Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-07-22

mortem. Three :baffets had en-
tered the -s9pfae's body, and
two hadglanced from the plates
IoRsniaii. The first bullet had
apparently broken the vertebra
just over the shoulders, and had
Killed him outright without a
spasm. We heaved him into
the boat and returned to Enter
prise in triumph. A crowd of
darkies and pilgrims gathered
around. Ernest Man, of Bay
lonne, N. j., heard thestory with
much interest. "Why," said he
at the conclusion, "that's the
same alligator | Killed two days
ago. If you look under his left
fore leg you'll find the mark of
an explosive bullet"
A month later / visited Lake
Jessup with Judge Emmons, of
Jacksonville. The Judge was
a wonderful marksman, as
full of fun as magpic; but he
was getting old, and his eye
sight was failing. One day we
killed a monster on the edge of
marshy canebrake. He had
splendid teeth, and the Judge
wanted to secure them as me-
mcntoes. The painter of the
boat was tied to the reptiles
leg, and we towed him across an
arm of the lake to solid ground.
A small ak was borrowed from
the house of a "cracker" near
by, and we concluded to decap-
itate the prize, boil the head and
remove the teeth. The body
was so large that we could not
draw it upon the shore. A
stake was cut and pointed, and
driven through the jaws of the
reptile, pinning him into the
mud. The water was probably
1.-TWO feet deep. The Judge drew
out a sheath-knife, and was
about to make an incision, when
he was cautioned by barefoot
ed negro who stood on the bank
watching the operation with Gu
rious eyes. 49, ~ -
"Better git shut O dat ha ga
tab, shuah," said he; "twell he
done gone dead"
"Oh, good Lord!" exclaimed
the Judge, she's been dead an
hour. If he was alive, do you
reckon he'd allow us to drive a
stake through him?"
"No gatah am dead till de sun
am gone down." the darky OBJ
served. @
The Judge laughed and pass
ed me the knife. | inserted the
blade in a bullet-hole near the
shoulder, and cut cash in the
flesh, following the trend of7the
diamond-shaped scales beneath
the skin. Judge Emmons stood
near the monsters tail. The
knife penetrated the quiyering
flesh, and was stained with
blood. AS quick as flash the
tail shot from the water, and
the Judge was knocked fully
ten feet. The reptile raised his
head, stake and all and sailed
out into the lake like a subma-
rine battery. Judge Emmons
lost his glasses, but was fortu-
nately unhuri. The incident
however, convinced him that il
was dangerous to fool with {
dead alligator until after sun.
down. ft4Q
j In the winter Of 1875 | was
encamped in the great Tmnbul
Swamp, ninety miles south of
; St. Augustine, hunting deer
: bears, wildcats, cougars anC
wild turkeys. There was ;
great drought and the savannas
and swamps were dry. Score.
of alligators paraded the dry sa
vannas in search Of water. Ont
day Captain Frank Sans anC
-ITom Murray, two well-knowl
guides, rode past the encamp
!, ment. nTheys were looking TO
: sour-orange stumps, with the in
tention of transplanting sanc
: grating them. a hundred
!, yards from camp, they reinet
, I'M their horses on a burnt sagan
ma, and beganto shout. Snatch
J ing a doublebarrelled gun, Lral
out on the savanna. Their hors
es were prancing around an e
lnormous bull alligator, who hat
cfawled out OF the dry swamp
and who was headed for tn
Hillsborough River. lie wa
} confused by the shouts Of tn
t guides and the prancing ofsthei
t horses, and | approached him
, unseen. Stealing behind him
: | ran a palmetto splinter int
, his eye. He turned numbering
t lily over the blackcned stubblc
t and the guides struck at hin
a with cow-whips. Driven to wea
l iriness, he couched close to tn
4 ground, pulled out his throat, 2
q fpened his cavernOus mouth, an
made noise like the rushing
9 of a wind. a moment saftet
1 ward l discharged load ol