The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-18

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each other 5 r~.4lpssAy. 4Ilat we both were
enthusiastic fishermen had much to do
with our rapidly developed intimacy. We
arranged to go fishing early one morning
in a famous trout stream up the side OF
ono of the picturesque Blue Ridge chain.
Before retiring on the eve of our departure
Twas surprised to note that General Hamp-
ton did not join me in my preparations,
such as the oy~erhauling of tackle and the
stocking up on bait. The general said,
when I asked him about it, that bait and
tackle were tho least of his troubles when
he went out for trout. What bothered an
old man like him most was his knees and
the cramps. For the life of me couldn't
imagine what the general was getting at.
But 1 kept silent, fearing he might think
me an ignoramus.
well, you can imagine how puzzled |
was the morning we started to behold the
old general wearing rubber boots, old
clothes, and a lone basket strapped on his
back, the only evidence that he was going
fishing instead of being about to embark on
q hay ride. Still / made no comment, be-
lieying that the general had sent a servant
ahead with his rod and reel. When we
reached the stream, I selected a promising
little eddy and cast my hook. The general
strolled some hundred yards ahead of me,
and I lost sight of him behind an over
hanging bowlder.
"I fished until the sun directly overhead
told me it was noon. Bless your hearts,
gentlemen, I didn't catch a fsh-didn't
even have a good nibble. The reason will
perhaps cause you to wonder, but it is Cos
pei truth. Old General Hampton had
hypnotized every blooming trout in the
stream and was picking them out of the
water one by one. His catch for the half
day, if my memory doesn't fail me, was
1928, all fine, large fellows too. After reel
ing up my line in disgust at the luck, |
walked toward the spot from where GEN
eral Hampton had called me. AS I round
ed the bowlder l came upon the general
from behind. All around him on the
ground were trout. Each fish wore IN ex-
preston of ineffable delight as it lay in
passive bliss, never turning G fin or at
tempting to wiggle back to water. Those
that had died died happy. Their wide,
toothless mouths CAPPED in a smile of &c
stasy, and those which were dying were
dying with easy breaths like signs of per-
feet c~ontentlnent.
General Hampton was on his knees at
the edge of the stream. One arm was
bared and the hand was thrust into the
water. Occasionally it was withdrawn,
the palm held upward. In it each time
was a beauty of a speckled trout, smiling
peacefully as the general would tickle its
little 'tummie' with his fingers. Gentle
men, that was the secret of General Hamp-
toms success with the fish. He tickled
them as they swan over his hand, aid
they liked being tickled SO well they re-
fused to swim away. All that was left for
him then to do was to lift the fish out of
water.
II tried it myself, and, though did sue
ceed in tickling one or two on the dry
land, 1 didn't nave General Hampton's
magnetism. He was the only man I ever
knew who could hypnotize fish,"
Edward Baker related the following:
"A friend of mine in England who is a
breeder Of fish as well as q great angler
once told me that the average full grown
salmon had as much strength in its tail
and fippers as a kangaroo has in It's hind
legs. ! was q bit skeptical, but he proved
it to ms. He took me to a chain of small
lakes in which salmon abounded, and,
bidding me keep watch at a certain point,
he rowed out in a BOAT and began churn-
ing the water with the paddles. This was
done to brighten the salmon and cause
them to flee in the direction where l was
standing. Soon I could see the surface Of
the lake iercely agitated. A school of fish
was plainly coming my way. Suddenly
there shot from the water a cleaning OBJ
ject like FURNISHED gold. 1t went into the
air as If it had wings. 1t described a cir
Gle over my head and fell in the grass 80
or 40 feet behind me. It was a gigantic
salmon, fully 5 feet long For a few Sec
ends it lay in the grass where it fell.
while I was too amazed TO move AT laS6
/ made toward it, but before l could get
near it the thing Strengthened itself up
and began bounding away like a reindeer.
It soon covered the distance of a hundred
yards to the vast lake, and, diving into
the water, was lost sight of Highly as I
regard the gentleman, my friends, who
was the means of my witnessing this y
traordinary performance, 4 must confess
that | feel / should always have doubted
his word for it had ! not seen with mine
own eyes,,
Duncan Joys contribution to there,ni-