The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-05
THE PROFESSORS FISH STORY.
1t Embraces Not Only Pickerel and
Frogs, but Also Charming Young
Woman
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
my friend Prof. Spencer, of Brooklyn,
spent the summer up in Hamilton county,"
said a member of the Salmagundi Club,
and he came back with renewed health
and the choicest collection OF fish stories
that was ever got together He does
especially on one particular story IN that
collection, and l don't blame him He and
friend of his, whose name he says, was
L. E. Everest, and another man, whose
name he does not give, because he
promised not to, went trolling for pickerel
one day on a little lake somewhere in the
vicinity of Piseco Lake They fished half
day and landed nifty pickerel.
"A good many of them would weigh
six pounds says the professor, and one
of them was as long as rope and as big
as dish
But the story is about the last pick
erel of the catch. The professors friend
Everest was winding in his line when
pickerel struck his troll, He hooked it,
and from the way 1t pulled and tugged
and cut up they all thought it must be a
tremendous one. The queer thing about
the fish was that sometimes it didn't
seem to put much weight against being
hauled in toward the boat. ana then again
it would seem to hold back like log. and
Everest had to give II about all the line
he had pulled in. BY and by he got it
near the boat, and they were all sur
paised TO see that IL wasn't any more
than three FOUNDER. But while they
were wondering at the fight it had made
the reason for it was revealed. A pick
erel that showed up as big as n shark
was in its wake, and grabbed it right I'M
der the very noses of the surprised fish
ermen, and ran of with il in way that
made the line play out again at the rate
of twenty feet a second.
After the big pickerel had taken the
one on the line about 200 feet
from the boat, it let go Of it again, and
Everest hauled in as fast as he could. He
got the fish to the boat, and, as he swung
IL over the gunwale, the big pickerel
came to the front again, and made a Jump
for the other one as it was poised for a
moment between wind and water But
the savage old fellow missed Everest's
fish, and fell back in the water with a
splash that drenched the fishermen
Prof. Spencer, in his excitement, gra bbed
an oar and struck at the big ,pickerel as
it tumbled back That made the fish
angry, and it rushed COR the oar blade
The oar blade was eight inches wide,
! but the pickerel hooked the teeth
| of its upper jaw on ono edge
| of the blade and those OF its lower law on
! the other edge with as much ease as it
| might have closed its jaw on a minnow.
| That was unfortunate for the pickerel,
though, for Prof Spencer gave the oars a
swoop with the impetus of the big fish S
| rush, and swung the fierce pickerel into
| tho boat. This didn't serve to cool IL
| it down bit, for it let 20 of the oar blade
and sprang at the professor. He hit it
| with the oar, and the other two men went
| at ii each with a quart bottle. The three
men had been fishing four or five hours
or the bottles would have been heavier
and their Efficacy much greater as
weapons in the fight with the pickerel.
| AS it was, it required five minutes
| humping with the bottles and the oars
before the pickerel was vanquished and
the safety of the fishermen assured.
THE pickerel Everest had hooked, and
| the possession Of which the big one had
disputed with him, was badly ripped and
! SCARED by the sharp teeth of the other
| Everest was about 10 throw it overheard,
when he noticed big protuberance in its
| stomach. They cut the fish open and
| found a tremendous big frog inside of it,.
! The frog was alive, and, after winking
and blinking at its rescuers for a minute
or so, squaJted TO take leap. The leap
| was not a success, and il was apparent
| that the frog was handicapped by some
| thing, as its conduct was somewhat like
| that of Jim Smilys famous frog. In the
interest of science Prof. Spencer killed
| the frog and opened IT, | don't blame
the professor nor his friends for being
! surprised at what they found inside the
/ frog They found lady's gold watch-a
/ very valuable gold watch-with a blue
/ ribbon and gold buckle fast TO it, and it
was ticking away merrilY. and told the
| fisherman that il was then just IL o'clock
and & minutes. There was no sign ABOUT
| the big pickerel that it had encum be red
its stomach with everything out of the
| line of regular pickerel diet, but they laid
the late savage old chap open. They
found pair of india rubbers and a yellow
garter inside the pickereL The over
| shoes were lady's size, number 4. The
| garter's size was not known, but IL was of
| interesting proportion.
"Prof. Spencer was greatly disturbed
over these discoveries, for, having wit
messed the disposition of the big pickerel,
he was firm in the belief that the owner
| of the watch, overShoes and garter had
fallen victim TO it. The fishermen lost nc
time IN returning to their hotel. with the
news of their fishing experience and their
startling piscatorial discoveries The
guests soon focked about them, and a
very charming young lady from Albany
the professor said claimed the watch
and the overshoes and proved her prop
erty. She said she had accidentally
dropped them out Of boat into the lake
that morning while out rowing. She did
not lay claim to the garter, but the pro
fessor says that she said, with very
pronounced blush:
" If you please tell the clerk to put il
in the pigeonhole Of No. 7, at the ONCE,
think the owner will get it,
THE professor did so. Subsequently
he learned, accidentally, he said. thai
the pigeonhole of No. corresponded Il
to the number of the room the charming
young LADY from Albany occupied AnC
that's all he knows about it, That's the
professors fish story, and l don't blame
him for doting on it,"