Arizona republican., 1899-03-29
A LOCAL NARRATIVE
An Old Resident Has TO Show With
 New Corners.

Constable Frank McClintock had
 been sitting about in Justice John
 stones office looking dejected ever since last Monday morning. The jus tice and Captain Mcdonald jollied him frequently and prescribed various standard liver cures. ''It ain't my liver that's the matter with ms, but I'm discouraged with the country" said the constable. Asked as to the pre- cipitating and immediate cause of dis coura cement, ne said: Here you fel- lers have been sitting around discuss ing the probabilities of that eel story that was printed in The Republican last Monday. You take it fer granted that there is tandem eels, and the only question you've raised is about the length of that string Of eels that grabbed each other by the tail and got dragged out. The st0sy's lie on the face of it, but the nearest to an increduIous remark I've heard was made by Hi, and he only said there must be some mistake about the length of the string This feller Hardin Wallace that sprung it is a stranger. Nobody knows or ever heard of him until that outrageous lie was printed and you all fall over yourselves to be- lieve If an old resident had told a story of that kind he'd got kanga- rooed. I've lived a righteous life in Phoenix more'n ten years and I've kept a truthful stary locked up in my breast because I didn't have nerve enough to tell about it.'
 The gentlemen encouraged Constable McClintock to proceed with the revela- tiCn. They had been galvanized by MT. Wallace's story and were prepared to believe anything
 Constable McCIintock went on to say that his story was also an eel story, or, more strictly speaking, an eel or catfish story, all the facts regarding which could be verified by Jim StrOw- bridge, a gentleman of the greatest solidity of character if he were still living. file was, however, dead. The scene of this incident was laid in a place called Pecan Bayou, in the state of Texas, a score of years ago. MT. McClintock was fishing in the bayou one afternoon in early May. He felt slight movement of his line and imme- diately after a mighty jerk This was succeeded by another and another and still another, four in all The water by this time was in a terrible cOmmo- tion and the line was hard to hold With the aid of the aforementioned MT Strowbridge, MT. McClintock drew it out of the water, disclosing the most startling sight that ever greeted the eye of fisherman. There was a small eel on the hook and there were strung on the line four large catfish.
 "HCw did they get there?" asked Justice Johnstone.
 You hadn't studied that out, Frank. had yOu?' said Captain McDonald with sarcasm.
 Tt didn't need any studyin','' re- piled the constable There was only one way them fish could a got on the | line. They didn't come cut on the | bank an Swalier the pole an get on | that way cause 1 had holt of it all | the time. They must a got on over the hook some way
 The constable was asl1ed to elaborate | his theory. It was that the eel had | been caught first; that catfish taking advantage of the situation had seized | the eel which slipped through the gills | of the fish, leaving him strung on the | line. The other three similarly fell