Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-01-06
LIVES BY DIVING
AFTER TURTLES
MISSOURI MAN NETS AN AVERAGE
OF SO A DAY FROM
SALES.
FINDS READY MARKET IN FASH
IoNAELE QUARTERS-MEAT
A RARE DELiCAcY.

lcept one, the Blue river, near Kan
sas City. There the turtle is rapidly
becoming extinct. and all because OF
t"Bill" Settles, who says he is the
champion barehanded' turtle chaser
|of the world.
Just where BIZ Settles first came
from even he himself doesn't seem to
know. but about two years ago he
came to the Blue River. built himself
a small, ramshackle cabin and has
lived there ever since, earning his liv-
ling by selling the turtles he catches
out of the river by diving. Settles
method of turtle hunting is easy-for
him. Clad in a rough shirt and trou-
|sers, with his shoes split from the
mouth to the toe to let the water out,
Bill roams the banks of the stream
until he sees his victim on log near
the bank. The game in sight, Bill
lcreeps up as close as possible. AS
soon as the turtle sees him and be-
gins to slip into the water, Bill dives
after it. Tail fippers or head, it
hunter; he founders around in the
water until he grabs some part of the
turtles anatomy and then the fight
begins.
The turtle wiggles, scratches and
Isquirms Bill puffs and treads water
The turtle is patient. So is Bill. The
turtle finally becomes exasperated-
that's exactly the term Bill uses-and
sticks his head out from under his
shell to bite the intruder And that's
what the intruder has been waiting
for. With his right hand, upon which
he wears. husking glove. Bill grabs
the turtle by the neck and starts for
the shore. It's all over then. The
turtle can't pull his head back under
his shell. and ne can't bite. The nail
bound glove interferes with all those
things, and the rest of the turtles life
consists in being thrown into gunny
sack, hauled to the city in small
pushcart with a dozen other turtles,
and then sold to restaurants and pri-
vate families. The price of turtles
ranges from 50 cents UP. and on
good day Settles often makes as much
as $40, of which he saves about$950
so that he may have sinking fund
for winter.
Bill Settles and his pushcart are
familiar on the downtown streets of
Kansas City. Always has he a fol-
lowing of small boys-and some men
and always he may be counted upon
for street corner lectures on the genus
turtle
Don't they ever bite you?' some
one asked as Settles pushed his little
cart through the streets the other day.
The answer OF Settles was merely a
look of contempt.
"Who, me?" he asked, finally. do
look like I'm maxim bait outer my
self for them varmints? How kin
they bite? Don't l grab EN- by the
Ineck?"
Yes, but what's the turtle doing
before you grab him?"
"Tryin' to git away, that's what
Just like snake; run like house
lafire till you get'em cornered. Then
they'll scrap. Say, sure got mighty
fine one this mornin'. Biggest ever
caught Worth three dollars If he's
worth a cent"
| Settles pointed to a gunny sack con-
ltaining a turtle almost as big as a
bushel basket
Had an awful scrap with him."
he said. "Had to call for help to get
him outen tn water. But, Lordy,
he's wuth it,
The chief part of Settles trade lies
in the more fashionable parts of town
among the high 1ivers" They are
the ones who have learned to eat the
fresh water turtles, and who say it is
really delicious. And they. too, are
the ones who are willing to pay the
price Settles asks for his turtles.
The turtles are dressed by being
placed In scalding water. This loosens
the skin and it can easily be removed
in segments of the she'll The shell is
cooked with the flesh of the turtle
and the glue or gelatin in the shell
lgives the soup body 1t makes a fine
dish, Bill Settles says, and Bill ought
to know.
I've caught about four hundred
turtles this season. and they've brung
me right smart lot o. money. Cess
i kin get through the winter all right
Ennyway, tn OF Blues just about
fished out of turtles. Guess I'll have
to move somewhere else when tn