The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-08-31
'STRAN GLED BY AN EEL.
EXPERIENCE OF a YOUNG
COUPLE WHILE FISHING.
Bill Fisher and Old Jim Atklnsou.s !.
Youngest daughter Were sucesssfnA.
g. In Hooking the Finny Tribe-IncI-
dents Which Occurred Later


Youngest Daughter Were Successful
& in Hooking the Finny Tribe-Iaes-.
dents Which Occurred Later.
''Talk about hard luck" said Jacob.
Fisher, a well-knQwn resident Of
White Marsh, as he seated himself
on a rustic settee in front OF the old
pike hotel addressing a group OF
regulars, .'hard luck's no name for
what my son Billy passed through
yesterday. He took a 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. Whens
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 disembarkea
and began to fish. '
s'Well, Bill and Jim AtkinsonHs
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 I'D.
and down when the fish would bite
and then land the nibblers on tsse
island. They kept on till it 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 saaza.
fish that he had to make three.
strings of 'em. ~ .. %F
''Nellie continued to fish till every
thing else was ready, and just as Bian
told her to get ready to go she got 81
splendid bite and she pulled ana
hooked the bitter She pulled witza
all her might and up came an eeE
fully four feet long. She gave such
pull that she overbalanced herself
and went backward on the island and
down came the squirming, wriggl1ng
and Shiny eel on her head, and the
first thing she and Bill knowed III.
had wound itself round her neeRz-
Bill hurried to her assistance zzaczzt
pulling out his knife cut the eea,s4
head off and then began to unwind H..
Nellie tainted and Bill thought she,
was dead. He threw handfuls sG::
water over her face. That brought
her too in a little while; them he Esssza
to take lot of mud and rub il OLE her
neck to get the slime of the eel easEr.
He said she was a picture when hsr
got through.
"Well, they got ready to go and
walked down to where they had lsaG
the boat, only to find that it 12zN
drifted away. Bill said he yelled fsps-
help as loud as he could, out nobody
heard him but Nellie. When he
found no one was coming he Hadel
in the water towards the west slaDHe
and found that the water was only
up to his waist in the deepest pzra-
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. Hken
he struck his foot againsta rock that.
sent him sprawling in the water andg
he had hard job in dragging her u.s.
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 NJ.
melted ice, ..-.t,r .3#
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 nves-
they couldn't tell which way they
wore going. But they kept on. know
ing they would come out somewhere.
in a little while. They hadn't gone
far when Nellie gave scream which,
Bill said made his hair stand NJ, on.
his head. They had hardly recovered.
from their fright when two big billy
goats, as white as snow, made q dive,
at them. They jumped to one side
to avoid the blows, and went bead
over heels down steep embanku1euf
and landed on the bottom among -.
lot of blackberry and elder busa,es,
right on top Of the goats, which we're.
both killed, and as dead as cooEBM
mackerel Bill managed to get Mel
lie out OF the bushes and up the Mla
again, and seeing light in a farna-
house, walked towards it T1aev
were given a hearty welcome, aniH
one of the women took Nellie u1,
stairs and loaned her some dry:
clothes. Then the folks got ,ens
something to eat, and after supper
the man hitched horse to his wagon,
and drove them to Conshohoeas.
where they took a train for NORRIS
town, where Bill hired hack ana
they were driven home.
1T was almost daylight this morn
Ing when Bill woke me and his
mother up by pounding on the door.
| had to go downstairs to let him
and Nellie in and then had to ret
Bill IS to pay the hackman. Nellie
stayed at our house till after break
fast, when she went home. She
hadn't been gone half an hour x a,rns
in comes her father. as mad az 4.
hornet. and threatened to Hog nay
fNvvi@ L Y.11s