THE OTTAWA FREE TRADER — SEPTEMBER 16, 1882
A Tall Fish Story
A fish story comes from the vicinity of Sea Girt, N. J. It is stated that one day the family of a much-respected clergyman living in a cottage near that fashionable resort were without meat and fish for dinner, and were driven to the probability of having to dine on cabbage and other vegetables. About 10 o’clock in the morning a large fish-hawk was soon to swoop down to the sea and rise with a fish in its beak. It is well known that this is the manner in which the fish-hawk does his marketing, and, having thus secured his prey, takes it home to his wife and children in their nest on top of a high tree. It so happened that this fish-hawk had caught too large a fish. It was a ten-pound bluefish, and it struggled violently for liberty when captured by the hawk. Presently, just as the hawk was flying over the poor clergyman’s back yard, the fish got the better of him and hit the hawk such a powerful blow with his tail that the hawk was glad to let him drop. The fish suddenly descended among the clergyman’s wife and daughters, who were sitting in the shade of a tree outside the kitchen and preparing their frugal meal. They accepted the fish as a gift from heaven, whence, indeed, it seemed to have come, so unexpected and startling was its descent from above. The clergyman’s family called in two or three of their neighbors and enjoyed with them a substantial fish dinner. The poor fish-hawk had to make other provision for his family in the tree-top. This is only a fish story, yet it is said to be vouched for by several excellent and trustworthy people.
From— The Ottawa Free Trader. (Ottawa, Ill.), 16 Sept. 1882. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
