Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 August 1887 — A Killing Bait for Bass. [ARTICLE]

A Killing Bait for Bass.

“I have discovered a sure bait for bass,” said an old fisherman recently, “but mind you, don’t you put this in your paper. It is snakes’ tails. Everybody has observed that the tail of a snake don’t die until sundown, but keeps wriggling all day after the rest of the snake has climbed the golden stairs. Now bass, above all fish, want a lively bait. The idea struck me one day when I was fishing. A freshly-killed snake was lying in the weeds while its tail was keeping up a lively agitation. I took my knife, cut the tail off, put on the hook and threw out about, thirty feet from the shore, Ino sooner tightened up my line t,han I had a vigorous bite, and in five seconds I was pulling away on a three pounder. In half an houir 1 bail landed eight bass, averaging two pounds each. The ninth one got away with the bait and my fun ceased. I tried other bait, but only got one fish in the next four hours. I then started out to hunt snakes. I found one after an hour’s search, cut off his tail, and it lasted me for five bass, which I pulled out inside of 20 minutesjbut I had a fine basket full and was ready to quit.

“Since then I have a couple of coun try bbvs in my employ, who catch alive and bring to me all the snakes they see, and I now have no trouble in getting all the bass I want every time Igo fishing. At first I killed the snakes and cut off their tails, but then I made an important discovery which will enable me to fish all summer with a dozen snakes. I found that by cutting off the tails while the snake was living and putting a little cqsmoline on the Wound it not only healed, but that in about three weeks’ time the snake would grow an entirely new tail, just as lively as the old one. But mind, don’t put this in the paper. If you do snakes will soon be as scarce as they are in Ireland, and by the time the season is over there will be no bass left.” —Th® ®nly cuTBTor C»t*rfh rn tK# in»rket 11Hall's Catarrh Care. Taken internally; T. J. Cheney A Co., Proprietary, Toledo, 0.

Ohe of the Horrors of Chatsworth Peoria Special. A report was received here from Chatsworth this morning that the head of Engineer McClintock had been found, but this was untrue, as the discovery was made while preparing the body for burial that his head had been literally driven’down into his body, j