Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 149, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 June 1913 — Fully Four Hundred Went Fishing One Day Last Week. [ARTICLE]

Fully Four Hundred Went Fishing One Day Last Week.

That would not be so remarkable, provided they had gone fishing in the Iroquois, but these 400 went fishing on dry land. This is not our estimate of the number but the statement of Mort Crockett, who jointly with Fred Cissell, was running the fish pond. The crank ease of a Ford automobile had been taken to Fred’s shop for repairs. It was turned upside down when Mort Crockett came in and noticed its striking resemblance to a fish. He used a piece of blue chalk in making some eyes and a mouth and then hacked a pieee of tin to look like teeth and inserted them in the mouth. The “fish” was a rare specimen and Mort told Harry Kiplinger to see “Bally” Powers’ big catch which had ..been left there on exhibition. Harry was the first to nibble. Others were soon to follow and for an entire day there was stream of people, businessmen and farmers, to see the “fish.” Clarence Fate was too busy to get over to see it during the day, but no one put him next and that evening when Mort asked for a piece of ice to keep it cool, Clarence could restrain himself no longer and went back with Mort to put the ice on the sea monster. H 4 enjoyed the laugh as much as others had done and went off into poetry as follows after getting back to the restaurant: “Of all the fish under the sun Came into our midst the strangest one, A wonderful fish, indeed, was he, And one at a time the town came to see. The oldest fishermen could not recall Having ever seen its likes at all, All came and saw and talked about This wonder of wonders, neither cat, bass or trout. 'vv. He was shown at Cissel’s shop of Tin; Baldy Powers was credited with catching him; Mort Crockett started the tale, Of the exhibition of this infant whale; The tale of the eatch was full of spice, * To preserve it one man donated ice. But all came, saw and went And others to see it were quickly sent. All is said and all is done, Everybody was footed, everyone, For this freakish member of the silver horde, Was the crank case of Bill Hoover’s Ford.”