, 1888-04-03
HE CAUGHT A SUCKER.
The Experience of a Man who Fort lied
His Pocket with

His Pocket with F~isbhooks.
"Bin Charters was a very original man
that is, if he was out of a job he'd de
wise some way of his own TO procure the
wherewithal to keep n fire in the CRATE
and provisions in the pantry, " said a man
III IL Main street cigar store the other
night. Bill was also fond of fishing. On
winter evenings at home, if he had moth
ing better to do, he would haul out his
fishing tackle and inspect it thoroughly,
aud then, after making two or three new
tangled fly hooks, he'd place the outfit
back in its box, Mt the same time know
ing hat he'd be unable to use his tackle
for probably six months.
b lived in Boston when ] first knew
him. That was eighteen or twenty years
ago. He was n tinsmith by trade. L
went up one night TO see him concerning
some work he had been engaged on for
several days. Bill was in the dining
room examining his fishing tackle when L
entered. After settling our tinsmithing
business he began explaining the different
methods used to catch the various species
of the nnny tribe. This hook was fine
for trout in the early morning, that
brown tackle was immense at moor when
the sun was shining, and that white moth
fly hook was simply perfection in
the evening, just about the time the sun
was setting.
zone huge batch Of hooks attracted
my attention. There were probably thirty
very small e%yehooks, all sewed securely
to a Jagged piece of cloth-strong drilling
about the size of your hand.
"'Bill, said l, taking the hook covered
cloth in my hand, did you ever catch any
fish with this arrangement
"'Yes, sir, he answered with a laugh,
Il caught n sucker on that collection last
fall that weighed 100 pounds
"'Where and howY' | asked, hardly
knowing what Bill meant, as | had never
seen n sucker that weighed more than
three or four pounds.
Just this way replied Bill. One
night my wife and | decided to go to the
theatre. When we reached the box Office
aihere was n perfect jam of people. | left
eAy wife near the door while | struggled
bravely to reach the ticket window. 1
asked for two dress circle tickets, and
Shen ] put my hand in my pocket to get
tlSSymoney to pay for them | discovered
tht my p~ocketbOok was gone. "Stolenl''
exclaimed /, and retreated.'
"'Mrs. Charters and l walked home.
She felt disappointed; she wanted to see
that play. A thought struck me instantly,
and just rs quickly MS possible l put my
plan into execution. Turning my money
pocket inside out l hastily sewed all the
small fish hooks | had to the inside of that
pocket in such n manner that when my
pocket was showed Jack to its proper posi-
ton the barbs of the hooks stood out and
pointed downward.
- took some more money with me
but ! placed it in another pocket-and
again we started for the theatre. There
was still considerable of II crowd in the
neighborhood of the box Office, and once
more | began cdging my way through for
the purpose of procuring tickets. l al
lowed my fish hook money pocket to take
care of itself.
Just as L was being handed my
tickets / felt n bite. / attempted to turn
round, when | found l had hooked n very
fine looking sucker in the shape of II well
dressed man who wore n shiny tile. l paid
no attention to his Juggling at my pocket,
rs | knew after one or two tugs he'd quit.
When | reached my wife she said: ''Will-
iam, who is this gentleman with your" |
told her he was n very particular friend
of mine.
"'An officer standing at the door ac-
companied my friend and me, at my re-
quest, into an adjoining room, where l
explained matters. l recovered my lost
pocketbook and g~reenbucks. 1t was keep
ing company with seven other similarly
situated purses. l had to cut the pocket
out to have the thief handed over to the
officer, but it was returned to me after
the doctor succeeded in getting the hooks
out Of the fellows hand
Yes concluded Bill, he was the
biggest sucker | ever caught-must have
weighed at least 100 pounds. And this is
no fish story, either. '"-Stockton (Cal.)
Mail.