The Washington herald., 1907-05-17
The Menace or the BLACK Bass

Is the black bass to succeed the rabbit
as the most ferOCious. treaCherOus, and
dangerous Of all creatures? We are be-
ginning to believe that some such consum-
nation is in the cards. When the Hous-
ton Post first told OF the Washington
/ County bass which bolted a rabbit, we
naturally ascribed the whole story to the
overweening propensity Of that paper TO
enlarge and amplify and smother with
laudation everything pertaining 10 Texas
and Texans. We even went so far, In
deed. as to admit that Texas had every
other State in the Union beaten a city
block in the matter OF piscatorial prevari-
Gators. In a word. we accepted the tale
with a very considerable number of grains
Of salt.
Now we confess we are gradually be
coming convinced that warrant exists for
the opinion that the black bass is a most
serious menace to human and animal life,
and 10 the peace and prosperity OF the ma
ton Hardly had the deprayity Of the
washington County bass been heralled TO
the world before a verltable food of tes-
timony commenced 10 pour in with refer
ence 70 the general bad character Of the
genus 10 which this individual ichthyologi-
cal cut-throat belongs.
JEFF McLemore the Beau Brummel Of
Austin, whose bond was always as good
as his word, first came forward with
statement corroborative of all imaginable
charges against the peridious bass, Col.
Ben Rogers, an employe Of the State leg
islature. gave unhesitlting testimony re-
garding the voraclousness with which the
fish devoured every living thing that
unwarily ventured near It's cruel jaws.
Then. from across the Louisiana line our
old friend. Henry Rightor. poet, littera-
teur, and familiar Of steam-engine boilers,
took his typewriter in hand and produced
blood-ccoling and obviously authentic
statement Of the awful ravages Of the
predatory bass IN the neighb0rhood Of
Chef Menteur. Rotten Bayou. Catfish
Bayou. Alligator Hole. and Bayou Mike.
The marshes in the vicinage Of the
streams mentioned have been swept clean
OF quadrupeds. so active have been the
pestilential bass, Mr.. RightOr wrote. He
did not claim ever to have seen a black
bass attack an animal. but he pointed TO
the significant circumstance that there IS
not a COW anywhere in those lowlands
II any further evidence is needed. an in
cldent related by a wholly veracious Ar
.kanssn may be cited. Wandering along
tho classic banks Of a stream near his
home, he saw a large shepherd dog play
fully chase another canine into the water,
and follow Immediately both innocent
and valuable animals were snapped up by
hungry black bass. Two days later this
same man and a companion were fishing
/ A large number of fish were caught and
/ strung" and when the fishermen went
TO cook their lunch. the fish were left in
the water, secured by a chain. On their
return, the two men were surprised 10 see
the chain taut and the tree TO which il
was attached almost torn from the
ground. Securing assistance, they pulled
IN the chain, only 10 find that their fish
had been swallowed by a fiendish black
bass. which was dispatched only after a
terrific struggle When the joyful fisher
men cut the dead marauder into pieces Of
convenient size for carrying. they reCOv-
cred not only their string Of fish, but one
Of the dogs which had disappeared two
days before. and which now was on the
verge of breathing it's last
We are always open 10 the influence Of
reasonable argument and the logic Of
facts, and, therefore, we say again that
we are strongly impressed by these reit-
Grated proofs Of the deadly menace Of the
black bass Indeed we are convinced that
our midst.