Fort Wrangel news., 1898-06-15
X HUGE iiALiBUT.
Sunday Fishing Success. Great Excitement at the Davidge Wharf. which was Transferred
 to the Beach In Front Of the News Office.

the Davidge Wharf. which was Transferred
 to the Beach In Front of the News Office
 Last Sunday was a beautiful day. A trifle too warm for comfort, but i'll all other respects perfection itself. There were no arrival of Sound boats and the usual Sunday reading could not be made a pleasure or pastime. There were no church services or Sunday school to attend and the people put in the time as best they could. A number of small boats were out on the bay, made up of fishing and pleasure par ties, while others after the noon day meal sought rest and recreation fishing off of the three wharves that adorn our water front Among the latter was Mr. w. Foster, the happy landlord of the Joplin hotel He chose the Dav- idge wharf from which to try his luck as fisherman. A goodly number of people were on the dock, but Foster sought seclusion, or as nearly so as could be enjoyed on the wharf. He cast his hook and line into the briny deep and quietly waited for something to turn up. Foster is full of patience -Missourians generally are-and he sat there like a statue, scarcely moving
 
 fly would light on his nose or Il mosqui- to stick his javelin into the back of his neck, and then he would drive them away with kind of mechanical mo ton, scarcely thinking of what he was doing. Well. Poster fished and fished, apparently half awake and half asleep. Occasionally the glare from the glass like water would strike his half opened l,a, Ia of his straw hat pull to better protect them. Whether he was half dreaming, or in reality wide awake, we do not know What Was passing in his mind was equally mystery to us. He may have thought of capturing big fish; he may have thought of his former eastern friends and home, or of his eX- cellent wife and lovely little child who know But all of a sudden he jumped to his feet-he was excited-a huge fish had taken hold of his hook and was making for deep water. The slack i'll his line as well as that part not before in use was paid out. The end of the line was securely fastened and the fish slowly pulled toward the wharf At this time, Jack Collins happened to be passing in light row boat. lou can always count on Jack being there" if there is any fun going oil. Jack was hailed and he took the fish in tow. Some of the time Jack lowed the fish and some of the time the fish lowed Jack and his frail craft. It was fun to see the fish whirl Jacks boat around and skedaddle off with it. Then Jack would slow the fish up and tow awhile himself It took Jack three-quarters of an hour to get the fish to the beach, d distance of some three hundred yards.
 Our hero was fully awake by this time-it is very awakening thing to catch great big fish.
 The fish was lowed into shallow wat CT and Foster tried to stick an old dull fork into it, which for the first time was discovered to be huge halibut. This fork only frightened him, and away he scudded, with the crowd yell ing, give him line After going out hundred feet or more the line was frightened up and he was again hauled into shallow water. The News man brought Il Smith and Wesson revol- yer from the arsenal of the office, and taking the weapon Jack let fly ball into the halibut's head. which put quietus to any further danger of losing the monster.
 The News man measured him; he was five feet one and one-half inches long His weight was over one hun dred pounds.
 He was loaded into boat and taken to the Joplin house on the South side.
 Of course fish are plentiful here, but catching them of that size from wharf is rare occurrence.