The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-09-29
Tough stories.


One of the characters of this village Is
a venerable man named Uncle John
Hurr, who settled here more than fifty
years ago, and he takes great pleasure
nrelating incidents and stories of pioneer
times. Last evening there was quite a
large party assembled under the naples.
and the conversation turning on snake
stories, eN-Sherif Piatt, the proprietor
of the hotel. asked Uncle John to tell
| the strangers something about how
! plenty rattlesnakes were fifty years ago.
Il fear you would not b 'leeve me, >
said the veteran, ''if l was to tell YOU
what have seen the snakes do''
rs it true that rattlesnakes were so
/ plenty on these mountains once that the
settlers had to fire guns in the evening to
frighten them away and prevent them
from swimming the creek?''
That's a fact replied Uncle John,
--but / can tell you something stranger
than that about the pesky varmints.
| Let's have it, all hands exclaimed
at once
''Jist keep quiet an I'll tell how big
4 blackSnake once treated me.
We'll, once, about forty-nine years
/ ago, L went up on that mountain one
afternoon for huckleberries. They were
very plenty in those days, and so were
the snakes. L carried a small basket.
and 1t was not long before bad it well
filled with very choice berries. l sot the
basket down by a big stone and was jist
reachin' for some more berries when |
! heerd terrible traShin' in the bushes.
an soon l seen the head of snake
comm toward me. L knew it was big
black racer at once. an as | always car
ried stout hickory stick l prepared to
give battle if it tackled me;' and Uncle
John took off his spectacles and wiped
the glasses.
''What did it do?" inquired Judd, the
miller
What did it dop Why, it jist sailed
mp to my basket. and seizin' it in its
mouth sailed off through the bushes
holdin' it as proudly as if it had gath
cred every berry"
Now, Uncle John, you don't mean
that the snake carried off your basket of
huckleberries in its mouth?' said Billy
Sweatman, the minstrel, who was one
of the summer visitors.
Il jist mean that replied the pio-
neer, as he brought his stout cane down
on the platform with a thwack that
made the boards crack. AN that's not
all; I'm not done with that snake yet"
Let's have the s0hoie story" said
Billy.
'.Well, didn't like the idea of losin'
my basket, an so l gave chase to the
racer; an the way we thrashed around
among the bushes for half an hour was
caution, the snake holdin' my basket
all the time in its mouth. Finally l got
near enough to hit it blow on the back
rs it was crawlin' over log, and that
settled it''
did you get the basket?' they all
asked.
Yes. Stree; but had to pry its jaws
open with stick before it would let go
of the handler
No., q <a.Sig spake?' inquired the
7 4 6155 sn;tSe! It just measured nine
feet long, and was as thick as a young
/ saplin' said Uncle John, rs he pointed
/ to a maple about four inches in thick
/ ness. And then he removed his specta-
1 cles and leaned back in his chair ike
4 Congressman after voting for some big
bill.
/ General ii. w. Farley. a candidate fo1
/ Congress in this district. happened along
! before Uncle John had finished his snake
story, and became an interested listener.
\ Everybody knew him, aud they all de-
manded that he should tell story.
1 The General took a seat, and, remov-
/ ing his spectacles, began by saying:
I ''When | was up the Sinnemaponino
/ Creek last winter, lookin' for timber. ]
| discovered black bear coming down
/ the mountain pretty fast not far from
where | was standing, and, supposine
that something had frightened him, did
not attempt to hide or climb tree, as /
thought he would keep on. But l soon
| discovered that he was mad and that |
had made mistake, for the moment
( that he discovered me he gave n growl,
and opening his mouth very wide, rushed
at me. 1 had no weapon with me but
stout pocket-knife with long blade,
and | hurriedly opened it. determined to
sell my life dearly if the ferocious beast
attacked me. didn't have to wait long
before bruin came up in front of me.
and, rearing on his hind legs, prepared
TO embrace me. As he reached out his
paws and undertook to hug me. jumped
around to his back, and, showing the
knife-blade into his neck, drew it cleal
down to his tail, cutting him so com
pleteiy in two that he fell apart at my
feet. There was powerful pressure on
that knife-blade, boys, but it saved mer'
-Frttu Ran Cor. Philadelphia Times.