The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-09-04


fang was driven In was so violent that
Mr.. Rushing thought it was one of the
weight poles on the root of the cabin
that had fllen on his leg, and could
not be convinced otherwise until the
swelling began to rapidly extend up his
leg, when by close inspection, the en-
trance of the two fangs was discovered.
The swelling was rapidly approaching
the body. My father drenched him as
we do horse, with a bottle of whisky,
and got a BEDFORD and tied his foot up
TO the joist, keeping 1t elevated to
make the swelling ascend. My impress
sion was, though it may be regarded
improbable, his big toe swelled to the
size of a small watermelon. Every
known remedy was applied, including
the various snake roots and the poisoned
stone, Mr.. Rushing suffered greatly
andc fingered a long time. My opin-
ion is that the whisky was a check
if not an antidote to the poison and
saved his life. When we moved to
Sumner county he was periodically af-
fected by this bite, but survived many
years, and now sleeps with his fathers,
The next morning we found the rattle
snake under the puncheon floor and
killed him. He had sixteen rattles, and
was, of course, that many years old.
This was an awful snake country, sure.
The rattIesnakes lived and germinated
in the cliffs, but came down into the
settlements, and when molested struck
with terrible fatality. He is magnan-
imous snake. The rattle is his battle
cry, and while he is giving warming to
the intruder he gets into the coil, with
his head in the centre, and when he
stribes he throws his whole body.
ANOTHER SNAKE STORY.
If it will not fatigue you, ladies, I
Will give YOU another snake scene of
the olden time, and then pursue my
rambles. A neighbor with a wife and
one child built his cabin on a fat rock
among the cliffs, impervious to foods
but not to snakes. Upon this rock
Peter built his cabin his winter fires
were built in the center of the house ;
the stack of rocks and mud protruded
through the roof and carried off the
smoke. The fires being kept during
the winter upon this floor, early in the
sping, thawed the snakes. He and his
wife and child occupied their only bed
in the corner, elevated some two feet
from the rock. Just before day he was
awakened by the crawling of snakes
over the bed, and their kissing all over
the hNuse. He soon became satisfied
that his cabin was infested with snakes.
1t was dangerous to attempt to walk
across the rock floor TO the door, as he
could not avoid being envelOped by
snakes, so he whispered to his wife to
cover up her head and that of the child
with the bed-clothes and hold them
down, and remain in that condition
until his return, as he was going to es-
cape through the roof of the house
and would bring relief by morning.
He thus escaped, alarmed the neigh
bors, who assembled at the break of
day with guns and ropes. They exam
ined the situation and found that the
floor and bed were covered with snakes.
They got totee roof, made an opening,
let down ropes that had running
nooses, and after great care and diff
Guilty they were placed under the arms
of his wife, and she holding to her child
they we're safely drawn up, and thus
saved from dRtruction.
The rattlesaakes herd together and
lay dormant under the rock and cliffs,
and this rock happened to be their win
ter headquarters, and being thawed by
the fire that night they took up their
line of march. There were upwards OF
a hundred slain that morning and found
among the embers of the burnt cabin.
do not know how it is now, but I
know that sixty years ago this was an
awful snake country. But I suppose
the snake, like the bear, the panther,
wolf and Indian, has retired before the
approach of civilization, and is now but
seldom seen.
CEN JACKSON
was "a most remarkable man, tie great
est the world has produced since the
days of Washington and Napoleon. I
believe him equal to either He takes
rank with such men as Cesar.
Charles Y, and the Duke of Marlbor-
ough, Cromwell, the Duke of Yelling
ton, Bonaparte, and our own Washing
ton, Robert r. Lee, and Stonewall Jack
son. Such men are the growth of CEN
turies. They are bright and brilliant
stars that take their place in history at
long periods of time. And as time
rolls on, and the distant ages come, their
increases and their glory is
not diminished. Many are the interest
ing scenes of Epckson's life which his
Patton has omitted. When
a boy, I saw him scare and put to flight
twenty thousand men. The occasion
was this: Greyhound, a Kentucky
horse, had beaten Double Head, Ten
nessee horse, and they were afterwards
matched for Eve thousand dollars
side, to be run on the Glover bottom
course. Ny uncle, Josephus 81. Conn
who, by the death of my parents, be-
came one to me, giving me such educa-
ton as I received-carried me on horse.
back behind him TO see the race He
set me on the cedar fence aud told me
to remain till he returned. In those
days not only counties but states, In full
feather, attended the race course as a
great matte nal amusement, and the same
is still kept up in France and England
under the fostering care of each gov
eminent. There must have been twenty
thousand persons present. I never wit
messed Sqch fierce betting between the
states. Money and negroes were put
up. A large pound was filed with hor-
ses and negroes bet on the result of the
race. The time had now arrived for
the competitors to appear on the track.
[ heard some loud talking, and looking
down the track, 1 saw for the first
time Gen. Jackson riding slowly on
gray horse, with long pistols held in
each hand. think they were as long
as my arm, and had a mouth that
ground squirrel could enter. In his
wake followed my uncle, Conn, Stokely
Donelson, Patton Anderson, and several
others, as fierce as bulldogs. AS Gen.
Jackson led the van and approached the
judges stand he was rapidly talking and
gesticulating. As he came by me be
said that he had irrefragible proof that
this was to be a jockey race; that Grey
hound was seen in the wheat field the
night before, which disqualified him
for the race, and that his rider was TO
receive five hundred dollars to throw it
off, and, by the eternal, he would shoot
the first man who brought his horse up
on the track; that the peoples money
should not be stolen from them in that
manner. He talked necessarily, while
the spittle rolled from his mouth and
the fire from his eye. have seen bears
and wolves put at bay, but he was GER
tainly the most ferocious looking ami
NAL that / had ever seen. His appear
ance and manner struck terror into the
hearts of twenty thousand people. If
they felt as I did, every one expected
to be slain. He announced to the par
ties if they wanted any lead in their
hides just to bring their horses on the
track, for, by the eternal, he would kill
the frs man that attempted to do so.
There was no response to this challenge,
and after waiting some time, and they
failing to appear, Gen. Jackson said it