Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-12-14
TROUT MARKED ga. So
True Story How the Squaretailed Va
riety Reached Walkers Pond.

From the New York Sxn.l
1.-THE way squaretailed trout came to
get into Walkers pond, Brooksville'',
said Col. Joseph Walker, sis no onger q
story, sir. 1t ID history, authentic his
tory, Is sound as Bible doctrine. was
born and brought up alongside OF the
pond, and it was named for my grand
father-Fighting Joe Walker, they called
him In Revolutionary days. II any man
ought to know the fact, am that man.
So listen:
ssIf Andrew Sukeforth had not gone and
got drunk OF New England rum, making q
fool Of himself, giving his soul to the Old
Scratch, and scandalizing his wife and
family, there would never have been q
squaretail in the whole pond. There were
none there when was boy; nothing but
pickerel and perch and Dreams, as l well
know, having fished there many Q rainy
day when it was too wet to work out OF
doors.
"Andrew Sukeforth was never any good
in the world, though say it, and he my
own uncle on my mothers side. But,
then, all the spunk in our family came
from the Walkers, SO it makes no differ
ence.
SIT was in November, 1889, right away
after my return at the head OF my troops
from the Aroostook war, that it happened.
/ had told all hands about how we should
have licked the New Brunswickers out OF
their boots II Daniel Webster had been a
man and let as fight, and all OF us had
taken considerable liquor, and Uncle
Andrew more than was good for his con-
stitution.
when it came time to close up the
tavern, Andrew could not be found, so we
went home without him. Well, sir, no.
body ever saw him alive after that night,
and we didn't find his body until after
the ice went out in the spring.
1.-THE first trace we found of what he
had done was when Cy Perkins told his
widow that he had seen Uncle Andrew
dipping live bait from the pools in
Bagaduce river about sunset that night
This led us to hunt for his covered smelt
house, which he used to shove about on
sOP VI VIC ASO VII IuduoESs aH0 Wucu we
found that was gone, we knew that Uncle
Andrew, fearing to go home to his wife,
had gone fishing on the thin ice OF
Walkers pond.
''The next news that came was that
Uncle Andrews fish house had been dis
covered on its side over hole in the ice
about midway OF the pond, after which
An 2rvG
worked along the same as usual, without
having to go to the expense OF providing
funeral. Naturally, we who had been at
the tavern knew how it had happened.
'He had dipped lot OF young trout
from the river shadows and gone out
on the shore ice in his fishing house, in
tending to catch enough pickerel for
break fast and sober of at the same time.
But the fish didn't bite very we'll, and
Uncle Andrew fell asleep.
'.Then gust OF wind came up and
blowed his fishing house along on the
ice until it came to open water, when it
went in and drowned the old man as
il ne had been a rat in a wire trap.
When the fishing house upset it tipped
over the can OF live bait, and by doing so
introduced the squaretail trout into
Walkers pond, where they have been
ever since.
Anybody but born fool ought to
know that was the way it was done. II
you will look on the back OF any square
tail taken from the pond you will see the
letters "A 81 in darker lines showing up
plainly. And what does "A g. stand for,
il not for Andrew Sukeforth, I'd like TO
knowi
''Those summer visitors try to be funny
at times, and say that there is another
letter, second 8, meaning that the man
who believes the story is that kind OF
beast; but we Walkers and sukeforths
know better"