Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-07-04
CAUGHT a SUCKER.
Experience of a Man Who Fortified Ills
Pocket with Fish Hooks.


Pocket with Fish Hooks.
BILL Charters was "a verv original
man-that is if he was out of job
he'd devise some way of his own to
procure the whcrewithal to keep a fire
in the CRATE and provisions in the
pantry, said man in a Main street
cigar store. Bill was also fond of
fishing. o. winter evenings at home,
if he had nothing better to do he
would haul out his fishing tackle and
inspect it thoroughly and then. after
making two or three new-fan gled fly
hooks, he'd place the outfit back in it's
box at the same time knowing that
he'd be unabl9 to use his tackle for
| probably six months.
''Bll lived in Boston when / first
knew him. That was eighteen or
twenty years ago. He was tinsmith
by trade. I 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 / entered. After settling our
tinsmithing business he began explain
ing the different methods used to catch
the various species of the fnny tribe.
This hook was fine for trout in the
early morning, that brown haclle was
immense at noon when the sun was
shining, and that white moth-fy hook
was simply perfection in the evening,
Just about the time the sun was set
ting.
'One huge ba ch of hooks attracted
my attention. There were probably
thirty very small eyehooks, all sewed
securely to a Jagged piece of cloth
string drilling the size of your
hand.
"'BiIl sail I, taking the hook-c COW
cred cloth in my hand. did you ever
catch any fish with this arrange
mentr
Eyes, sir, he answered with
laugh, ] caught sucker on that COL
lection last fall that weighed 100
pounds.
"'Where and how?' / asked, hardly
knowing what Bill meant. as I had
never seen q sucker that weighed more
than three or four pounds.
''Just this way, replied Bill. One
night my wife and I decided to go to
box-office there was a perfect jam of
people I left my wife near the door
while | struggled bravely to reach the
ticket window. ] asked for two dress
circle tickets, and when put my hand
in my pocket to get the money to pay
for them l discovered that my pocket
book was gone. 'sStolenr' exclaimed
|, and retreated-
Mrs. Charters and / walked home.
She felt disappointed; she wanted to
see that play. A thought struck me
instantly, aud just as quickly as posi-
BILE l put my plan into execution.
Turning my money pocket inside out
l hastily sewed all the small fsh-hooks
l had to the inside of that pocket in
such manner THAI when my pocket
was showed back to its proper position
the barbS OF the hooks stood out and
pointed downward.
~ took some more money with
and again we started for the theater.
There was still considerable Of a
crowd in the neigh borhood of the box
Office, and once more l began edging
my way through for the purpose of
procuring tickets. l allowed my fish
hook money pocket to take care of
itself
i" Just as / was being handed my
tickets felt bite. 1 attempted to
turn round, when found had hook
ed o very fine-looking sucker in the
shape of well-dressed man who wore
shiny tile. paid no attention to
his Juggling at my pocket, as knew
after one or two tugs he'd quit. When
Preached my wife she said: Will
lam, who is this gentleman with you?'
l told her he was very particular
friend of mine.
can officer standing at the door
accompanied my friend and me, at my
request, into an adjoining room, where
l explained matters. l recovered my
lost pocket-book and greenbacks. 1t
was keeping company with seven
other similarly situated purses. Ihad
to cut the pocket out to hand the thief
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 l ever caught-must
have weighed at least 100 pounds.
And this is no fish story, either -
Stockton (CGJ. Mail.