The age-herald., 1900-05-23
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE

'"Thou hast rather a fortunate birthday
 and thy business will increase; young fe-
 males will have offers of marriage"
 "A child born on this day will be sharp
 and clever; it's success will depend upon
 the hour of it's birth''
 Brew; hire maid servants go a-fishing."
 Major Frank Y Anderson and his party
 of friends have returned to Birmingham
 on Major Anderson's private car
 after spending ten days fishing for tarpon
 and ten nights fighting mosquitos off the
 coast of Florida, and they bring with them
 a sea-breeziness quite comforting during
 this awry weather in the valley. They bring
 with them also the deep tan of skin | bronzed in the piscatorial and 'mosquit-
 orial' battles of the deep-and gray-marked
 with patches ready to drop from
 genial and healthful faces Major Ander-
 son, best of all hosts and men, is not
 much dsfigured as some of his venture
 some guests; he having been there before. Winston Smith is excessively lame in his
 right thumb, caused by a giant tarpons
 deadly speed with the line, and he is other | wise lame. His bronze and patches of the
 face are very pronounced. Daniel Harrigan
 Rogan is lame all over, and badly bronzed,
 but he is as chipper as a schoolboy at a
 Fourth of July breakfast. Some Canadian
 and eastern members of the party had the 1 best time of their lives, and have gone
 northward for repairs. Man, it was fun
 says Rogan. Yea! even so,' saith Smith.
 T had the most novel experience in the
 record of tarpon fishing" said Mr. Smith
 "On the first day out l had a professional
 fisherman with as guide Early in the
 action I hooked tarpon and my heart
 leaped into my throat. Away the fish l sped with boat, and 1 thought he | would never stop; but after twenty-five minutes 1 had him in the boat a notable | achievement for one so young in the
 sport. The fish weighed 129 pounds. Very soon I hooked another monster, and the l speed with which he drew the boat was alarming. Finally he got a little weary, l and 1 managed to get him near the boat; | but he made off, and I thought I'd lost him. It was forty-five minutes after hook | ing him when l got him in the boat. He weighed 1l2 pounds and seven feet | long. But the novel experience came when | the hired man and l each hooked a big l tarpon. It astonishing, hitherto un | heard of Early in the fight my reel broke, | and then l did have time of it. My pa | tience as a and my skill with the l rod were never before so sorely tried. My hands were badly blistered; but we finally | got both fish aboard, and they measured up as monsters. The sport was glorious; but four big tarpon to boat made enough for one day, and so quit fishing | to look after MT. Bonner of our party. 1 Early in the day we saw that he had hooked big fish by the way his boat was
 speeding through the water; but I was so busy with my own fish that I failed
 to keep sight of my fellow guest. When
 quit for the day he had utterly disap peared from view. Somewhat concerned regarding his safety I made for steam 1 tug and went in search of him. We found him thirty-six miles away, up river still holding on to that tarpon He had been | trying for six hours and twenty minutes | to get the fish aboard the boat. In the end he succeeded and we had something to eat" 'We caught nineteen tarpon, all told, | and they weighed in the aggregate 2,66O | pounds, about 140 pounds each,' said Mr. Rogan. "The fish ranged in length from five feet and half to seven feet five inches; and therefore our luck was re- marlable though it is but proper to say that something is due to my skill as a tarpon fisher. The rarest experience we had was in harpooning an octopus as big as a New Jersey trust. Immediately after striking this monster devil-fish we discov cred that we had caught more than we could well deal with. The fish made off with us at the devils (fish) own speed, and we had not where to lay our heads, as the wash of the waves caused by the terrific speed wet us and boat entirely. See ing us in our predicament some English men in a boat dropped in our way and hooked on to the devil-fsh, but the fish didn't seem to care; it kept going. Some men in another boat caught on, and then two other boats fastened to the fish, mak ing. five boats with men attached to that one fish, which kept dead ahead up coast frightfully. We became thoroughly alarm ed and there is no telling what might not | have happened but for new wharf that was being built far out into the water. The | devil-fsh ran straight into this wharf work upsetting the boats, throwing us on | to floating timber breaking our fasks and entangling itself among the upright tim bers and lower cross-beams. The men at work on the wharf hurried to our assist ance and we slew the fish. He had drawn | five loaded boats thirteen miles. After cut ting the monster to pieces We weighed it, | and it's weight was found to be four tons | and half. That octopus to talk
 about. I'd rather not another"
 There continues to be much excitement in | Sumter county concerning the receTt at tempt to kill R. H. Seymour, the leading
 merchant of that county. The preliminary trial of the men charged with the attempt | on MT. Seymour's life will begin at Living ston tomorrow. The original bail required | of the men was but $250 each w. H. Sey- | mour, of the wounded man, on his re- turn from New York, took steps necessary | ! and the bail is now s50OO in each case. The sour men charged with having fired | .l...,,