Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1901-01-03
A TIP FROM A SHARK.
THE REWARD THAT 1T BROUGHT TO
A PAIR OF SHARP MEN.

| How y Grateful Wool Broker Be
came Millionaire and an Tntelli-
gent Immigrant Became n Tavern
| Keeper A Stor! of New South
| Wales.
One of the most interesting spots in
| Sydney is the point in the famous har-
| Dor known as Mrs. MacQuaries
| chair 1t is the eastern point of the
| domain. and the great natural seat in
| the rock facing down the harbor is said
| to have been favorite resting place of
| the wife of Governor Macquarie, who
represented the British government
also as governor general of Australia
in Sydney in the early days of the nine
| teenth century. Mrs. Macquarie's
chair has long been the favorite resort
| of suicides and sweethearts and many
| murders have been committed near the
spot. 1t was also the main resort Of
shark fishers in the days when a re-
ward was given for each shark fin de-
| livered at the water police station, the
object of course, being to thin out the
| dread man eaters from the harbor,
where they became plentiful and dan
| gerOus as the city Of Sydney grew in
size.
| It was there one night that a broken
| down immigrant came to a strange
turn in his fortunes. Not able to OBJ
tain employment, he spent his last
and cast off from Mrs. Macquare's
chair After patiently waiting for
some time, another tramp joined him,
and this changed the luck, for he i'm
mediately got fine bite" 1t took the
two all their time to haul the shark
ashore. but when they got him in he
proved a beauty-25 feet 10 inches
long. They cut off his fin-15 shillings'
worth in the morning-and, being anX-
ious to make all they could out of the
haul proceeded to rob the monster.
They had often read of diamond rings.
gold watches and pocketfuls of sover
cigns being found inside sharks. for.
while these fish can digest a man, they
are not able TO negotiate metal.
Inside, among other things, they
found the body of German and from
the papers in his pocletbook it was APP
parent that he must have been in Lon
don about three weeks before. Indeed.
in his overcoat pocket there was copy
of a London newspaper dated 20 days
| previously. 1t was in 1870, before the
cable was laid between Europe and
| Australia, and the steamships took
| over six weeks on the voyage between
London and Sydney. The paper con-
tanned news of the outbreak of the war
between France and Germany, and it
was apparent that the German, living
| in London, had been recalled home to
serve in the army of the fatherland.
| had either jumped or fallen overheard
in the channel and had been picked up
by this great shark, which belonged to
the fastest of his species.
In the morning the immigrant had a
good wash and brush up and full
feed on his 10 shllings, having given
5 to his companion and sent him about
his business He had conceived a
great idea and wished to have as few
confederatcs as possible. Asking Il
policeman who was the greatest wool
broker in sydney and getting the adj
dress, he went straight down to the Of
flee. where his peculiarearnestness soon
got him an audience with the busy
broker. No one in Sydney at that mo-
ment dreamed of war between France
: and Germany and wool was being sold
merrily at ninepence a pound.
We'll, my man. what can do for
yOu?' asked the broker.
81 want you to tell me-" said the poor
immigrant. what the price of wool
would be in Sydney should war break
out between France and Germany 1t
is ninepence now"
about 8 to shillings." said the bro
lier.
Very we'll" replied the visitor
Nov, the French troops are marching
on Berlin, and what promises to be a
long and bloody war has actually be-
gun.
Nonsense said the broker. The
mail from London came i'll yesterday
bringing news up to six weeks ago. and
there is no news Of that wild sort"
The immigrant thereupon unfolde
the London paper, dated three weeks
previously There was no humbug
}
about it, for such a paper could not be
produced in Sydney, and besides its
matter gave abundant proof of it's gen
uinencss Wool was already 4 shillings
! pound on the London market.
| On the Wool Exchange people thought
| that broker mad when they saw hin
| buying up all the wool on the market
| aud wiring offers all over the colonies
| He made a CORNER" at any rate, pur
| chased all the wool in Australia an(
looked happy. Sure enough, in few
\ weeks time out came the news by til,
b mail steamer and up went prices. Tht
broker sold out for shillings and more
d a pound and realized some f4,O00,O0t
!! on the deal
\ He gave the intelligent immigran
an old suit of clothes and IS note TO