The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-02
IN THE GALLAT|N VALLEY
County Attorney Stewart Tells
an Amazing Fish Story.
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
Two Buildings In Bozsman and the Street
Car Trolley Were Struck, but Not
Much Damage Was Done.
Jolly Outing Parties

Special Correspondence of the Standard.
BoZeman, July 31.-This is a fish
story which, strange to saw, has never
been told till lately. 1t was only made
public a few days ago when County
Attorney w. r. C. Stewart was get
ting ready to so to Cherry Creek to
catch few fish, ana while he was
packing his fishing basket with bait.
snake bite cure alc ether things that
necessar'.S form part of Il tisherman's
outfit. 1t was told to one or two
friends as follows:
Did l ever tel yJu about the fish
l caught last year when up the West
Gallatin, just before election, ana what
a time we hal landing him. asked
Mr.. Stewart. Everybody, of course,
answered mo" ana then he told The
following yarn: Il had gone up there
for few days outing. and incidentally
to look over the ground in political
sense, as it wasn't long b4'o"e &c
tion time. l ran on to one Of the Min
eral land commissioners, near Bear
creek, and we both went fishing me
afternoon. We whipped the river lur
several hours with but little success.
and were beginning TO ge. tired. ]
concluded to make )ne last effort. Out
in the river, close to the upper side Of
a deep pool, and just inside the cur
rent, which was very swift at that
point, saw a big round rock, With just
enough room on its top Cor a man 10
sit. By jumping from tone TO stone,
l finally got where I wanted, only just
as l jumped on to the rocS my feet
slipped and I-well lost all Tly viLG.
OF ,,oyCalf tnopthar last
could, l went to work and soon got a
bite that nearly yanked ne off ny
perch. l called to my companion TO
help me, but the water maize 50 much
noise he didn't hear me at first. bit
when he did, he came running and
jumped square on top of me--he
weighed 200 pounds-and l felt about
that time as though / didn't welgn
anything | still held on to the rcd and
fish, and managed in some way to get
on top of him, and then We toth
slipped off the rock-one hanging ever
tn deep pool and the other very L Use
to the dangerous, roaring stream.
Somehow. in slipping, we grasped each
others hands, still held to my fish
and there we were, like the fellow in
the story, between the devil and tt e
deep sea He frantically shouted
Hold on, Carl for the Lords sake:
We'll get wet Never mind The wet,
Davies: Colt in himmel I'll lose my
fish, Don't let go my hand, I'll get
drowned Oh, why did l ever come
out here to help a doggasted Foolish
erman anyhow? Let me get ont of his
and I'll never tempt Providence again
Pull, Davies, pull Here! oh, thunder
not that hand or you'll lose my fish
now" We managed after awhile to
get back on the rock, ana then IN 70
the shore, and Ivy great deal of dell
cate playing AMI exercise nj the tish'r-
mans art, we managed to get our fish
down to where there was a little sandy
bar, and then ;un'ped into the river
and threw him on to dry land. We
then accidentally sat down on a waite"
snake and took some of tie cure we
had brought along, and solil0luized
over our victory and cigars. 1 guess
the fish was the biggest ever take n
from the West Gaiatin river. for it
weighed u pOTrd5 ii II did IN ounce.
and was a fine specimen os the famous
mountain trout. AnoihCr peculiar
thing was that l was fishing with
double tackle. and the fish had been
cauglr by one of the barbs in the upper
lip and the other was through his low
err one. and when we picked him up he
was stone dead and nearly stiff.
suppose his mouth being "lOsal bv the
double hook. he mad drowned, hut ne
fought lust as vol dead as alive and
l. was the grand5st fight You ever say,
bu. human intelligence and modern
civilization had so benefcially endowed
nv companion and myself that even n
l2-pounder had no clarre acar1s- US,
and we would nae landed him If he
had been alive ana in full possess n
of his fishy fa"ui les
A heavy electric sto:m passed over