“Speakin’ of fishin’,” said the honest-looking man, “the tallest fish story I ever heard happened before my own eyes, happened partly to myself, as you might say. Yes,” he continued, as the thin chap crossed his legs and looked about absently at the walls, “me and another party took a long hike up to the lake. We hadn’t much more than cast in our lines, when. Bing! comes a whoppin’ tug at this fellow’s line. He gives a jerk, and mighty near tumbles over backward, with his line dangling from his pole without no hook. Fish had swallowed it, bit off the line. And then if there wasn’t some cussin’ ! Only hook he had, and I had only my one. He sits down, this lad, and raves. Whole day before him, and nothin’ doin’. Right at this point in the proceedings I gets a bite and hauls in a fine fish. My pal he cusses on worse ’an ever. I tell you that fish I hooked certainly must have been hungry. He had took my hook plumb down into the pit of his stomach. Nothin’ but to rip him inside out. And there what do you think was a-stickin’ to his innards? My pal’s hook! Sure as I’m sittin’ here! Well, my pal put his tackle together again, and we both enjoyed a good day’s sport. If I hadn’t seen this myself I wouldn’t believe it, but I know it happened. See!”

From— Western Kansas World. (WaKeeney, Kan.), 11 Nov. 1916. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.