On this day in 1966, emergency crew workers found a “pretty remarkable catch” in the Appomattox River. On the front page of The Progress-Index out of Petersburg, a photograph showed these emergency workers poking, rather than fishing, at an object in the river. According to the headline, the “fish” had large shining eyes and did not resemble any known form of sea life.
The caption then begged readers to turn to page nine for the complete story and a photo of the “fish.” Was it a whale? Not this time…
It was just an automobile that was fished from the Appomattox River early this morning. A railroad worker told police that he passed the scene and saw lights under the water, and there appeared to be an automobile there. Capt. M. Bruce Biggs said the automobile, with its gas peddle locked to the floor with a brick, was sunk under five feet of water. He said there were no license plates on the car, but some nuts and bolts were found on the bank, where police presume the plates were removed. Biggs said police suspect the car was stolen.
I wonder if the police ever solved this mystery.
