Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-07-19
CATCHING A SHARK.
STANDING BY FOR A BITE FROM A
REGULAR MAN-EATER.


Ossching . Tveive-Footer with Mouth
- Large - . Flour BarreE-Mistaks of
Darkey Who should Have Known
Better.
The next day we sailed around TO the
mouth of the Appalachicola river on the
south coast of Florida for the purpose Of
hunting up old Peters, the famous shark
catcher He lived on a small key or island,
which was surrounded by other keys, and
his domain was shared by number Of
colored men. Peters devoted his whole
time to hsrk-catching and alligator hunt
ing, and made something more than a ltv-
ing at this strange pursuit
We found him very good natured old
chap about 80 years OF age, and he gave us
hospitable welcome. When We stated
our errand he replied: sAs to gators they
is purity nigh whipped ont around jere,
but as TO sharks every channel is full of
'em We kin be off in half an hour"
While one colored man got the boat
ready. a second man ran across the island
to a small fish pen and returned with half
a dozen specimens OF the tinny tribe
weighing from three to five pounds each,
Peters selected a big sharp hook with a
chain attached, threw coil Of rope into
the boat, and we were eff. 1t was a row
of only ten minutes across to a sandy key
which bordered on a channel fifty feet
wide and deep enough to float a man-o'-
war
II reckon you don't keer about foolin'
around with scrub sharks" observed
Peters, "and that's why cum Ober yere.
If we git anything here 1t will be man
eater and no mistake | hooked one we're
a month ago which was thirteen feet long,
and it took the hull of us to land him"
STANDING BY FOR BITE
The colored man with US was named
Tom. He was a powerfully built man
and about 80 years old, but moved in
lazy way and had a sleepy look. The key
had but little shade. and the sun was very
hot. Tom WAS Instructed to bait the
hook and stand by for q bite, while we
crossed the key to the shelter OF the
only two trees on it. This WAS a distance
Of perhaps of 800 feet We saw the man
bait the hook with a couple of the fish and
cast il into the ;haDnel, and the free end
of his lire was T .ade fast to stake driven
in the sand. While waiting for a bite the
darkey sat down on n log about twelve
leet long ana Two ieet 'hich' "h''n ht'"
come down the river with drift-woOd. In
about ten minutes he sung out in lusty
manner, and we ran across to find the
hundred foot line all out and the stake
trembling as If yoke of oxen was pulling
at it."
We've hooked buster this time" said
Peters "I'll bet any one of you chaps a
req WOODEN shlr' that neil measure over
t~eI'e leet.
we Iet MIN play ior quarUei vi an
hour 10 exhaust nihseii' anu 'hen 'he h'e
OF US TOOK hoio oi tue hne anu "aAAeu
MIN ashore up the siantihg oeacn 1t was
pretty haru 'us' ou' ne hau W Io'Ie
Nhen ne was iaIr! out VI 'ne "ate. i "e
sunA VIC i'o ms Ho"u va, u
-, I,iieS' auu s 'nsh ~ "-A' 80, -.
na. ~ u;..bIo 80,
s"ee To- onu "' ''. 'e' ole 70 -.
e"ei' hS iiou." " -
.aNe ~ nou' Oai Lol win 80
~ anu ni' mon iippen "lIn "" a. a ~ -
s'hn We Iounu seiI us n; 20 rs,
80 Ia :. n - o. i,'
'p'Ae an s,.,N tle s II>'e,'.I, u :" ,,'.I-
In 49," DE
Feoers was hl'ie uisapPoln'gu ,T a' 'ne
siIe VI tne shafA, auu tne tiah I, I'm
tns,ruc.eu W oai. again We went oaSA
70 .ne shei'er anu nsn'eu cigars anu oS
ano oy we so' " taxing anu ALMOST iUF
sot tne ua,key. "neh sonleoouS vi nnally
iooAeo up ne was not u oe seen we ran
across 'he KEY anu 'hen we eaugn' sish'
Oh nun quarter Oh nile uowh 'he chah
hsi ne was On 'he ios spoken oi' auu
was oeihs 'oweu around III n'eiy Luan
nef oy shA[h "hich had 'aHen 'he oalt'
AS SOON as ne sd" US ne pesah wa,
ins MS alnis anu shou'iHs me me, tunat'I;
just hAe q uulheu niSsei' sIo"teu
refers ~ We lnaue ior ING ooa',
oi making has' 70 tne staAe ne 'ied " Tue