The courier-index., 1920-08-20
M M'CLINTOCK AND
 HIS FISH STORY.
MARIANNA BUSINESS MAN SAYS WIFE IS CHIEF WITNESS THAT HE LANDED FIRST COUSIN TO BIG SEA BASS.


 Our good friend, W. s. McClin- tock, Marianna banker and mer- chant, who is now touring in the west, and who recently mailed to the angling editor of the Courier Index a highly-colored post card showing some extraordinarily large sea bass, with a notation to the ef- feet that he had caught one that was first or second cousin to the ones shown in the picture. seems to be somewhat purtrubed over the comments the Courier-Index made on his feat--said comments being of nature to cast slight suspicion on the varacity of an otherwise thor oughly reliable, dependable, trust worthy and truthful citizen. In fact, MT. McClintock feels called up- on to write a brief in his defense and calls upon his wife as witness to sustain his apparently weaken | ing hold on this community as an exemplar in matters involving rec titude of conduct and plumbing the line" in truthfulness, Person ally, the Courier-Index angler is convinced Mir. McClintock really did catch big fish. We feel charita- bly, disposed toward any man who is lover of the rod and reel and we take pleasure in publishing be- low extracts from the letter we re- ceived from him:
 ''I have just finished reading the last issue of the Courier-Index, and make haste to square myself on the fish question raised by you. l realize all too we'll that my reputa- tion will not stand many more punches since Mir. Will Word and MT. M. H. Ford and others made such severe attack upon it l. -.crt 1 time ago, and it is a duty l owe to my family to preserve the shat tered remnants of what was once pride and an honor to hold.
 That first cousin fish, which at most was not farther removed than the second cousin to the one whose picture you received. was not caught 1 in Spokane waters. I have caught fish there in former years but they were not such as this one was. Ou the contrary they simply hook them selves and you do not have the thrills that you get with your 60-pounder. ] The Spokane fish are a species of perch, but not game, and there is no more genuine sport in landing them than in landing just that many nninnows. - My first cousin fish was caught | ~ex N{ kn fSf Avalon which Is not far from here McClintock will attest that it was some fish.
 "Although she is some fisherwo- man herself and close kin to MT. Wood, yet she has kept aloft from the contaminating influences of the average devotee of the art of fish ing, and is yet fairly truthful, es- pecially in witness bearing.
 "This fish, after he had run off about 1 1000 feet of my line in an effort to touch bottom, was about to prove too much for me, and l appealed to the boatman for help, when she very promptly stepped be- tween us and said very positively, 'Nol You must land that fish your self And I did.
 Tt is a great thing for man to have a wife with a nerve that will hold him up just when he needs | it most.
 But seriously, Jackson, that is great distinguishing for Albacore. It is done by trolling from a launch and when they strike the go for the bottom as fast as they can. Just as the place where this one was caught | was told that the ocean was about 1,500 feet deep.
 "We have not yet been to Spo- kane, though we will be there be- fore we return home--probably about September 18th. We have spent a very delightful four weeks at Grand Canyon, Pasadena, Cata- lima and here, where we will re- main until August 18th, when we take ship from here (San Pedro har- bor) for San Francisco, Seattle, Skagnay, Alaska, and perhaps from there by rail to White Horse Parr and Yukon.
 sWe are all we'll and have met number of friends and acquaint- ances out here. Mrs. Burk Mann is two blocks from us. Mrs. J. R. Jarratt has been here twice as have MT. and Mrs. E. B. Word also. We see almost daily registrations at this hotel by people who live in Ar kansas, and we have met some of them that we have known there.
 If this written statement about my fish is still unsatisfactory, just withhold judgment until it can be given verbally and with witnesses, if need be-"