Bi Shively was well-known for his tales and odd-sense of humor.
from Jan 24, 1951 HH:
Feed Tub
By L. G. Duffy
We have always recognized Bion Shively as a man of many attainments, having a great War record, a positive cure for all the ills both man and horse are heir to, a past-master in relating tall tales, the driver of Rodney 1:572/5, The Colonel's Lady 1:591/2, Gay Song 1:593/4. Ebonita 2:00 and numerous other fast campaigners to their records without being securely tied in the bikes by son, Maxwell, better known as Jerry, etc., but we had some doubts as to his being the outstanding successor to the famous Izaak Walton, until we were advised of his winning top honors over the noted hunter and fisherman, Guy Crippen, recently in a test staged in the lake in the centerfield of the mile course at Azalea Park. While examining the beautiful and expensive array of tackle owned by Guy Crippen, Shively made light of his friend spending so much money for the accessories, expensive poles, lines, automatic reels, creels, fancy fishing outfits, etc., saying that Guy was really a "fall-guy" for the manufacturers, and that in his boyhood days, he put to shame the followers of Izaak Walton and their tackle, though using a straight pole, pin hook and plain old cork. Bi claims that the test was stopped at the end of a two hours, 15 minute and 4/5 second session, and the honors awarded him as at that time he had become tired of yanking out the vertebrate occupants of the lake, while Crippen, a master with the rod and gun had not landed enough of the finny tribe for his family of two. Having had our doubts at times as to the truth and veracity of Bion, we might have questioned this superior attainment and given the communication to our waste basket, but his claim that it was fully subscribed and sworn to by Charles Lacey, our warm friend for more than a third of a century, accounts for our reporting the match.
Bi is always interested in the welfare of others, and as stated earlier has a positive cure for all ills, having personally been a victim of every ailment the human is subjected to. His evident deep interest, his suave, confidential and soft spoken words seem to make an impression on the gentler sex, and we were made a victim of his great curative(?) powers, as at Lexington last fall, seeing us creeping around on a cane-, he looked up our better half, was told that we were suffering from a severe attack of sciatic neuritis, so advised her that he had suffered similarly, had visited, every physician and masseur from Los Angeles, Cal., to Old Orchard Beach, Me., then down to Charlotte, N. C., without getting any relief until the latter city, then was told to buy a 98 cent woollen muffler and wind it around the affected parts. From Lexington, Ky., we hustled to Harrisburg, Pa., to work on the mammoth catalogues for the Standardbred Sales, and when our better half made the trip to the last named city to visit us and attend the Sale, one of the very first things she removed from her luggage was a heavy woollen cloth and we meekly submitted to having it wound around our left limb from hip to knee; we are still a sufferer, and of course regret that the great Shively in his twilight days, picked us out as the victim for his first failure as a cure-all.
