Dick and the fish.

Sonnie, the monkey and Jack went trout fishing in Gilford Brook starting at the bridge near Labonte's Farm. It was near this bridge that Sonnie had rescued the family's pet collie, Tippy, when it was hooked on a fishing line. After being snagged, the dog had jumped into the water and in Sonnie went after it. As remembered, it was quite a sight. This happened in 1955. There are no pictures of that much earlier event or this recent excursion. The monkey got in a huff and wouldn't take any pictures. He said that he had not come all the way to New Hampshire to kill fish.

After catching and cleaning the fish Jack decided to go over to Dick Ackerman's house. Dick had played in the first band Jack had played in. Jack took the fish to Dick to trade for a Black Russian or two. The monkey was despondent over the fish kill and decided to drown its sorrow. He swilled the liquid greedily. He thought the drink was made from puréed people. After a few Black Russians, the darned monkey became rambunctious and rowdy as he listened to Dick play the guitar. Later, as they tried to calm the beast down, it grabbed Sonnie and dashed out the door. Sonnie was last seen that night in the monkey's arms as the monkey ran down Old Lake Shore Drive hollering something about Jeffrey Dahmer and red cherries or Chevies.

During the night, a search for Sonnie and the monkey was conducted but proved fruitless. The runaways were nowhere to be found. In the morning on the news there was a story about a monkey that had run amok in Lakeport. It seems that the critter had stolen a fire-red Camaro from Cantin's, a nearby Chevy garage, and had led the local police on a slow-speed chase. Eventually the critter had been forced off the road and ended up ramming into the side of the old Scott and Williams factory building. As the police closed in, the monkey jumped into the nearby river and swam across Lake Opechee, making its escape. Witnesses reported seeing a white box balanced precariously on the monkey's head.

With old friends Fent and Jerry.

Having made their getaway, Sonnie and the monkey began looking for a place to hide out. The monkey had no idea where to go. Sonnie did not want to involve his family in his nefarious flight but knew his old high school friends Fenton and Jerry Judkins would help them. Lifetime friends, Jerry used to hold Sonnie's jacket and glove during baseball practice when he was in high school. Sonnie said Jerry was like a sister to him but Jack wondered if there had not been a spark at one time.

Sonnie was a very good athlete. In baseball he had been an outstanding pitcher. He tried out for the Red Sox the same day that Ted Williams did. Ted made it. Sonnie didn't. He had blown out his arm pitching around the state of N.H. when he was in high school and younger. He did continue in sports. He was the N.H. State ten pin bowling champ. The last championship won the year Jack was born. That was 1948. Sonnie's oldest son and namesake, Alfred George Davis III, was born in 1944. Freddie, Fred or, more recently, Al followed in Sonnie's footsteps as the athlete in the family.

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