Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1891-05-28
DOWN AT THE OLEY.
Strange Stories and Funny Fish Caught
By an Eclkley Man.
ECKLEY. May %. 1S9.

EoKLEY, May %, 1891.
EDITOR TRIBUNE Il venture to send
few items that may interest some
of your readers who participate in
the social life and progress of the
race My letter is the result of few
random notes cleaned while on recent
fishing expedition to the far-famed
Oley and Nescopeck, but my experience
is so much at variance with the stories
told by the fishermen of the period that
| concluded to give it publicity in the
hopes that other 'tenderfeet" would
profit thereby. While in your city last
week had the pleasure of meeting your
respected townsmen, Hugh Malloy and
w. +. Boyle, who told some very plausi-
BILE and captivating stories in relation to
their fishing exploits on the above
named waters.
Being somewhat Irish and the morrow
Friday | must confess my teeth watered,
and determined to replenish my fish
larder from natures storehouse until
such times at least as the American Tin
Plate Association can supply the native
article in sufficient quantities to pack
brook-trout for the home market and
drop prices within reach of the lower
strata, as promised by Harrison and
Mckinley.
We purchased rod at $500, a reel
and line at Sl.25, fly and bait-hooks,
galore and other preliminary essentials
at $500, and left Eckley in the wee sma'
hours of the night determined to break
the record made by Boyle and Malloy.
We safely passed through Highland
and South Heberton and arrived at the
quiet village of Upper Lehigh just in
time to catch the dogs awake, which ap-
parently with one accord conveyed us
through town and out to the silent city
of Upper Lehigh's dead in the suburbs.
We arrived at the Nescopeck at the
early dawn at place which appeared to
the writer to be a fair reproduction on a
small scale of Godsmith's Deserted
Village" This place is an abandoned
numbering town, formerly owned by A.
Pardee q Co.
camped many fishermen well-known in
political circles in Foster Township and
Freeland Borough. They were cooking
breakfast preparatory to commencing
their days labor. We enioyed a cup of
coffee, notwithstanding the fact that it
was sweetened with charcoal and served
in tomato-can that was formerly used
to hold bait. We fished hard, managed
to fall into the creek many times, tore
our new overalls and spoiled our Sunday
hat When the Drifton whistle an
nounced the hour of noon we were
possessed of few small specimens of
the finny tribe-not small enough to 90
into a sardine can, but they were not
of the tribe other men catch ION paper)
We met many fishermen on our route,
some of them were lying around in
groups discussing and reviewing public
affairs. Ballot reform, semi-monthly
payment of wages, Judge Lynch's APP
pointment were argued pro and can. We
met one fellow trying to convince Mt
Yeager man that the single tax on land
values would be to the best interests of
the American farmer We met a we'll
known citizen of Freeland, who has
had very warlike prefix attached to
the name his Godfather gave him, who
informed us that he had three hundred
trout caught that day. He exhibited
the same, but in the absence of our
glasses we could not distinguish what
tribe they were of, but some other men
were uncharitable enough to assert that
he caught them in the same spot where
Messrs. Malloy and Boyle planted the
five thousand fry received from the
State Fisheries the week previous.
The lunch our good wife had carefully
prepared was now consumed and the
wants of the inner man compelled us to
retrace our steps in the direction of
Upper Lehigh and fall back on the
generosity of our old friend and neigh
Dor to supply us with square meal.
During an after-dinner smoke-talk we
CLEANED some facts that might, consider
ing their social and scientific bearings,
interest some of your many readers.
We learned that two young gentlemen
who are great favorites in social and
political circles, one of whom has made
his mark in the field of scientific inven-
ton, intend in the near future taking a
swing around the circle in the shape of
double wedding tour.
We also cleaned the information that
the distinguished Prof. II. has ex-
hibited his famous bug Motor before
the Board of Prison Commissioners of
the State of New York and it is said
that the Board was very favorably i'm
pressed with the idea of utilizing the
deadly machine to exterminate the nu-
merous murderers who are now biding
their time in the prisons of the Empire
State.
We left the house of our friend much
refreshed and arrived in Freeland just
in time to purchase can of brook trout
of Mr.. Boyle, the Walnut Street grocer,
and firmly resolved while crossing the
mountain to Eckley that we had tished
our last day this season.
LONE FISHERMAN