Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-02-13
KILLED eY TOBACCO.
A INDUSTRIOUS shark That Chewed ouid
with Disastrous Results.

A INDUSTRIOUS shark That Chewed ouid
with Disastrous Results.
In a short while we had caught nice
mess Of small snappers, from ten TO twenty
inches long, ana were having a real good
time. writes G correspondent Of Garden ana
S5edm We had not fshed very long, how
ever, before a large shark put IN an ap-
pearance and spoiled our sport. We first
knew OF his presence by his greediy snap
ping of the fish from one OF my neighbors'
lines, having followed 1t up from the bottom.
He executed this performance several times,
and then the snappers stopped biting en-
tirely Not even nibble could we get, 50 we
hauled IN our lines and commenced 70 pay
attention TO the shark. he was mOnstrous
fellow, about fifteen feet long, and he kept
swimmi1g round and round the vessel,
sometimes on top the water and sometimes
away down deep below US, but always at
respectful distance. His reddish brown
body could be plainly seen through the clear
transparent green water, and you may be
sure nc was the cynosure Of all eyes. A
great many plans for his capture were dis
cussed, but none appeared practicable with
in our limited means. The engineer sug-
gested that II the shark would give him
time, he would forge proper hook and
chain, bat as the shark was unable 10 give
HIM guarantee he abandoned the project
While we were thus talking noticed the
native pilot every now and then throwing
overheard one Of the snappers we had 50
recently caught. And as the current car
ried II little distance clear Of the vessel
the shark would gobble it down, and, IN
fact, the int, ~ is were so regular that Mr..
shark seemed impatient when the regular
ity was broken by q little delay. We saw
that our pilot had some ultimate object in
view, and IL drew our attention TO him. |
had not particularly noticed the man before
this; more than that he was a fne-looking,
dark-skiEncd man with good European
features, but evidently Of mixed blood. AS
he was born al d raised on the coast, and
had probably served his pilots apprentice
ship as fisherman, he knew how to
deal with his inveterate foe, the shark.
Anyhow, we oil thought 40 and gave him
credit for il, and, although he did not say
much, he wont about 1t in very earnest
manner. After having thrown over ten
small @ sh be selected another little
larger than the others, and with a stick of
wood rpIlI1cd roll Of chewing tobacco
nearly o. ,.rge as mans hand down into
its belly und pressed its throat together
again. He held 1t ready to throw, and as
the shark came up, anxiously looking for its
fish, he tossed it to him, and. as it barely
touched the water the shark turned over
on its back and sucked it in. The shark then
swan on as usual to the side Of the vessel,
and then below US, and was apparently
rising again in the expectation Of another
fish when the nicotine commenced its work.
lis struggles and contortions were hor-
rible TO bohold as he darted here and there
In a blind rage and vomiting blood, but rs
he swan, or was carried by the current
away from US, his struggles grew grad
ually less, until it ceased altogether. The
tobacco had killed him.