Reprinted from the New Hampshire Gazette, July 12, 1771

Portsmouth, New Hampshire, July 12, 1771: We hear from Damariscotta (Maine), that about three weeks ago, three men being in a canoe, fishing, about half a mile from the shore, a large shark came along side, and after going several times round the canoe, came up and took the man standing in the middle, overboard, bit him in two pieces and swallowed both parts;  afterwards came up to the canoe again, when the other two, being greatly terrified, hove over all their fish, and laid themselves down on the bottom, on which the shark made towards a boat, lying at a little distance, and luckily one of the people had a gun, and on the shark’s coming up along side, shot him instantly dead.  They afterwards towed him on shore, opened him, and took out the two parts of the man, and buried them.  He left a sorrowful widow and three small children to lament his unhappy death.