DROWNED BY A CATFISH

 

DROWNED BY A CATFISH

Hartford Herald News Paper, January 1892

Ohio County, KY

A Correspondent from Calhoon, Kentucky,

writing to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat... tells the following story.

 

The Sad and Strange Fate of a Kentucky Fisherman

           There is a lonely deserted graveyard in the hills above Green River, fifteen miles south of here. It was once well kept, but that was long, long age, before the little white church was built a few miles further on. There is a graveyard now near the white church. It is well kept and has a more modern appearance than the old burying-place in the hills above the river. There is a sunken grave near. the center of the old grave yard, above which there is a plain limestone slab upon is rudely written the quaint inscription:

 William Henry Larkin, 36 years old "He was killed by a catfish"

           A native of the hills was found who had known William Henry Larkin in life, who also knew well the circumstances that caused his death. The aforesaid native's re-collection of the dates is very faulty, but as nearly as he could make it out, it was directly after the war between the states that William Henry Larkin, his esteemed friend and neighbor,' met a tragic death. Bill Larkin, as he was known in the country around, kept the ferry over the green River known as Larkin's Ferry. Besides the business of ferryman, he followed the humble avocation of fisherman, and' supplied the county folks with choice fresh fish. There was a big Baptist association in session a few miles away from the ferry, and Bill's fish trade was unusually large. He put out ever trotline' he had, and was doing a flourishing business. Business on the ferry was also good, and Bill was, to use the native language, "making money hand over fist." One evening he left home to "run" his trotlines, and he was not seen again until his body was found cold in death. Bill's spirit had joined the great majority on the other shore. His body was found by a searching party on the following day, hanging to one of his trotlines.

           A large fish-hook firmly fastened in the unfortunate man's clothing, and a few feet from him on the same trotline there was a large catfish. The supposition was that Bill was running the trotline when the big fish jerked the line catching a hook in Bill's clothing and pulled him out of the boat into the water. The fish weighted thirty six pounds and Bill was thirty six years of age. Those single facts were looked upon by the simple country people was thereabouts a positive evidence that Bill's taking was the Devine will of Providence. Bill's funeral was the largest ever held in that community and his remains were laid to rest in the old churchyard beside his ancestors, with the simple ceremony of the primitive church which he belonged in his life. The grass and briars have grown over Bill's grave for a quarter a century or more, his widow still lives in the old fashioned house near the river, and carries on the business just the same as before Bill was drowned by the fish.

          Thanks to Norma Williams who sent this to me, and thanks to Helen McKeown who sent it to her.

Source:  Kentucky Family Records, Volume 38. No. 4, Winter 2014.

 Note:  On Ancestry I found a William Larkin born abt 1856 living with his parents and siblings in Boston, Daviess County (1870 census). His parents were William, age 47 and wife Mary, age 33; the siblings were William, age 14, Sarah E., age 12; and Robert L., age 6.   The 1880 census shows the parents, William, Sarah, and Lee (probably Robert Lee).