Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 147, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 June 1916 — Mystery of the Disappearing Goldfish Solved [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Mystery of the Disappearing Goldfish Solved

NEW YORK. —The mystery of the disappearing goldfish which has for months interested diners, waiters, cashiers, and porters at a Harlem restaurant was settled definitely as the seven-hundredth victim went cavorting to his fate.

As a result there was a sunrise-shoot-ing service in the rear of the eatery next morning. For two years one of the principal attractions at the restaurant has been the large aquarium in the left front window. Di' ft German carp, goldfish, crabs and a couple of real Florida alligators have waded or swum endlessly, attracting attention to a large menu on which appeared the day’s beat bets in the matter of fodder. jjo Wever( during recent months

it has been almost impossible to keep the goldfish in the building. At night they would receive their dally dole of fried chicken and port wine and in the morning they would not be found dying or suffering from indigestion, but absolutely absent Walters who were merely waiting took to peering into the aquarium at all hours of the day. The porters stopped cleaning the windows a score of times per pane to see if they could solve the mystery. The other afternoon a newsboy ran into the restaurant and called to the cashier: “Hey, mister, yer alligators is eatin’ yer goldfish! What’s the idea?” The cashier looked quickly and saw the larger of the alligators carelessly munching what appeared to be about 20 goldfish. A countbroughtthetotal up to 700 lost in two months. The alligators were quickly removed with ice tongs, and next day were executed.