Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-09-17

was something gruesome about the
antics OF this wonderful pickerel which
was always and vaguely referred to as
"the big fish," It plainly differed from
the rest Of the fish in the lake. Some
persons went so far as to say that he
"hollered" on certain nights, and these
nights, 1t was further claimed, were
when the moon was at its full. 1t was
even sad that the great fish was am
phibious; that he came to shore from
time TO time and walked about on short.
squatty legs, and that when he was OF
an observing turn of mind he would
rear himself up in the water and sweep
the country with a pair Of flaming or
phosphorescent eyes. One day in 1889 o
party Of Rockford men, camping at
Hickory Point, were using hoopskirt
wrapped In mosquito netting in catching
minnows In the shallow channel which
connects the two lakes, when they felt q
vicious tug and then their continuance
darted from their grasp and was not
seen again. OF course, "the big fish"
was held responsible for this theft, as
also for the loss OF leathern band and
brass bell which had been ruthlessly
torn from q cow as she was drinking
water from the lake.
During the fall Of 1890 fishermen on
the lower lake reported having heard
strange noises in and above the water,
sometimes like the mutfled tollinR Of q
bell and then again like the upsettlng OF
a painful Of silverware. One man, who
WINS on the lalso at night. said the noises
he heard sounded like charivari. The
source of all these sounds was mystery.
Finally Farmer Vosburg, who knows
more about the lake than anybody, made
up his mind to discover the cause of the
disturbance. One evening when the air
was still he put out in boat with a shot
gun. His cruise lay along the west
shore. He had been out but an hour
when he heard splash, the clang of bell
and the Naturalization OF other metal
lie substances. He knew he was In the
wake Of "the big fish," for no other fish
could compare with the monster ahead
of him. Putting all his strength to his
oars Farmer Vosburg made chase. OF
a sudden "the big fish" raised again, and
for the second time the bell rang dis
tinctly and there came the same
metallic jingle. Farmer Vosburg is
fine shot He can shoot the
heads off chickens at 200 yards
When he fired at %the big fish" there
was grunt which was almost human
and blood began to stain the waters
"The big fish" had been killed. His
head was In shreds and his white belly
was turned up to the rising moon. Farm
er Vosburg hauled the monster into the
boat. II he had doubted the identity of
the fish, that doubt was dispelIed when
he beheld Farmer Bundy's oyershoe still
about the middle of the leviathan. Then,
too, the fish was firmly entang ed in the
hOoDSkirt net of the Rockford encamp-
ment while from gills to tail he was
girdled with the straps of Farmer Mad
er's harness Around the dorsal fin and
belly was the leathern band and brass
bell; but stranger than all to the gaping
farmer was the discovery Of his watch
in sort of pocket in the side of the fish
which, doubtless, was cut with spear
years and years ago. The timepiece
was intact. Even the crystal had not
been shattered The watch had stopped
at 1903. That was the price at which
Farmer Vosburg had sold his wheat
three days before