Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-10-07
STRANGLED BY AN EEL.
EXPERIENCE OF a YOUNG
COUPLE WHILE FISHING.
BIN Fisher aud old Jim Atkinson's
Youngest Daughter Were Successful
In Hooking the Finny Tribe-Inei-
dents which Occurred Later.

Fisher, a well-known resident OF
White Marsh, as he seated himself
on a rustic settee in front OF the old
pike hotel addressing group of
regulars, ''hard luek's no name for
what my son Billy passed through
Yesterday. He took day off from
his work in the wagon shop, and with
Nellie Atkinson. old Jim Atkinson's
youngest daughter, went over to
Norristown to spend the afternoon
fishing in the Sckuylkill. Whom
they arrived there they took train
and rode down TO Lafayette, where
Bill hired a boat and rowed up to the
little island. where they disembarked
and began to fish.
.Well. Bill and Jim Atkinson's
Nellie began fishing on the island
and got so absorbed in the work that
they paid no attention to the flight
of time or anything else. They just
kept ON watching their corks bob up
and down when the fish would bite
and then land the nibblers on the
island. They kept on till II became
so dark that they couldn't see the
corks Then Nellie suggested that
they'd better get ready to return
home. Bill he consented. and. after
winding up his line, cut long will
low switch, on which he strung the
fish. but there were so many black
bass, catfish, clubs, suckers and sun
fish that he had TO make three
strings OF 'em.
..Nellie continued to fish till every
thing else was ready, and just as Bill
told her to get ready TO 60 she got a
splendid bite and she pulled and
hooked the bitter. She pulled with
all her might and up came an eel
fully four feet long. She gave such
a pull that she overbalanced herself
and went backward on the island and
down came the squirming. wriggling
and Shiny eel on her head. and the
first thing she and Bill knowed 1t
had wound itself round her neck.
Bill hurried to her assistance and
pulling out his knife cut the cells
head of and then began to unwind IL
Nellie tainted and Bill thought she
was dead. He threw handfuls OF
water over her face. That brought
her too in a little while; then he had
to take lot OF mud and rub It on her
neck to get the slime OF the eel of.
He said she was picture when he
got through.
well. they got ready to go and
walked down TO where they had left
the boat, only to find that 1t had
drifted away. Bill said he yelled for
help as loud as he could, but nobody
heard him but Nellie. When he
found no one was coming he waded
in the water towards the west shore
and found that the water was only
up to his waist in the deepest part.
He carried the fish and things over
on his first trip and then went back
| for Nellie, who sat upon his shoulder.
He got along all right until within
| about dozen steps from shore. when
he struck his foot against rock that
sent him sprawling in the water and
he had hard job in dragging her to
shore. After they got to shore they
walked through the bushes to the
river road and looked like two
drowned rats and felt as damp as
melted ice.
..They found the road too dusty
and took to cutting across fields, and
the first thing they knew they had
lost their bearings and for their lives
they couldn't tell which way they
were going. But they kept on. know.
| ing they would come out somewhere
in little while. They hadn't gone
far when Nellie gave a scream which
Bill said made his hair stand up or
his head. They had hardly recovered
from their fright when two big billy
! goats, as white as snow, made dive
at them They jumped to one side
to avoid the blows, and went head
over heels down steep embankment
and landed on the bottom among {
lot of blackberry and elder bushes
right on top Of the goats, which were
both killed, and as dead as a cooked
mackerel Bill managed to get Mel
lie out OF the bushes and up the hill
again, and seeing light in farm
house, walked towards it. They
were given a hearty welcome, anC
one of the women took Nellie NJ
stairs and loaned her some dr.
clothes Then the folks got EN-
something to eat, and after supper
the man hitched horse to his wager
and drove them to Conshohock
where they took train for Norris
town, where Bill hired hack ant
they were driven home.
at was almost daylight this morn
ing when Bill woke me and hi
mother up by pounding on the door
/ had to go downstairs to let hin
and Nellie in and then had to ge
Bill SO to pay the hackman. Nelli'
stayed at our house till after break
fast, when she went home. Sh,
hadn't been gone half an hour whei
in comes her father. as mad az
hornet. and threatened TO Hog m,
Bill for getting his Nellie into s,
much trouble.
"Bill felt as bad as he did, an,
the first thing / knew he had twisted
Il -.