The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-02
SNAPPERS FULL OF FIGHT.
THAT rs WHY PHILADELPHIA POLE
TICIANs EAT THEN.

Know-or Ysu may Read THIS veraoieus
story fren the wilde OF the susauehnnns.
II know now" said q Philadelphia, why
Philadelphia politicians arc 80 habitually and
uniformly scrappy-full Of fight and always
looking for It, just as II they couldn't help II.
and mover giving up even after they are, meta
phorically' speaking, dead. l used to think 1t
was because they were born bad. and grow up
that way. but 1t isn't that. 1t isn't innate bad
ness at all. It is snapper stew and snapper
soup, and other dishes of which snapper is the
life and soul. That's what IL Is, Ill tell you
how I know 1t.
Il had never como in contact with snapper
except by having seen it fol years announced
conspicuously in every Philadelphia refractory
where politicians congregate rs the one ~particu-
lar provider of the elements of sustenance con-
tained in the viands listed on the menus Of
those establishments, and where / had fire.
quently seen moro than q few eminent Phila-
delphia statesmen seated, each with q four
quart bowl of snapper something-or-other and
q bottle labelled as champagne before him,
doing full justice to both-if which same I
heard q rival and evidently maligning states
man say once, had been done to themselves,
they would be in much more contracted quar-
ters, partaking OF much more frugal ~rations, at
the expense of willing Taxpayers I had never
boen-puI spehklnB Oh champagne, tnllhuelpnlA
politicians arc beyond doubt the greatest con-
noisseurs In champagne labels In the known
world. They never buy or drink anything that
is'not contained in bottles with champagne
labels on them. And the label has got to be
right. AL Crawford, one Of the best all.round
Philadelphia statesmen that ever absorbed
snapper or ordered up . bottle, used to be o
great label expert. l have known him moro
than once to rebuke q barkecpor for setting up
q bottle bearing q wrong vintage label, and re-
fuse to be comforted until the barkecper had
taken the bottle to the other end Of the bar and
put the right label on II. I had seen such enor-
nous quantities Of champagne bottles opened
wherever and whenever Philadelphia politi-
clans happened to drop in, that one day, having
read in the papers that the phylloxera had at
tackled and almost ruined the vineyards Of
France that year., I was moved to ask the pro-
prietor Of one place where champagne bottles
were opened In particularly great numbers,
II hs Tnss't w oRRIafGSe Be eat sh shft il ah the aihi snpslPa
"'Oh. no. he said. confidently. 'Phyilo1era
never hits the Jersey apple Drop very hard
II suppose he knew what he meant.
well, l had never come in contact with
snapper, except in the way I mention. until
near Harrisburg, fishing for black bass in the
Susquehanna River. under the escort Of Col.
Jim Anthracite Sweeney Of Hazleton. Col.
Sweeney is also a statesman with a rowing COM
mission. He could be a Philadelphia statesman
exclusively, for Charley Voorhees,, ex.Resident
Quay when Quay. manipulated the Harrison
campaign OF 1888 in New York. and at present
fagghti1s member Of the LeEislature from a
points, but Col. Jim lacks two necessary quail.
t%cations- He can't mix scrap with politics, and
He L Escorted co ttsdilt me . on t this fishing trip. y We gS' weTe
fishing in the. deep water across from Squire, Nc.
and Alis / was piin ia snot Goa; fbs sesnss h Ma sa ID E Hss ne eSst
had room for his fish and his feet at the Same
time unless he had a boat all to himself. / had
caught quite a lot of big bass, but not one Of
them was half SO big as any one Of the seven
Col. Sweeney said had got away from him,
when we saw a great commotion In the water
q hundred yards or so below US. The water
was being dashed and tumbled until everything
boilsdi ,.., .,,.,,oo.a
exclaimed Col. Jim. i hooked him so bad that
he has come to the top down yonder and is CIV
ing I'M his dying . SiSs, That amt the biggest one
The Colonel pulled up his anchor and rowed
hq foli { g 'H Sim.i He IL I got there St s''t a fs@ yarns aqs
ahead he dor OF me and instantly threw up his hands
ut Amt my big bass. It's three snappers
Known tina. Il Il had been one o them bass o
mine ia have made the water fly a blame
II had reached the spot by this time. and I
give you my word. l was scared at first at
what l saw. Three of the ugliest, ttercest look
ing creatures l had ever seen were ightin
among themselves at a terrific rate. They paid
no attention. ~ US, UuL sVIhsDtl III luTdon6u
and churned that water until it looked like the
wake OF an ocean liner. One OF them was as
big around as a half bushel measure. He had
claws like q bears and a head as big as a Wild
by the squeaking fife player Of Garry
dandy! I must get him for Charley Voorhees!
watch my chance, While he beIted the other two
and drove them away. and catch the big fell
l Ss,,t sy the tail and haul him into my boat I
" It's easyi' shouted Col. Jim. 'Ho'n be as
peaceful as a lamb when he gets in the boat.
They're done up when they're out Of water.
They're harmless as doves thenl'
ones with the oar, but they didn't mind It a
the big fellow Topped around, and his tail
stuck right up toward mo; clutched it and
olinched together just then. and before they
discovered, what was doing / had the gigantic
snapper almost in the boat, although 1t was
all ! could do TO get him there, and came near
upsetting the boat in doing it. Just as /
hauled him over the gunwale the other two
rush at my boat like battering re ms. They
tried their best TO get into u after the one !
to lighting between themselves again, AID we
THE big. turtle hadn't been in my boat ten
seconds before he began to make a big hole in
Col. Jim Sweeney's reputation for veracious
speech. He rose on al fours, shot his ire
end OF at least six inches OF rhlnoceros-like
neck. and came for mo with open jaws. l
yelled, and retreated to the bow OF the boat.
Sit ON him!' shouted Col Sweeney, back.
ing his boat away the while. Sit on him!
Don't let him Tim get away He'll be a big help
'The Snapper gained tho bow with amazing
agility, and i jumped over him and got to the
stern,
pulling further and further away. Keep him
moying! II you don't think you can sit on him
and hold him down, keep him moying, .so.he
and get q feed bag TO shove him In
away he went, and the snapper turned and
advanced upon me from the bow. His fierce,
yellow eyes glared as he came toward me, his
enormous shell supported on four wrinkled
black legs, fully half a foot long. As no adj
yanced he would draw his head way back into
| tho cayernous shell and then shoot 1t out to the
full extent OF his tabby neck, at the same time
swapping his jaws; lie got TO the stern. and /
had to jump over him again to seek the bow.
! was keeping him moving and no mistake,
for thus il went, back and forth. back and forth
In that boat, tho snapper getting madden and
madden because he couldn't manage TO get a
hold on me, and my wind getting shorter and
shorter, until made up my mind that unless
long, or help came in some other shape, I'd have