The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-12-12
What Cinch Went Fishing For.


week, and told interesting stories Of
camp life. The young man who had
been hospital steward told this story:
"a month in our camp in Georgia
was enough to drive man to despair,
for ,ot only was it hot, but every day
increased our belief that the govern
ment had no intention Of giving us a
chance to get into action or let US 60
back to our homes. 1t was a mighty
tough prcdicament for lot Of young
men who had left business and every
thing else in burst Of patriotic en-
thusiasm, and expected to get into a
scrap in short order. The men work
ed every wire they could TO get their
discharges; but it was at time when
the man with pull could not get any
more than the man without friend.
After awhile the boys gave up trying
to get their discharges and made up
their mind to grin and bear it.
"As hospital steward / used to
hear good deal about the health of
the regiment from the surgeons, and
one day was very much surprised to
hear one of them say that he was
afraid Cincai ,.Of Company G, was going
to lose his mind. l knew Cinch as
| big, good naturcd fellow, who tried
to get discharge as soon as he learn
ed that we we're not going to have q
fight. When he failed he became sui
len and moody. The more we watched
him the more we became convinced
that something was wronguwith him
Everytime we came around we found
him mumbling to himself, and once o
| crowd Of US found him seat i on o
stump in the middle of big clover
field, holding in front Of him long
pole, attached to which was piece Of
cord, on the end of which was pin
bent to rescmblcd a fish hook. He
would drop the hook into the long
grass and let it stay there for time.
Then he would mako cast and when
the hook fell would sit and watch the
end of his line intontly. Every once
and while he would jerk the line out
of the grass as though he had felt
nibble. Once one Of the boys stepped
up and said
"What arc you fishing for?"
"Ilc got no answer. All Cinch did
was to turn pair of hollow eyes on
him and then resume his fishing. After
that gang used to go out and watch
Cinch every afternoon. They would
hide in the grass and almost burst with
laughter at the seriousness with which
the poor fellow would cast his line of
wrapping cord and his pin hook and
then sit and wait for bite. Every
once in while one of the boys would
saunter out and say:
What are you fishing for, Cinch?'
1t got to be the regimental saying
and 1 suppose that the question,
What are you fishing Cor, Cinch? was
thrown at the man from Company G q
hundred times day. BY aud by the
news got to the officers that Cinch was
going fast. They heard about his fish
ing in the fields,.and one day the sur
geon-major went out and witnessed
the performance. He went back and
reported to tho colonel that unless
Cinchswas discharged at once he would
be hopelessly insane. The result was
that his condition was telegraphed on
to Washington and discharge papers
were returned at once.
"The colonel, in the goodness Of his
heart, went to look up Cinoh and give
him the news. He found him sitting
on stump inthe field fishing away,
while around him sat about so of the
regiment, one Of whom would yell,
What are you fishing for, Cinch?' ev-
cry few minutes. The colonel stepped
up and touching Cinch on the shoulder
said:
'Cinch, we think your health de-
mands that you leave tho service, and
SO We have procured an honorable dis
charge for you. Hero it is, aud ho
handed Cincb the papers.
"Cinch dropped his fishing polo and
grabbed tho papers. He gave one
look at them, and when he saw that
they were all right, waved them tri-
umphantly over mis- head and shouted
at the top Of his voice:
"'This is what Is fishing for, dang
ye all; this is what I was fishing for,
aud got it, too, and with that he
went dancing over the field leaving US
standing there, the first CLEAN of the
truth creeping into their b. .ns.
'"The colonel looked foolish and by
and by we began to creep off one by