TWEETS OF OLD

John Estep, a fisherman, went over to Missouri frog hunting, having received an order from St. Louis for frog hams. Among other frogs he captured, one with five fully developed legs, and he is as proud as a pea fowl about it. In speaking about his latest catch, last evening, Mr. Estep said: ‘I ketched a frog once that had whiskers like a cat. I ketched another one once that had a tail like a muskrat’s. ‘Nother time I hauled in a big feller that only had one hind leg, and that was enough like a chicken’s to have a spur on it, but it didn’t. Then there was a curious old frog I ketched years ago that had a head you’d a swore belonged to a snapping turtle, and the nobby feller with a regular white streak round his neck like a dude’s collar, and a round spot covering one of his eyes that made him look exactly as if he was wearing one of them dandy eye glasses. Then there was the frog I ketched that was so cross-eyed I was almost afraid to take it off the hook. But I consider this here five legged frog the biggest piece of flesh of the kind I ever ketched. I’ll tell you why: It ain’t no freak, this five legger aint. It is the result of deliberation on the part of the frogs. Frogs is gettin’ scarce, but folks has got to have them and the frogs know it. Frogs is the smartest things in creation. Now what does them five legs on this frog mean? It means that the frogs haint no doubt of what they are here fur, and knowing they are growing lesser and lesser on the face of the earth, and in the swamps thereof, they are jest agoing into the growing of more legs, so that the decrease in the number of frogs will be made up by the increase in the number of their fat and juicy kickers. This fellow only has five. They’ll be doing better bimeby, and some of these days I will fetch in a stock of frogs wearing all the way from eight to ten legs apiece, and every one of them of a quality to make a frog-eater go crazy with delight. Mind what I tell ye; frogs is revolutin’ and I know it.”

Daily Post-1871

Fishpower

There exists a team of trained sturgeons which draws a boat on the Lehigh Canal. “The driver has his seat in the bow and directs their course with a goad, which is a long pole as thick as one’s wrist, with a sharp spike sticking out at right angles from the end, and it is surprising with what alacrity they obey. When they are to be turned to the right or left, a sudden prick on the opposite side of each sturgeon causes the paid to take the desired course. When a greater speed is desired they are pierced hear the tail; when they are requires to halt the goad is reached forward, and they are picked in front of the head.”