Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1890-07-09
An Ohio Fish Story.

with such frankness of manner that
he always captivated his hearers and
begat golden silence that was indeed
worthy of the most enviable admira-
ton. Uncle Johnny was prolific in
resources, and he seldom related the
same story twice, but acquired an in
exhaustible fund for any and all
emergencies, most, if not all of them
founded upon actual reality. Near
ly all the old steamboatmen along the
Upper Ohio knew Uncle Johnny in
his palmiest days of fish-catching, and
whenever they heard an uncommonly
interesting tale he was sure to be re-
garded by them as its author, and
their invariable exclamation was /:
"Well, Uncle Johnny's made another
powerful haul"
The writer of this once listened to
one Of his tales about a remarkable
catfish that was perfectly amazing.
"Well, sir, you may not believe it,"
said the aged disciple of Izaak Wal
ton, but fish has heap of know
ledge. / learned this from observa-
ton when l used to fish along the
mouth of the Big Kanawa great
many years ago. We ketched a
powerful sight o cats in them air
days, and many's the time I've
anchored just in time to keep my
johnboat from sinkin with the heft
o the cargo. So one day l pulled up
a nifty big catfish, an l never shall
forget bout it either. Jist as soon as
twas landed, instead o hoppin' aroun'
an knockin' about, it just lay on the
the ground straight and stiff, an
never kicked a single mite. But when
] went to take it up it looked me
straight in the eyes, so singular and
appearin'ly like fer its life to be saved,
that consarn me if | wuzn't kinder
thunderstruck with sympathy for the
critter, and after meditatin' fer a
mint or more cudn't resist the temp.
tation to keerfully put il rite back
inter the water. Soon's that fish he'd
got back into the water again an gin
to realise that it wuz all right an
that l wuz its frien' an he'd pretty
good-sized heart in me, it jis tried all
sorts of capers to pay me back fer
savin on its life. Twud nip holt O
my hook an take it long to where
tother fish were playin' roun' an drop
it rite among them on purpose to get
'em to take holt Of it, an many's the
time I've ketched other fish iist by
its cunnin' strategies. But, stead Of
trappin' other catfish for me, though,
'twud always catch bass or pike, an
you jist ought to have seed the great
hauls of fish then I made count O
that one catfish friend O. mine.
II caught dead loads Nv 'em that
season, an tother fishermen cudn't
ketch a bite, an they'd git awful
jelus an declare / wuz usin' inter.
glycerin' or sumthin' O that sort to
kill off the fish with, an he'd made up
their minds to hev me indited. But
they couldn't du it, as they never cud
git any evidence agin me, an kept
rite OH ketchin' lots O. fish an aston.
ishin' every body roun' thar. Once
| was offered pretty good sized sum
to tell the secret O. my luck, but ]
wudn't Civ itaway, fer l know'd 'twud
result in destroyin' my catfish friend
an | wudn't hev gone back on him
fer the world. Why, me an him
wuz jist as friendly an sociable as
two old chums, an / used to 60 to
the river and feed him lots of nick
nacks an bully things, an he'd cum
up an take 'em right out O. my fin.
gers ez nice like an ez clever ez cud
be. Yes, me an that air big cat he'd
more picnics together; you jist ought
to have seed us. 'Twud done you a
heap of good to look at our frolics
When I'd git in my boat an paddle
roun' that air fish wud foller me an
keep rite at my side, awful pretty
like. Why, I'd a fit fer that air fish's
life as quick rs ! wud fer any humans
an ist bleeve it know'd nj on bout
as much as a human, too.
Then Uncle Johnny sighed and
grew more serious, and exclaimed .
ut saved me from drowniD' wunst.
Tbar's no doubt about IT, WAS out
on the river with my boat one day,
an thar came upa trrible gust of
wind all o. suddint, an about the
first thing | know'd wuz capsized
an wuz y goin' under-a sinkin'.
Cudn't make a bit of progress to git
to the shore. Wall, sir, that air cat
was spyin' roun' an happen'd TO
diskiver the presicament / wuz in, an
he jist KEN right up under me an
swum with me on his back till / got
to the shore, an got out safe, an then