The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-01
TIE FISH TAFT NEARLY GOT
CHANCE FOR g. POUND BASS
SPOILED BY CANNON SALUTE

An for Nothing but q Teiegram That the
Candidate DIDN'T Read TIL He Went
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Also Help TO
Spoil sport-Gen. Corbin's Whale.
MIpDLE BASS. Ohio. Aug. 3l.-Gen.
Clarence C. Edwards, head Of the Bureau
Of Insular Affairs at Washington, used
to be one OF Mr.. Taft's warmest personal
friends. He 10 In d~isfavor' nov and IL
there 10 a repetition Of this mornings
performance open hostility will be de-
clsred by the candidate.
Mr.. Taft was sitting in q ro~boat
under the shade OF a big Panama hat
over near Rattlesnake Island. 1t was the
choicest bit OF fishing water In this part
Of the lake. Mr.. Taft had just had a
strike. The fish had stripped his hook
N clean "a a whistle without eve being
pricked. 1t was the first bite the oandi-
date had had and his oarsman said 1t
certainly was a good one. "You bet It
was said the candidate as he put an
other minnow on his hook and cast out.
There he is again. whispered the an
didate as the tip OF his rod shot down
into the water. Give him time said
the guide; hes only playing with It now"
There was another tug on the line and
Mr.. Taft wa all braoed. when "Bangl'
went q cannon shot moi twenty-five feet
from the Taft boat.
The candidates exact feelings at that
moment will never be known. It may be
that he took the report for the bump OF
the fsh's tail against the bottom Of the
boat; anyway he gave a yank that would
have lifted the bottom out Of the lake.
A fine big black bass. four pounds
anyway and Mr.. Taft says five. few
into the air. The Judge started to reel
In. but alasl his hook and line lay limp
behind him on the other side Of the boat
Mr.. Bass meanwhile came down with a
splash. showed his golden side for a
second In the sunlight and then wiggled
a quick good-by.
just then q power boat, the one that
had fired the salute. shot up to the side
Of Judge Taft's skiff and a messenger said
Important telegram from Gen. Edwards
Darn Edwards anyway said the can
didate. looking m%ournfully at his hook.
He added that he would read the message
when he got in. Then to the oarsman:
DO pldCh DdoS uho tlut ouO oN0I Dteo y
third time in suoceesionr' ,
The Judge remarked further for the
benefit Of the despatch boat crew that
he saw no necessity why they should
make as much noise as Perry's feet just
because the Republican candidate was
fishing. OF course no fab would let
itself be hooked properly with a oannonade
going on over its head. and when Mr..
Taft came to think 1t over he felt that he
had done pretty well sven TO get q look
at him.
A small fleet Of launches and skiffs
from Put In Bay. some Of them loaded
with photographers. followed the oandi-
date on his fshing excursion. 1t was a
case most OF the time OF fahing On the
run. The candidate had q fast power
boat. He would make e dash for q mile
or 20 until he had distanced his pursuers.
then get u into a rowboat. but the
crew Of photographers va indefatgable.
All they needed was time and they were
snapped In about every posture imagina.
bic % Q fisherman except In he act OF
taking Q fab OF the hook.
Let the feet Of photographers once get
within shooting distance and they churned
up q muss that would have scared even
q hippodrome mermaid. One OF these
photographers, however. faltered between
love and duty and finally decided to leave
both. 30 he whipped out his fishing tackle
and started to take snaps between bites.
A hungry but u~ngractous bass grabbed
his minnow just as he was poised for 9
snap. In the scramble that resulted both
rod and camera went overheard. The
camera fioated but the rod went to the
bottom. which occurrence indicated a
moral that even the photographer was
able to get. especially when he came to
pay for the fishing rod.
But In regard to that whale which Gen,
Corbln caught almost: The General told
about It when the party put in for lunch,
twenty feet from the Shore said the Gen.
eral. pointing with q ham sandwich. Il
was travelling with a spoon and ! got a
tremendous strike. The fish settled back
like a log. didn't 1t, Jim?'-this to his
guide. who. Of course. nodded. 1t must
have weighed twenty pounds If it weighed
The General went on. Il think 1t was a
m~uskalonge. 1t had a trick OF chugging
along the bottom. ! tried to lift him to
the top but it was no use. He was too big.
My line gave way
FISH. sThs ssis did No you r ~ you GUIDE sc0e esie sh;.
Fright over there said the General,
bringing his sandwich into play again.
that's funny said the candidates
guide. but l had a big n at that very
spot yesterday. Never came to the top
after you struck him. did you say2'
yes. that's right said the Genera al,
and pulled like q log
yes, that's 1t. sort OF chugged the
line with quick, sprngy jerks"
by Georgel' exclaimed the General,
Il believe you had the same fish or its
mate. Muskies travel in pairs, you
know
Il know I had the same one. said the
guide. Mine was a sunken limb, and II
you,l go over there you will find your
Just 90 the General wouldn't be dis
appointed at having lost that twenty
FOUNDER the rest Of the party went ex-
ploring and returned with the Generals
The net result Of the Taft fishing e1-
cursion was seven black bass and some big
appetities. With Mr.. Taft on the excur-
SION besides Gen. Corbin were Edward
Miller Of Columbus and G. W. Beckwith. .
Mr.. and Mrs. Taft will live at Charles
p. Taft's home in Cincinnati during the
campaign. The candidate has tried to
rent a house there, but has been unable
to do 30. and failing in that he had ex-
peoted to live at the Hotel Sinton. where
the campaign executive offices will be.
He has made up his mind. however,
that that will be too expensive and has
finally accepted his brothers invitation to