, 1891-12-05

OelrichS, who is a strong swimmer, didn't
find much difficulty in getting out to where
the shark was visible. AS he came close to
the monster, his excited friends on the We
and arose from their seats and stood in
in painful anxiety, expecting every moment
to see the mOnstrous jaws close around an
arm or a leg, or perhaps engulf the whole
body. A few of the witnesses grew faint
: and covered their eyes, while the more
courageous shouted for boats to go to
OelrichS'S rescue.
Even as they stood there the big mass of
fish began to move quickly. In their lex
element some of the witnesses thought they
saw the shark turn oyer and dart for DEL
richs in the accepted style, with the caver-
nous mouth',open and the cross-saw teeth
visible. Was the fool-hardy man going to
be the first victim of his ridiculous theory?
Presently O unanimous sigh of relief show
ed that their fears had been g~rOundless.
Instead of moving toward the daring swim
mer the monster was going in the opposite
direction. He was swimming rapidly too,
anu actually appeared TO have been fright
ened away by the human appariti0n. The
black back could be seen going toward the
open sea, and the wondering men soon lost
sight of him far out III the tumbling waters.
OelrichS continued to dive and frOlic in the
water until Judge Clancy got q Skif and
went out to him and brought him back.
Of course, Oelrichs felt victorious, al
though he did not say much, but his friends
weT 9 still far from convinced. The fact that
one shark had not bitten a man when he had
the chance was no proof that all sharks
would act the same way, they said. Judge
Clancy ventured the opinion that there
were certain sharks that we've man eaters,
while the rest were timid. Let n shark once
taste human blood, he said, and be would
thereafter be a terror to all humanity that
came III his way. Man eaters lie thought,
were more plentiful in southern waters,
where natives were constantly falling into
jaws. Another man recited an instance,
related by Baynard Taylor in his travels,
where q shark hung around the vessel for
hours in the hope that some one on board
would accommodate his TASTE for human
flesh. That shark had Il record of twenty
one lives, and may have disposed of any
nWmber of unknown.
"All bosh!" said Oelrichs, "mere gossip
and hearsay. The fellows who told Taylor
that were %stufing him. The shark was look
ing for scraps from the table"
Then Judge clancy related his experience
in catching sharks all d told how when one
had been dragged o II to the beach a short
time before he had snapped at an oar placed
near him, aud had almost bitten through
the blade.
''Oh of course" replied Oelrichs, "when
he is out of water he will snap at anything
that comes near him, but let a moving,
living human body come near him in the
water, and away he'll 60, frightened out Of
his wits"
Other men told of their experiences, aud
one related 10 Y, when hehad gone to Hayti
ayear before, the officers oil the vessel des-
cribed the way in which a brother of the
English Consul had lost his arm to a shark
off Jacmel. Still Oelrichs ~pooh-poohed all
doubts of his theory, and said that he would
make his offer of $3.50 for an authentic case
of shark bite good at any time.o Since then
Mr.. Oelrichs has doubled the offer, so that
anybody who HAS been bitten by a shark, or
can prove thar any one else has suffered
this inconvenience, can earn $500 by apply
ing to Mr.. Oelrichs ct his office in Bowling
Green.
Mr.. Oelrichs may frequently be seen
along the water front in search of sailors
who have been alleged to have had encoun-
terswith sharks. He has spoken to many Of
the officers and crews of vessels that visit
the southern waters, especially the West In
dian seas, and says he feels more confidence
than ever in the truth Of his theory. The
knowledge of the reward he has offered has
been spread throughout, the merchant ma
rino aud hundreds Of seafarerS have their