The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-12
UNCLE JAKE Is MISSED,
A BAcKWooDS CHARACTER WHosn
CADLN GREW LONESOME
ue IND Lived rhcro FOR Ncnr-. nu, M, In.

Becoming Nr0Lrp. Tie Went Back to shin.
hoppir-A Waterman who Told stories.
The mountains OF Sullivan county mr.,
studded with many charming natural lake,
They arc from 1000 to l,SCO feet above sea
level, and all are in the midst OF piCturcyquc
wild, and romantic surroundings. These lake,
arc literally big springs of purcst water, ard
most of them arc famous hUunt9 Of black bass
%pickcrcl, and other game fish. The environ,
ment Of some OF them is almost as priniiiy,
as when the red men had their homes In TINT
region. Their very isolation made them puplr
lar years ago with lovers of the wild in nature
and preserved their wooded solitudcs. VIA
game in abundance roains the forests surround.
ing the lakes, the timid red deer and the provl.
ing black bear still lingering plentifully Their,
on the suburbs OF civilization.
One OF the most isolated rs well as the mos,
beautiful of these mountain lakes is Black
Lake. This rather awc.inspiring name wa.
given the lake perhaps because Of the dark
color Of its water, It's sombre hue being due =,
its great depth. Black Lake is in the town a,
Bethel, tho nearest railroad station being -,
Cochocton, on the Erie Railroad, in the uppc,
Delaware Valley. One OF the great attraction,
Of this popular sheet OF water is the cxccllen,
pickerel iisaing TO be found there. This at
traction will not be 80 much Of an attraction ia
many who used to visit the lake now that an
Oh lRlnlllar character known 10 them as tncle
Jake is there no more.
"unclo Jake" said n New Yorker, who is one
Of n party that has visited Black Lake every
season for many years, was n fisherman, hun.
ter, and guide who lived in n cabin in the wood,
not far from the lake. He had a wife, and a
Eousc always full of sons and daughters Of all
sizes. a hickory dress and sunbonnet USUALLY
comprised Mrs. Uncle Jake's wardrobe, while
the scions of the Uncle Jake stock disportcd
themselves dressed with q view to economy
that was frequently startling. But Uncle Jake
knew all about pickerel fishing, and his fund Of
"reminiscences of the sport was large. As to its
authenticity the listener had the fullest privi.
lego to draw his own conclusions.
"A popularity of Uncle Jake and his family.
which struck me the first time | ever saw them.
and which was ~clinging to them the last time
l saw them, was their taciturnity and snappish.
ness toward visitors until the capacity OF tho
latter's commissary department was made sat
isfactorily manifest 1t had passed into a prov.
erb Of the backwoods thcreabout that Uncle
Jake's folks always sized up a party by the
heft of their Jug II the supplies Of a party
were satisfactory, however. Uncle Jake and hi,
family were profuse in their welcome and gar.
rulous to a degree. They themselves had pal.
ates that were sensitive to the contact OF prod.
ucts of the still. no matter what the brand OF
90 ~ oeN sAANi iftA llIiu " 20
no lack of it If you wanted a satisfactory day
with them. The first time / visited Black Lake
some years ego. our party chose TO ride some
twenty miles over the mountains at night to see
there. and we carried a demijohn to chtcs I'd
the loneliness Of the journey somewhat. IA
we intended TO return in the same way, We.
not then acquainted with the inclination or
capacity Of Uncle Jakc's family, left the cca.;.
john. with the larger portion of Its content, in.
tArt. at the ga bin Tor Gaming while 80 p--.
OUT on the lake with the head of the fanny as
guide. When we returned to the cabin Mrs..
| ncie Jake was reclining peacefully on a ben n
outside the door, with her sunbonnet cockci On
ner head in a gomiicaI way. Near her wa, me
rabob. Other members of the family were dis.
tributed about the premises in various deg. -es
empty ef Mrs. t Uncle s Jazz and nd her Sas h hShs''1 md
plainly been making merry during our absence.
n" %.So i've d Tni au al F ihe shiskev M. Dov,
your he exclaimed. Yes, by great! Drinkcd IL
all all; hike tx . a In,saei Of unmanneFly pigs, and hain's
some idea OF The manner Of "reminiscences
Uncle Jake was wont TO entertain his visitors
Gent and efficient may be had from a couple Of
he made on occasion TO the status Of
plckerel In Black Lake in days that he remegn-
+, There seems to be a pleasin,, lot o pickcrel
pie. up in Delaware, county, the lond was %
~ "attA piihCICl tual NDen IL q lTtrgo
IN the winter the rickerel couldn't begin 10 gs
out o the way o the ice us ii cluz up around
SO that all we had to do when we wanted a mes
Plckerei TO eat or to sell was TO chop u hung
knox sSS f it to p iee pong e eSd a lSkS 1t s hSm s,a and
dozen OF EN- froze up in every square yard 90
o. pond water the frost had worked on. And
about half O. what them pickerels use TO can
for fear you'll think I'm stretchin' It. Seems
it bad enough to have 'em prowl around lid
our geese under the water and git away
cattle on we thought we might iesi Hun w VIii
pun up stakes and move back to shinhopp!e.
put we didn't: We jist grinned and bore IT..
lily pads, on hot days TO chaw their cuds and
cool on. and one day a flock O. them pickerel
deep water. drownded 'em, and sopbled EN- IN.
AFTER that we had to tie our cows up in the
from sacrifcin' themselves TO plclercl. N'p
brought a boss down with me from Shin.
egel . +; hs S Mas, s sns .s spssakip,, a t3l'shIo
peeled. But one day he turned up misstn.
We hunted the woods high and low for him,
There was a Teller that lived over on the Sackct5
Fond road. and he had took q great fancy 10 tho
my mind the Teller hadn't been satiSfci
YIN takin' a fancy to the horse: but had took
b ths horse or too 90 ~; yit we eouldp,t hx no,nin' onto
ke,ehed an all.whollopin' big pickerel, down
prised when dressed it to find horseshoe nails
y It's NAV. hadn't hardly thought OF even
hem rickcrels, but l knowed then where my
horse had gone to, But then pickerel is always
renienaous hungry, That Is, il they're
They'll eat anything thai comes tier
They'll do more than that, for i seen
: pig eiEht'pounder wunst, right over yenicr
Ter ~ his mouth and was taEin' up his own
IN at the rate of somethin' like three incnes
1t every gulp.
That plckcrol was so aw full ravcnish. and no
Ilsted SO good to hisself that 1t never struck
am what an unconsid' rat, fool he was maxim
hisseif III he had got outside OF hisself m.ss
ip 40 ms EiiIs. Then IL struck him, and 10
luit chopin, and looked round as shc,pi~h ~
! ned been ketched robbin' a crows nest.
myself, and when he seen me he was so 'sha'nri
NAT MIS- gilis turned three times as red A. tlcy
was; and they WAS rcdder than n TURKEY COB
DICT = wattlcs TO start with. and he stcrrCd III
Ne ma, lett OF hisself. into the weeds and hid.
days aftcrward ! was trollin' along lhcrs
ma hooked onto one that gave me n iue>ri:
w men l got II ready to land ] seen tni
SctCneu that uuru fool lirkptn1 Tint lind ,,tsn