Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1897-08-27
SHORT REVIEW.
Honest Johns Methods Of Trout
Culture.

Ills Domain Included Both Pike and
sussex-An Were Fish which Came
to His Net.
Honest John does not take an
honest view Of the fish question,
and I wish to show you that his
position toward tho Flat Brook Club
is not fair His distortion of facts
bearing on their interests, and his
inconsistency in the promises de-
serves rebuke. 1 will show you, that
the club has dealt generously with
him in the past, and been very leni-
ent with his folly in later days.
After the club had built their ponds
they agreed TO pay regular price
for trout, to stock them with, and
this price was fixed according to
size of the trout, from ten cents to
one dollar each. These sums were
paid to all who brought them trout
Samuel Smith, the veteran tie man,
sold a large trout weighing two
pounds to the club for one dollar
Nicholas Merring sold them the
trout from his private pond, for
round price John Raser sold them
the trout from his spring, and Abram
Rutan from his own brook, and 80
with many others who took their
trout from their own springs, brooks
or ponds and received value there
for These were legitimate trans
actions as were the actions of the
club III every case. But when Hon
est? John(who in this case is not
h honest at ALI who didn' t own a foot
of trout stream, begins to sell the
club trout, what are you going to
think of him. Just stop, and think
one minute, right here; this man
had no trout, yet secured Sussex
and Pike counties for them, and
caught them wherever he could, even
spending two days back as far as
Porters Lake on the Saw Creek,
Is miles back. He sold the club
more trout than any other one man.
More even than the notorious Cass
HO we'll and Ed Layton both, and
took the clubs good money for them
How do | know it2 The books of
the Flat Brook club will show it, and
he dare not deny it. Why did the
C lub not show this up beforeY
Because they did not think man so
deep in the mire could be such a fool
as to keep up his misrepresentation,
and attacks on the club And yet
this man who lives in a glass house
sets himself up as a pattern of
morality, joins the church, and con-
demns the club. He who received
the clubs good money, and lots of it
for trout, and didn't own a trout
just think of it. 1t would be Just
as right now, as it was then, pro-
vided he was getting his share of
the filthy lucre. The club has al
ways occupied legitimate position.
They wanted trout, and they paid
for them when brought them. They
hired no one to steal them, nor
could they always institute inquiries
as to whether those who brought
them were the legitimate owners of
them. That mon should steal trout,
and bring them was not their fault.
Those who did should have held
their peace but it is better as it is
perhaps, for " when rogues fall out,
honest mon sometimes get their
dues. AS have told you before.
this man will not bear close ac-
quaintanoe, and the more you know
of him the less you win be able to
think of him. It is hard to brush
aside facts, and these are hard stub
born facts. If the club were as an
xious as he seems to be, TO adopt the
policy of 'giving tit for tat, You
shoot my dog, I'll shoot your cat,
they could, and would publish some
very interesting facts about Hon
est Johns connection with the
trout business that would be much
more interesting for his neighbors
than it would for himself In the
words of Honest ? John " we shall
see what we shall see" H.