Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1896-01-02

successful investments my father lost
all he had"
Where did you go to school, SEN
ator?"
Il had hard time to get an educa-
tion," replied Senator Thurston. i
went to the common schools at Madi-
son and Beaver Dam, and afterwards
worked my way through a small col
lege in Wisconsin. The most of my
schooling was during the spring and
fall. My summers and winters were
devoted to work"
What kind OF work, senator
"All kinds, was the reply. did
anything | could get to do. ! worked
with my father on the farm, and re-
member | once made lot OF money
making fence. | got II cents 4 rod,
aud have made MS high as forty rods
a day, which any fencemakcr viii tell
you Is pretty good work, The fence
was OF boards. The posts had to be
sunken into the ground and four
loards nailed on to them ana another
board on top. The posts must be OF
an even length and most OF them had
70 be sawed Off after they were set.
| made considerable in this way, but
the chief part Of my income came
from hunting and fishing. which !
carried on IN the winter
How could you fish in the winter?
! asked.
I'VE hshed through the ice was
the reply. There Is a large lake near
the town OF Beaver Dam, and at the
time lived there this was full Of
FISH. Hundreds OF tons were caught
every winter, and remember one
winter when | shipped 100 tons Of
fish myself. | caught a great many OF
these and bought others, ana J made
that winter just about $1,000. Have
YOU ever seen how they fish through
| the lee?
NO" said l. How did you do it?'
I'VE built little houses on the Ice, "
replied the senator. Each OF these
| |. 1uses was just four and half feet
square and five feet high, They were
entirely closed and had doors, but no
/ windows In the back of the house
/ there was little sheet iron stove, the
! pipe OF which went out of the top, ana
which kept rs warm. We would cut
d hole in the Ice in front of the stove,
and, owing to the comparative dark
ness, were able to look down into 1t
and see the fish As they swan about
beneath. We used decoy bats OF
wood, with tin wings fixed to them.
These were so fastened to the line
that they twisted and turned as we
pulled mt It. The fish would nose
about the bait, and we would catch
them by driving spears into them
our best fish were pickercl, and those
we caught weighed all the way from
two and one-half to twenty-five
mounds. When the weather was warn
wo often cut holes in the ice outside
the houses and lishcd with genuine
bait
You spoke about hunting, senator
II should have said trapping was
the reply. This lake nj Beaver Dan
was surrounded by marshes ana ilcS'
were the natural home OF muskrnt'
and minlls. used TO set traps abou
the edge OF the lake, and | would Nisi
them every morning to see what ha'
caught, had aa many rs forty trap
some winters, and have many time
caught twenty rats In a single morn
ng. When tho ice was good Goul'
skate around from one trap to anothr
and visit all Of them before breakfast
WAS thcrr much money IN IT.
yes" replied the United states sen
ator. "fherc was Il good deal IN II 10
boy, | used 10 grl 10 cents Tor
muskrat skin, and a haul Of twent
skins meant just SIS to me.