Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1922-12-16
EASY FOR SNAKES
Fisherman Was a Benefact0r,
Though He Didn't Know II.
But fos Chance Encounter. Mystery
Of Missing Catfish Might Never
Have Been Solved

The fisherman mad put nine calhSh
10 what he called his preserve on
Saturday night, and when he searched
fof them early Monday morning, with
q view to a succulent breakfast, he
could not find one The fisherman's
home stood close to the shores Of
North Spectacle lake, on Kent noun
tain In Connecticut, and about fifty
feet from his rough pine porch q
spring bubbied with constant sup
ply Of fresh water A little way from
the heart Of the spring gully had
been dug which was kept filled with
eyer-cbangIng water, In which the
fisherman kept his fish alive.
The disappearance Of the catfish
was followed by an eager eXamina-
tion of the ground near by, and then
cautious fingers gr0ped beneath the
water, without being rewarded by any
discovery that would explain the mys-
terry. There were only two explana-
lions, 50 far as the fisherman could
see, the New York Times states one
was that thieves had rifieo his pre-
serve and the other was that the
"darned thing had sprung leak and
the catfish had got back to the lake.
But the latter proved to be ground
less, and so the conviction was lodged
securely In the ishermanS breast thar
his fish supply had been stolen
lie prepared 10 catch more Of the
fish, and just after shutdown when
the shadows Of night were beginning
10 creep over the lake ike great blau,
ket, he set forth in his iiatbottomed
skiff, tied II to a stake driven deep
in the mud, and then baited several
hooks with fat, appetlzing earth
worms. An hour later he came back
with twenty fine catfish and deposited
them, still alive and doping, IN the
preserve.
The next morning there We're only
ten, and the fisherman swOre ven
geance In the afternoon he refreshed
himself with long nap and then
with shotgun loaded with No 6
shot stood watch over the preserve
from the shelter of his porch Moth
ing happened during the night so far
as the fisherman could see. but when
morning came and he again counted
his fish there were only five These
five were cooked and eaten for break
fast, and then, with his pipe aglow.
the fisherman swung lazily In his
hammock under the trees and tried to
fUthom the mystery He caught Il
catfish that night, placed them in the
preserve ana IN the morning there
were only two left
The fisherman sat on stump and
tried TO figure the thing out While he
thought. he observed that thrush
was scoldiug dreadfully from a near.
by bush. with occasional autterlngs
here ana there, but with many signs
that flight was MT dreamed OF What
troubled the bird was plain enough
Some creature had yentured too near
her nest and She was expostulating
as vehemently as she knew how Bent
on Kidding the bird Of the annoyance
whatever II was the fisherman
strolled toward her and suddenly
Jumped hack with startled express
sion He had almost stepped upon a
blacksnake five feet long and bigger
In the middle than fat mans wrist.
Blacksnakes are harmless and help.
full Ia the garden because they keep
down many living things that prey
upon garden truck And this snake
would not have been hurt lf he had
moved out Of the way but he was
listless and disclosed anger at being
disturbed Thereupon the fisherman
struck him sharply with a heavy stick
and the snake SQulrmed for time
and died. The fisherman gazed at
him remOrsefully until he noticed .
dead catfish lying near by. and then
his remorse turned 10 amazement
Running TO his woodplle he got an
AK and with It chopped the dead
snake in two Several catfish Topped
out.
Searching around the fisherman
found three other big snakes which
he instantly sentenced to death and
then executed the sentence Al had
pertaken OF catfish
kin ye beat 1T" asked the fisher
man of his neighbors, aud they re-
piled