The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1901-09-06
Truthful MIR. TOOlin.

Mr.. John J. Gaga, a prominent
Knight Templar OF Jacksonville, Fla.
was in Paris last week, en- route home
from Louisville, where he h IS been at
tending the COnclave, Mr.. Gagan is an
enthusiastic sportsman. In a converse
ton with a NEWS man he laid:
"The best story-teller 1 ever heard in
my life was a former resident of this
city, a Mr.. Pat Toolin, who came to
/ Florida several years ago to reside.
have been on many a fishing trip with
ToOlin, and have always found him
ready with new story at every turn of
the road. One night while in camp
several miles back in the int-riOr, Toolin.
while in a reminiscent mood, told the
following good one to the jolly crowd
Of sportsmen gathered around our ca u p
fire:
"'In 1878 was residing at Paris, KY,
pretty little city of about 5000 inhabi-
tents, located on the banks of StOner
creek, as fine fishing stream as there
| is in the State of Kentucky. I remem-
Der che date well, for was just twenty
one years old that day. l had NV shot
gun with me, and had wandered along
the bank of the creek for a considerable
distance when l came across an old
| fisherman, who had cut a hole in the
ice, through which he was fishing for
bass. He was meeting with great sue
cess, for scattered all around him were
numbers of the game fish, where he had
thrown them as he took them off his
hook l was invited to help myself,
which invitation cheerfully accepted,
and 1 proceeded to put number of
them in my game bag.
st was just 4 AT o'clock when re-
turned that afternoon, tired and hungry.
After putting away my traps took up
the largest of the bass, fine four-pound
fellow and placed it in cold storage
house, intending to present it to Johnnie
Schwartz, well known Paris fisherman,
for his breakfast But, don't you know,
1 forgot all about the bass, and so did
the others, and, IS a result, it lay in
that cold storage, house, sOlidly frozen,
until June 10, 1884
ON the night just mentioned, June
10, 1884, just about eleven years after
this fish had been placed in cold storage,
the building was totally destroyed by
fire. During the progress of the fire the
fire department., in the effort to save the
property, had thrown sufficient water
to fill the cellar, which, by the way,
was walled up with rock and cement,
and was therefore water-tight. Three
years later it was decided to rebuild the
cold storage house upon the original site,
and gangs of men We're set to work
pumping the water out Of the cellar,
which the rain had kept pretty we'll
filled. To our amazement 447 fair-sized
bass were taken out, besides the old one,
which had evidently fallen into the Gel
lar at the time the warehouse was de-
stroyed, thawed out and spawned. l
easily identified the original bass, one of
its eyes having been accidentally knock
ed out and part of its tail broken off
before it was placed in the cold storage
| house.
"Toolin added that he could easily
prove the truthfulness of his story by
referring any gentleman who might be
inclined to doubt any part of it to John
Schwartz, Smith O'Brien, Ed. Hill,
Bulge Hukill or George Lyons, ali
well known sportsmen and business men
of Paris have seen each one of them
personally since l have been here, and
they all say that if Toolin told it it must
be so.
Mr.. Gagan said that Toolin told the
party some more wonderful fish stories.
but that none of them came up to the
one just related.