The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1918-03-21
Numerous Fishing Stories
Tourist Having Some Fun

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he became really angry and vowed
that he would catch one of those
blamed tarpon, if it took all sum-
mer, and his determination was re-
warded Monday afternoon of this
week. In short while after cast
ing his hook in the bay just above
cleveland, at the time stated, he
had hooked a tarpon, and then be-
gan a thrilling fight. The splen-
did fish, in its efforts to get rid of
the hook, made repeated leaps
high in the air and, in the sunlight,
looked like blazing silver meteor.
Mr., Cooper, of course, was highly
xcited, but he kept his nerve, and,
after two hours of the most exhil-
arating contest in which he had
ever engaged, he succeeded in
wearing out, capturing ard land
ing a superb tarpon that weighed
142 IL pounds.
His trophy was brought to the
National Hotel, placed on exhibi-
ton and many photographs of it
were made. The news of his vic
tory was telephoned to the tour
lists sojourning at the hotels here,
and a large number of them went
up in automobiles to Cleveland,
Monday afternoon, to see the vic
tim of Mr.. Cooper's prowess. Man
ager Payne of Hotel Punta Gorda,
took up a party of his guests, and
they all enjoyed the sight of this
superb specimen of the kings of
game fish.
Since the foregoing was in type,
I a telephone message from Cleve-
land states that Hon. Geo. Cha
hoon of AuSable Forks, N. Y, who
is guest of. the National Hotel,
on Tuesday afternoon caught and
landed superb tarpon weighing
14S pounds. The fight with the
"silver king" took nearly three
hours, but, by deft management,
Senator Chahoon finally landed
his prize and received the enthu.
siastic plaudits and congratula-
tions of all the guests Of the hotel.
Closing story: Friday morn
ing last, on the city dock, there
was physical evidence of the fact
that shark measuring nine feet
two inches had been caught the
night before. The piscatorial vic
tor in this case is DR.. A. F. Holmes,
an eminent physician of Albany,
Ohio, who has enjoyed the winter
here. He required the aid of four
other men to wear the shark out
and haul him up onto the dock. On
being dissected, strange to say, no
human remains were found in the
sharks stomach, a fact that con-
firms a previous statement Of The
Herald, that both the marine and
land varieties of sharks in this To-
cality are absolutely harmless. The
only time shark ever hurt a man
in this harbor was twenty years
ago, when the shark was furiously
chasing a tarpon, and man in
bathing, ignorant of the battle,
swan in between the two fish, and
the shark, unable to put on the
brakes in time, struck the man
with its nose fairly in the stomach
and nearly killed him. If the
mans swimming companions had
not promptly pulled him out of
the water, he would have drown
ed, for the shark had knocked him
hors du combat. If you must have
an affidavit as to the truth of this
shark tale, Mr.. E. O. Coram Of
Charlotte Harbor, who is known to
be one of the best and most truth
full citizens of this region, will
promptly supply it.
The Herald will stake its verac-
ity on all of the foregoing stories,
except that one about the electric
tarpon; and even that one should
not seem so very improbable, as it
is well known that hundreds of
people have been electrified in tar
pom fishing.