The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1911-01-26

about the West, more than another,
it is the spirit of franllness, the love
of plain unvarnished truth III all its
among all men, even the great and
near great AS much as the lowly and
near lowly. All of which has nothing
to do with my story except 10 pre-
pare you as was prepared to accept
it as fact.
Fitzgerald, told me the story. Fitz
is the chief of detectives in Tacoma.
He is great big slob, though J
never had nerve to tell him so TO
his face, and when he talks through
one corner of his mouth and pulls
his eyebrows down, the crooks pull
off their shoes and tip toe out Of
town. But for all that he has a heart
bigger than a molasses barrel, and
will go without eating any time 10
do favor for ii friend.
I'm getting somewhere near my
story now. Fitz told it to me .everal
years ago, when as cub reporter ]
confided to him that ! hadn't got II
single tip for story all day, and
boned him to know if he had any
new clews regarding the big diamond
robbery
"Sh, sh.' and he motioned me to
silently follow. | tip toed after him
into the Jail corroder.
Now don't you ever let the rhief
know who gave you the tip, but. We
have ordered six crates of new clews
from Portland"
Then he laughed Fitz likes that soi
of joke, but it didn't tickle me none
Our city editor was a grabbed cuss,
and the fact that Fitz had got off a
good joke wouldn't make him any
gentler if | didn't show up pretty
soon with good story. / suppose |
showed that | was not greatly anus
ed, for Fitz slowed his laugh and
told me this:
by Heck I'll tell you a story that 5
a good one and a true one TO be
exact Fitz didn't say Heck | have
forgotten several of the exact words
Fitz used, but | will substitute as
well as l can:
Yes sir, bv Heck, it's true one
You can ask Ellison, he'll tell you thu
tsame.' rus about industry fol
the Sound country and a big one too
do you want it,"
alright then, you Just listen.
iaint told nobody else, and if you'll
come down to the Old Town whharl
tonight at 10 o'clock you can get a
flash light picture to go with yol
story
picture of what
picture of team OF 600 pound
surgeons. minding the bit haulln' a
boat and goin wherever the driver
wants 'em to go
"Aw now, Fitz.'
Fact Leave it to Ellison. Men him
have seen em moren ii dozen times.
Straight goods. You go ask Jack
Jack Ellison, another Tacoma detec-
tive, happened in. He confirmed Fitz'
statement Ii | remember right ae
did it without knowing what the
statement was. He had lots of conf
dence in Fitz.
| Well, | had seen trained bears, and
trained monkeys and diving elks an
trained seals and | wanted to see
trained surgeons, but | couldn't help
enduring of Fitz why he considered
performing fish a new industry.
Because, by Heck, they are, haint
they Jack" Jack nodded. Fitz contln-
ued: These haint circus fish. They re
fish trained and tanned by farmer.
His name is Swanson-Dutch ! think
and he lives out on Anderson island
How do you know he will be III
| tonight at 10 o'clock?
| Cause he's in every night at that
time. Brings in a load of garden truck
and dressed fish for TIE wharf store.
Surgeons haul his boat in-fact haint
it Jack.
yes sir. this Hecked Swanson ha
solved the matter of light and rapid
TRANSFORMATION on the sound why be
fore he got them sturgeon trained ne
| uSeQ 10 pay oul dS iiuSh 10 " '''
freight to the steamers. He's gettlng
rich now, and in couple of years
when he begins to sell domesticated
Sturgeon he will have an independent
fortune
DO you mean he is training lot
of them
We'll not exactly trainin EN-, but
tamin' EN-. You see he caught his
first pair of surgeons in net about
three years ago. They were cute little
fellers and as he didn't want TO ca
them for day or two he put 'em in
side a little sea wall he has there.
Next day his kids We're playin there
and the fish got so they want fraid
of nothin. and then Swanson made mp
his mind he'd see if he couldn't train
EN-.
Swanson says, mind | don't vouch
for this, but Swanson says sturgeon
are easier to train than wild ducks.
| don't know, but this | do know, in
side of a year he had them sturgeon
so tame that he could turn them lose
in the Sound, and the'd come home