The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1889-06-14
CHE 81,
A close Can Win ! Whli. o..
st. Lonis Globe-D Democrat

ST. Lonis Globe-D Democrat.
A large white alligator M. /
repeatedly seen on Alrs. Wa
place, five miles from Yazno ~
Miss. This is the only whils w \.
gator ever seen iuihe State, ~
About five years aao
Wardloe. wIpt conducts q .is
farm missed several of her ealse
and almost every day some ~
stock WOULD disappear.
supposed at FIRST thai cattle lLia.a
were al work, and Il close NV
was kept. But The calves cOnG'
ned to disappear even while u.
men we're watching. One ni0S'
The supposed thief Was d~iscovasa,
crawling, as il was Thought. on N
hands in The grass 1t was mo",
light, and all that could be dist;a
guished was "A form moving lro".
the swamp toward calf. SnddsS
" 1t pOnnced upon the animal. ans
the n:en Tired several shots If
with rifles and closed in around H.
form, when il was found thai NV
calf Thief was a pure white alli~s'
tor. The reptile succeeded IN q
Gaping 10 The swamp and parlis,
were organized 10 hunt it The nov,
day. They watched Tor its appea,'
ance for ii week, but could g.
nothing OF il until one night abom
ten days afterit was seen. Several
shots were fired at it without ~
feet. as The range was evldenlly
not long to hit the saurian in any
vulnerable part. A great many
have tried to kill ii since that tim.
but none have e. er succeeded, and
The white alligator is still master
OF the swamp.
Before his appearance, there
were a number of ordinary alllsa
tors, but with The advent of thO
white one others made lhemselye,
scarce, leaving him sole possessM
of The territory. Ii is not known
whether he has killed them Or
whether they fled AT his approach.
He has continued his depredatioBs.
however, among the cattle, and
every possible means have been
tried to effect bis destruction, bvl
Without success.
His size Is unknown, as hone
have ever been able 10 get snfh.
GENTLY near him to determine, ex.
cept one luckless individual, who
was too Ndly scared To measure
him Accurately, and who thought
that he was about as long as a Iele.
graph pole.
a party bad been organized to
hunt him, and lie was seen 10 leave
the swamp aud climb upon Il logat
some distance from the water. The
swamp was surrounded and a man
named Drew, armed with a trnsly
went between the gator and
The marsh. The wicked sanrian
TO apprccil ate The situation
at a glance, and, throwing up his
upper jaw, started for Drew at
what seemed like lightning speed.
he hunter became The hunted.
lie forgot TO shoot, and did not
time TO get out of The gators
way. He started on the run, but
i was evident that he could never
escape, and his friends were hor-
'or-olrlcken at his impending fate,
when he suddenly disappeared,
md at that moment the alligator
passed over him.
When the crowd became snlli.
nerved to look Tor The miss
ng man they found that he had
Jrovidentially fallen into a stock
we'll which was at The edge OF the
swamp aud was 20 feet deep. The
lunter when discovered was stand.
NJ up to hls waist in mud and wa
er, but was rescued by means of
.opeS without serious injury. Since
hat time the reptile has not been
disturbed except at a distance, and
or slugs seem to have M
fleet on him.
GSing 10 his white appearance,
he negroes, i; is said, entertain a
peculiar regard for the alligator
md will not mention him, except
With supersIilious horror. He is
imposed to be a malignant spirit,
md The negroes believe that he
vill never die, and it is impossible
o Kill HIM without drawing upon
themselves The wrath of all evils
who will revenge them.
elves by visiting them with all
manner of imaginable horrors.
the fact remains that
hn nnINIa