him, too, i'll scientific mauagosncnt
Of his rod. In the latter lArt Of July
last he caught liftY-8i< fish be orc noon.
Ills attire while on the river is the SAM
@G ne wears III the Senate chamhoT with
exception of a big, broad trimmed straw
hat, which is pulled down over his cars.
Frye GNd Gorman have gained fame ut
Point of Rocks also, but they are too
busy with their homo campaigns this