The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-10-29
OF BULLHEADS.
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN HoRIooNz
LAKE FRO1E DEEP.

Not SinK-F6Q TO HOGS ana Horses.
Chicago Cor. Of Forest and Stream.
Ihave received permission to tell the Ke-
koskee fish story, provided that do go in
careful and temperate manner. I do not
know how to obey this injunction better
than by giving it in the words OF DR..
Clark Of Mayville, Wis, from whom we first
heard t.
These events happened before the war;"
said he. They are 80 singular and improb-
able that always hesitate about telling the
story. You will probably laugh at me and
net believe me, yes every word of this IS true.
"The winter Of 1860 was very GOLD. At
ahat time q vast lske covered the whole
ground where Horizon marsh now is.
This lake was full of fish, and when the ice
had frozen deep over every portion of the
lake these fish became distressed for air
The Rock river, as you know, Is lively
stream, and, as you have noticed, it has a
stretch of swift water just below the
great dam at Kekoskee. TnIs dam existed
Al the time OF the story. You have LOOKED
with your own eyes upon the very spot
where these startling incidents occurred.
1.-THE fish, unable to breathe in the hal solid
lake. crowded up the live channel of the
Ros K river, making for the hole which the
swift water kept open In the ice below kekos-
kee dam. Most Of these fish were bull
heads. and no river of salmon ever equaled
kbis run of bullheads. II is six miles from
the lake up 10 Kekos6ee dam, and the ice on
abe river was two feet thick, yet the whole
bed OF the river-forty yards wide-was for
six miles 50 packed with bullheads that the
heavy covering IT tough ice in places rolled
and tossed like the waves Of the sea, so
desperate was the struggle OF the horny host
beneath 1t.
"The first arrival of the run Of the fish ct
hi ira.E h,ya
eruption Of bullheads, fifty feet across and
about twelve feet high. The pressure of
the fish behind was sirnUly enormous.
The fish could not get back in the W ter,
and so slid out on the ice, covering IL in
every direction for hundreds OF wards to
q depth varying from six inches to two
feet.
"The air was filed with strange, low
murmuring sound, which could be heard
nearly mile around. Old settlerssay they
have never heard such a sound since.
Dreading some unknown calamity, they
fastened to the spot, and there, as you may
suppose, their dread was turned TO JOY. Be-
fore noon Of that day every team OF the
whole neighborhood was at the dam, hauling
bullheads. The amount of bullheads taken
from that spot hesitate to state, for fear
you will not believe il. You cannot believe
It. do not ask you to believe it. No one
believes it. They always laugh ct Us when
we tell this story, and think We have gone
crazy. In Wisconsin the term Kekoskee
man is used to designate one who has a
wheel in his head. No Kekosxee ma has
been believed on oath or ad nit ed 10 the
jury in Wisconsin since 1860. This unearned
reputation has ruined the town. You see
it as it lie, silent, almost deserted, a few
empty buildings standing as monuments
to q town martyTed unto ruin by TOO strict
an sdherence to the truth. For every word
Of this story is true.
"If you will come with me about mile out
In the country, will introduce you to the
widow Snelder, now an old lady. The
Widow SneIder will tell you that on one
morning she counted go wagon loads of
bullheads on their way from the geyser
below the dam. This was only one nom
ing and the run lasted for two weeks. or
course, this number Of wagons represents
only part Of those which passed, and this
was only one road of several leading out
into the country.
1.-THE bullheads were shoveled into the
wagons like pc atoes, aud the regular price
was p cents u load, a nominal
SUN, covering the shoveling only. One man
who shoveled there fought him farm in
this vi3ipity with the money SO earned.
The bullheads we're hauled out into the
country and used largely for manure
There is no richer land in Wisconsin than
this has been since 1860. All the farmers
fed the Lullheads to their hogs, and for two
years after that you couldn't ge5 a decent
piece Of pork in this part Of tue state. 1t
was all fishy. The hogs took naturally to
worms aud liver after that, and some Of
them evinced rudimentary gllls beh nd the
ears. y, / don't blame you for doubling
this. They all do.
There was ford on the road at this point
Of the river, but the wagons could not get
into the u alter. After the first eruption OF
oullheads had subsidized planks were laid
across on the living pontoon bridge of fisn,
aad on these the teams crossed.
Even after the run had subsidized very
much, dogs and children were known to
s run across the open hole on the backs of the
4 bullheads. Still later in the run, after tue
N hsh had thinued out great DEAL u man we'll
known IN this community-Julius Cornell
slipped from the ice aud fell into the hole.
lie could not get into the water for the fish.
81 You smile at this. 1 do not blame you.
# We used to do it. No one ever believes this
story.
"a After the bullheads thinned out 80 you
could get spear through them as they lay
10 matted layer, it was disco Vered that
there we're layers Of bass and pickerel.
"Of course everybody that winter lived on
Dullheads and they were used in many ways.
as have said, the farmers fed them TO
Their hogs. We had lazy sort of express
down old horse which dated back to the
mexican war and was called Santa Anna
brush insisted that he was too poor to buy
santa Anna hay, aud SO he fed him bull
neads all winter, and that was everything
the horse had to eat for four months.
" laugh II you want to, we're used to 1t.
but III take you out and show you Santa
anna, good healthy sort Of horse to-day.
brush has moved to Bayaeld, but you ASK any
cltizen OF this town if Santa Anna didn't
4 I'VE on bullheads, and II he don't tell you
qst what have I'll retrsct tb Q whole story.
gu needn't think for a minute that I'm
.eiRlng to you out Of my head. These
tnings are facts and you can get all the
proot you want. You just go out alone;
pon take me along; but just stop any citizen
Mayvllle you meet and ask him how
sCoue the Kekoskee bullheads. That's all
va you to do. You just sifJ this story and
= 81 II you don't find it true"
we did sift the story aud we did find il
rus That is the singular thing about the
WY, and that is why l call it the most
Snsrkable story ever heard. The facts
uemselves are not beyond the range OF
aglnatlon, but to have a whole community
" up and testify to their truth--that
ttoVes that imagination has nothing to do
Nh 1t, and that the facts are facts
Te and simple. Ordinarily one man
S a fish story. Here 200 tell
and tell 1t just the same. The
'iuenoe is Legal, convincing, Overwhelming.
~ the total if nakaa I'm tho srrapdact