JOLLY BROTHER'S FISHING CLUB

The first excursion of the "Jolly Brothers Fishing Club" of this place consisted of a trip last Thursday, to the beautiful body of water eight miles northeast of Angola, known as Lake Gage.  By a singular, and we must say rather sel-fish arrangement, none but the officers were allowed to participate in the inaugural fishing party of the club.  Every one of the grand Moguls, however, took particular pains to be present at the inaugural ceremonies on the south bank of the lake, as the following list of attendants, which we glean from the secretary's book, show: T. B. Williams, president; O. Carver, vice-president; J. Tooley, 2nd vice-president; J. Gale, treasurer; M. Stiefel, secretary; L. M. Sowle, night-watch.  Leaving business cares behind, the party started at one o'clock P.M., and, after a pleasant ride through a fine country, at 3:30 the boys neared the lake.  With hearts light and pockets filled with straggling poles, and with long worms on their shoulders, the "Jolly Brother's Fishing Club" hopped out of the three-seated carriage, to the great relief of its springs, and to the complete joy of about a million hungry mosquitoes.  After the battle with the insects had opened, and while busy rigging up the boats, Mr. O Leas put in an appearance with commissary stores which consisted of eatables, ___ables, tenting, etc.  After partaking of a hearty supper and indulging in a fine smoke, the next thing in order was a row on the lake, ending up with a healthy bathe.  Before retiring, a social game of pedre was engaged in by all except Moses, who laid his weary bones away in his hammock for the purpose of courting "tired nature's sweet restorer - balmy sleep"  On being called at regular intervals of fifteen minutes, he gave up in despair and joined in shuffling the pictures.  Just here the party received a pleasant visit from Joseph Butler and his friend, Mr. Gilliad.  The club dished up the best in the shop and in return were tendered the hospitality of his house.  At midnight  all retired except, of course, the night watch, Sowle.  The boys slept probably fifteen minutes, when they were awakened by a slight noise right over them, about as loud as could possibly come from a heavily loaded shot gun.  The gun was expressly fired, as Lee afterward stated,while President rubbed down his shoulder with arnica, for the purpose of keeping away the howling beasts, but the old thing suddenly rewarded him for his pains by kicking him down the bank into the lake to bathe.
All sleep soundly, even to the night watch until three o'clock, when the fishermen were awakened by the patter of rain upon the tent.  Shortly after, "Mose" astonished the club by paddling out to the President's floating bladder and hauling in an immense "pickeral."  The Club, however, afterward, with only one dissenting voice, (that of Moses) decided to call the curious specimen of the finny tribe a regular dog fish. The worthy secretary of the club was sorely disappointed that morning in not having pickerel for breakfast.  The boys, however, took in some fine fish that Friday and after exhausting their eatables and particularly their ____ables, the party returned home, we learn, for the express purpose of getting ready for another trip.

Steuben Republican July 21,1875