Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-04-07

Capt. Rawling, George w. Lemons,
Lewis Stone. w. q. Stone, George W.
Wiokham, Prof. Ricci Captain Jamison,
Sam Mathews, O. W. Heiskell, Nick
Gaus, Billy" Conard, Frank Venom.
William Brandt, Coon" Wickham, DR..
Gasmire, George q. Boyd, Asel Booth
and number of others, whose exper-
fences would fill book. and of which
more at another time William c. Mil
Ter also knows something more than
the ordinary about fishing.
Twas talking the other day about this
fishing business with another old ang-
Ter, George w. Wickham, he who used
to live on North Chapline street, in the
Second ward. and with whom l have
fished many time when we were both
boys, along the river and creek, in The
days when you could get good catches
UP about Beymers Landing, and under
the railroad bridge at the e. & y. depot.
George has a rich fund OF "reminiscences,
and among other things said
'Of the old-time fishermen there was
Judge John Cots. He was n)- only
an expert fisherman. but past master
in telling fish stories. Accor ling to
him, strictly, one of his phenomenal
catches was forty-two Jack fish in iorty-
two minutes, he catching his minnoWs
with his left hand, batting his hook,
and landing his fish with the right.
He also used to tell of catching 20
pound cat fish by chopping It out OF
the interior of sunken log in the Ohio
river He said he figured on the thing,
and came to the conclusion that the fish
went into the hole when 1t was little,
and growed so fast it had to stay there.
And we have some fishermen of the
present day who imagine they can tell
some pretty good fish stories, but they
are not in it with the old boys"
Right you are said another Old
fisherman and well known citizen, whose
name begins with 3D." Take Bill Stell
for example. He used to wear the medal
for championship fish stories. He won
it on recital of his observations of
big fish up Wheeling creek. He in
sisted that it was as long as a fence
rail- and that he had actually seen It
going along the bank, eating black
berries off the bushes Well that was
pretty good, but he was out-classed by
Alex. Campbell, who remarked that the
largest lot of fish he ever saw was dur
ing freshet in Wheeling creek. The
fish came down in shoals and crowded
into the run near the Sherrard Clemens
place, and stopped it up, and the water
flooded all the adjoining fields, doing
an awful amount Of damage. The
farmers living near got pitchforks and
threw several tons of the fish out, and
afterwards used them for enriching the
soil. Alex. Campbell said the story
was absolutely true, because he could
remember the date. 1t was along in
the SOS. He got the medal that year.
Alex. Campbell is still living on Wheel
ing creek.
Resuming his narrative after the in
terruption, Mr.. Wickham said:
among the old fishermen, now dead,
were Squire George Colts, Squire
Duty, George Washington Nichols and
Arthur Phillips. Another not dead was
William Duty, who is the veteran fish
erman now living. He always fished
with straight pole, used nothing but
worms for bait, and has caught as
many fish of all species as any local
angler. Other old fishermen were
Adrian Meriben, James HHall, David
Robinson, Frank Mcdonald, Edward
wheat, John Hamilton, Sr., Peter
Francis, John w. Cummins, Edward
Young, Thomas Reed and a Mr.. Nc
Nance. Then there was Charles Bow
man, who could rejoice the heart of a
fishing party by his art in making pies
and cakes.
"Out of town there were Hiram Hall.
Jas. Yoho and about two dozen others,
all of Fish creek. They were all good
fal1OUc T oar,,b box al,
ed from the Marquee fishing camp in
the early part of the war and landed in
the old Athaeneum prison, at Sixteenth
and Market streets as rebel sympathz-
ers. Their only offense was joining in
a certain chorus in one of the fishing
club songs. There is not to be forgot
ten Dennis, the only black resident of
the Fish creek region at that time [
remember on one occasion the Marquee
club commissioned Dennis and his wife
to do up the laundry of the club very
carefully. and when they turned it in
it was found to consist principally of
paper collars. Dennis had never seen
them before, and the result of his eff
forts was a mass of pulp and two very
badly frightened colored people.
flclS are nSHSll VI LIE past anu
present who could and can under any
and all circumstances always catch
bass in Wheeling creek, majority of
whom never used a jointed rod reel,
minnow bucket or seine. Among them
were: George Wright, Eoff Cunning
ham. David Robinson. Mr.. Marshall,
Janitor Phillips. Henry Hollinger. VIM
Hollinger, Joseph Hollinger George
Hollinger, Archie Hollinger Benjamin
Long, George ". Venum. Henry Barnes,
Jerome Bonapart Merriben. the Rob
ertson boys, the West brothers. VIM.
Brandt. Thomas Feeny, John Archibald.
Capt. Rawling. James Reid. the Gre g
boys, Frank Venum. William Conan
Capt Mathews.
James Bulger, Jr., the only Jim the
world ever produced, during his life
owned and controlled one of the finest
fishing boats that ever fioated on the
Ohio rover. Fishing headquarters was
about at old Charley Browns, opposite
Fish creek dam, was owned and COM
manded by him, and was a haven for
the broken sports. All sports flush had
to donate the cash toward expenses
when they visited. No liquor Of any
kind was permitted on board Of the
boat. which was under the care of Capt
Matthew Perrill"