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THE MYSTERY SOLVED.Credulity of Burlington’s Innocent Fisherman Leads Him Astray.Des Moines Leader:On Tuesday. May 20. The Leaderpublished the most gigantic fish story,from the Burlington Gazette, thathas tickled the ear of mankind since the whale swallowed Jonah. It was to thecirsumstance was a kind of handwriting upon the wall, but he knew not how to interpret it. He held frequent prolonged consultations with Mr. George Henry and Dr. Griffith, who had been of theparty and were witnesses to the fact, but no light eame to him. Whether it was a warning of his approaching dissolution or a charm bestowed upon him by the gods or fairies he could in no respect satisfy himself, but day and night he has wrestled with the mysterious circumstance and no relief hascome to his troubled spirit.The Leader has finally probed the affair to the bottom and can now turn theglaring eye of simple and unvarnished truth on the seeming mystery, and in so doing can restore the old-time fish story liars of the Flint Hills to her original good standing. The trouble originated in a small hand bag which the fishing party took with them. By way of parenthesis, the Leader will here suggestthat this same hand bag and its contents are not unfrequently the cause of wonderful and strange sights and adventures on like excursions. The hand bag wasthere. Into that hand bag Mr. Harvey made frequent dives with the hand that wore the ring. At one of the dives the ring had an amethyst in it when it went down, but it had none when it came out.Norman Lichty had occasion to make a tour to that hand bag, and that gentleman, the most merciless practical joker in Iowa, saw and seized the amethyst. In a moment the diabolical plot was formed from the execution of whichGeorge Harvey has ever since been wrenched with conflicting emotions and superstitions. Lichty seized a beautiful bass which Harvey drew out. and slyly by the aid of a stick forced the amtheyst down the throat of the fish. To have itfound was the next step in the proceeding. Lichty said he could name the sex of the tih. A debate followed; it was found necessary to open the fish. Harvey seized a knife and ripped it open. Theknife struck somethinghard, and on ex-amination there lay toe amethyst. All were amazed beyond measure by the discovery, and in the excitement of the occasion the sex of that fish remains undecided to this day.When Harvey knows the fact be will retire from the field of fishy exaggeration. The Annanias club of Burlington, which made him an honorary member for life without dues immediately upon hearing the yarn, will expel him without form or trial or the benefit of clergy. It will go hard with him, but his mind will be relieved, and he can settle down to his art with a meekness and lowlinessof spirit that may yet make a man of him. In the meantime Des Moinespresents her compliments to the Burlington fish liars and places a good big score to her credit.tioffect that a party of gentlemen from Burlington, among whom was Mr.George Harvey, with Mr. Norman Lichty, of Des Moines, betook themselves to Lone Tree, Illinois, to enjoy a day’s fishing. Their vehicle of conveyance from Burlington to the fishing place was a hand car. While on the i i way Mr Harvey discovered the loss of a | ul valuable amethyst which formed the set of a ring he whs wearing. Search wasmade, but the ; . • thyst was not found, and the part vent about two miles farther, wlr r. they began fishing. About six hpurs afterward, upon opening a fish wtiich Mr. Harvey had I p caught, there in the stomach of the fish, lav the amethvst which he hadlost six hours before, and two miles distant from the place where the fish was caught. That was the story audit was so authenticated that it made every Burlington liar turn I green with envy. Truth, apparently, cold, naked truth, had beaten all the raonumeutal lies that Burlington fishermen had devised since the Mississippi was a creek.The effect of the incident upon Harvey was tremendous. He has been use I j) less ever since it happened. He has wandered the streets in an aimless way,lost in abstract meditation. He felt the
Newspaper Details
Burlington Daily Gazette
Burlington, Iowa, US
Fri, May 31, 1889
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Burlington P.
IA, USA 09 Dec 2021
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