Arizona republican., 1899-05-09
A RESTORED REPUTATION
The Existence of Cat Fish in inc
 Salt River Established.

About year ago Br'er Roberts. a worthy pillar Of the A. NJ E. church of this place, passed into clcud from
 which he did not emerge until yester- day. He electrified his brethren one day by the announcement that he had
 encountered a school of catfish in a
 pool, about four mile below the city,
 and had brought several Of the pupils
 home with him. TLe statement was
 aa extraordinary that suspicion at once tarnished Br'er Roberts hitherto un-
 blemished reputation for veracity. No
 body had ever heard CT dreamed of a
 catfish in ohe Salt river
 Br'er Shirley and Br'er Stearns were
 cate himself frcm ignoniny and of fercd to go with him to take a look at
 the catfish and taste them so that
 they could testify in his behalf in case
 charges should be preferred against
 hiIA. Br'er Roberts said the fish had
 been eaten, but he would che9rfully exhibit the heads, which he had thrown in the-tack yard. The witnesses went along and after a long and painful search fer the heads Bri CT Roberts was forces 'S-. the conclusion that the ''dsIgs" must have destroyed them as well as his reputation as an honest and reliable citizen
 He invited further investigation and a committas of inquiry was appointed to accompany him to the peel where he said he had caught the catfish. The report of that committee censured Br'er Roberts and he became a has was in the church.
 Since then he has been fishing up and i,-sWn the river in and out of season, ever hoping that a fish would come along and restore him to his former ecclesiastical estate Yester- day morning he was vindicated. The news spread like a prairie fire that Br'c" Roberts was in the throes Of catfish again. Robert Hudson, for mCr resiIsnt of q catfish country, was delegated to go and see it. He re- turned and reported that it was a cat fish Of the variety known as the chan ncl cat, bout so long, eight inches: He knew it by it's familiar whiskers and there could be no reasonable doubt of it's identity. Br'er Roberts was at once restored to his position of church pillar without 3 dissenting vote, though some of his bra-hren did not v-te at all. They intimated by their silence htat soma one in Missouri in ccllusion with Br'er Roberts had shipped the fish to him.
 This is the first well authenticated incident of the capture of a catfish in Salt River valley waters. A couple of ] years ago there was the reported catch | Of one in a ditch near Tempe and it | was believed to be a descendant Of a colony which had been p,aEted i'll the | Florence reserv-ir some years before i and had been washed over the water shed in c freshet. Br'er Roberts fish Is 10 doubt a progeny Of that colony, cut the passage Of the watershed -heory is exploded. The fish no doubt found their way into ints the Gila, hence to the junction and then up the Salt. That, however, is not essential The main fact that there are catf1s sh Il the Salt river has been establish d and Br'er Roberts has been restcI ed Q full communion.
 It is E-t apprehended that Brer Roberts vindicatoin will seriously al- CT the piscat-rial situation in this 7alIay this season. The Salt river aImon will continue in the ascendancy or at least the rest of this fiscal year. Slut the future of the Sat river is filed with wonderful catfish possibilities.