Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-08-31
STRANGLED BY AN EEL.
EXPERIENCE OF A YOUNG
COUPLE WHILE FISHING.
Riil Fisher and Old Jim Atklnson's
Youngest Daughter werc Successful
In Hooking the Finny Tribe Incl
dents Which Occurred Later.

dents Which Occurred Later.
"Talk about hard luck" said Jacob
Fisher, 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 luck's no name for
what my son Billy passed through
yesterday. He took u 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. When
they arrived there they took a train
and rode down to Lafayette, where
Bill hired boat and rowcd 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 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 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 go 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 ovcrbalanced herself
and went backward on the island and
down came the squirmiug, wriggling
and Shiny eel on her head, and the
first thing she and Bill knowed it
had wound itself round her neck.
Bill hurried to her assistance and
pulling out his knife cut the cells
head Off 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 little while; then he had
to take lot of mud and rub it on her
neck to get the slime of the eel Oft
He said she was a 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 it 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 "a dozen steps from shore, when
he struck his foot againsta rock that
sent him sprawling in the water and
he had a 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
| aud 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 scream which
/ Bill said made his hair stand up on
his head They had hardly recovered
! from their fright when two big billy
/ goats, as white as snow, made a dive
at them, They jumped to one side
! to avoid the blows, and went head
over heels down a steep embankmcnt
! and landed on the bottom among a
| lot of blackberry and elder bushes
right on top of the goats, which were
! both killed, and as dead as cooked
! mackerel. Bill managed to get Nell
lie out of the bushes and up the hill
! again, and seeing light III farm
house, walked towards it They
were given hearty welcome, and
one of the women took Nellie up
stairs and loaned her some dry
clothes. Then the folks got EN-
something TO cat, and after supper
! the man hitched horse to his wagon
( where they took train for Norris
town, whore Bill hired a hack and
they were driven home,
ut 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 get
Bill 81 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 wher
in comes her father. as mad AZ 9
hornet. and threatened to Hog my
Bill for getting his Nellie into sc
much trouble.
'Bill felt as bad as he did, anG
the first thing | knew he had twisted
old Atkinson up in "a knot and threw
him over the front fence into The
road. Bill started out afterward:
and said he was going back to wher,
he lost the fish and wouldn't com,
back till he got them. "--Philadelphi;
Times.
His Full Duty.
The late Bishop Sclwyn, OF New
Zealand and Melanesia, was vel
known during his university days a