The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-06-11
OLD TOMS SUICIDE
Sad Ending Of n Fish That Became q
Druukard and Couldn't Reform.

UruDkaru ANA COuiunt hcsOss".
Harrisburg correspondence New York sun.
Some queer happenings have been re-
ported from different parts OF this state
during the past week, but the queerest Of
the lot is the death Of q fish that had be-
come q confirmed drunkard. The owner
Of the fish, George Sauers of Leidy, Clin-
ton county, declares that the fish CON-
mitted suicide. The FISH was an un-
usually large brook sucker. II was caught
in a net a year ago this month, and on ac-
count of its size Il was kept alive n
placed In q small fish pound I'm Leidy's
grounds. The pound is shallow, n
contained, besides the big sucker,
only q few goldfish and other orna-
mental fish. The sucker soon became
used to its new surroundings and grew to
he as tame as the gold fish. Its
of feeding, by extending It's queer snout
and sucking in anyth,ne tina, came ~ n,an,
to ali ' who " saw sA him. fhe sucker va
given the name Of Old Tom, and one day
Mr.. Sauers thought he would try an ex.
pertinent with the fish. He got q small
nursing bottle, filled it with milk, and
mouth piece at the detached end.dropped
the tube in the water in front OF the suck
er's nose. The fish gradually sucked the
mouthpiece in. He drew a mouthful OF
the milk down the tube from the bottle,
hut evidently did not like il, for he spat y
out and moved away. Sauers then filled
the bottle with beer and tried Old Tom
with that. The beer seemed to suit him,
for he sucked i'm more than half of what
was i'm the bottle before he gave up the
tube. Sauers says that the sucker
cavorted in the water as he had never
done before. and had high jinks among
the other fish for half an hour or more:
After that he moved to the other side OF
the pond, close to the bank, and remained
there all the rest of the day, scarcely NOV
ing, even when touched with q stick.
Sauers was of the opinion that the beer
had put n head on the sucker, and that he
was simply paying the penalty of tamper-
ing with the flowing bowl, the same as
everyone has to. The next day Old Tom
seemed to be all right, and he was
"A little man, and this time almost
swamped the bottle, which held
half a pint. He went off about the
pond, as full as a tick, n showed
his h~ilariousness by chasing the other
fish in a dizzy sort of way, n by coming
~ersaults. This spree Of old Toms did not
seem To break him up as the first had
done, although that his coppers were hot
was aptly shown next morning by the
avidity with which he took I'm a milk
punch hat Sauers had thought would SET
WI Ia T'o,,, nn al, r,orn;n. lao that
made him ngIv' and ne waitzed around
he ,,,nd LnocL;ny Tho u~nofyendinu uold
fish right and left, and vas evidently just
crazy for a muss. This disposition on the
rrah he the tail one If the biu crawfisb
Shot were mari of the ornamental life of
,ha I;ttIe nonJ Ola Tom stuck on,
his snnut and seized The crawtish
and tried to suck him in. The crawiish is
Lind anJ this ono twisted ITSELF around
,hn, .,,s ;,s inft ola u AMI caught old Ton
hv he; howl and immediately followed
him with n hitch on his nose with tins
other claw. The sucker dropped the
oraa,esb i;Le N hot iron b,t the crawfisl
I;J",t siron the smoker. and n WASN'T nm,
III 10 haJ nna,,e the livel;est kind If a
nirn,,;, ~ the nond. carrvinU consterna
ton 20 the staid and identified Goldfish
.hoto IA Tor, was able IN shake of the 10,
Inc hod been mnwise enough 10 tackle
Tba, encounter seemed 10 sober the OLD
tnIInu, mn and be retired 10 the shelter O,
INV ~, an the hottom ~ the nond
and ran,a;ned in evident remorsefui con
,annnia,;on until afternoon Then he salliet
lor,n omIJ Inore. ~ he sno' s,her" N,
Iii mrev;nns,y ancnuntered The seductiy,
,n,hbor ,,be Saners took il for GRANTED
~, ~. 10 inoLino Tor n halt Sa,er
,naa,a n Nm 40 heer and he laid right TO i
,n,;i ha had onnt;ed The hottie He cam,
arornI lnaI in. father wistfni next morn
aronnn ,o"k aln u rn,ne pnsninnad delioh'
onei,aii that Sauers mixed for him. Eve
80 ,hon Sauor. .nys The bio sucke
has henn On The downward path. IA,
nano o,ound every morning for his mir
nh 10 he ADM uet II tore around Nh,
nnnai ;Ln wild man Reer yot TOO mil,
po" H., an5 snr Inc las, three months n
has hann loaded mn on Straight whisky
$500 80 he tried severol Time