Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-23
A REMARKABLE STORY.
In Regard to Alligators Comes From
Mnior COOper.

Mai W. p. Cooper, chief of the miscel-
laneous division of the Interior Depart
ment, usually entertains his visitors with
stories of life in the far-down south. To o
party Of friends who clustered around him
this morning he told the following yarn:
AT a camp fire in south Florida a friend
of mine, one of the natives. said: Did you
ever hearn tell of how Bill Sprowles onct
ketched a big 'gatorT I said no. Wen
he continued, when Bill and / lived In
Polk county we lost lots OF hogs by gators.
and one time me and Bill was a ridin'
through the woods in our range lookin' up
some meat hogs, when We come to little
lake, about forty acres, 1 reckon, or about
400 yards wide. Right in the middle OF II n
big black hog was a hoatin' dead, and a
swimmin' near il the biggest gator / ever
seed ne must have been twenty foot
long If er inch. Bill was high-tempered
man, and he got powerful mad and swore
and cussed and said he knowed the hog
was hissen. and though he didn't have
nary gun with him. he'd be blamed n he
didn't git that blasted gator anyhow. i
tried to stop him, but IT warn't no user
he tuck and cut a stick about as big round
as my wrist and about two foot long and
sharpened both ends, then he tuck the
twenty-foot rope he had for halter and
tied il to the middle OF that stick. he
shucked off his clothes and just with the
stick and rope, as naked as he was born.
he commenced TO swim out TO that all-f1red
gator. At first the gator didn't pay any
'teltion to him, but kept swimmin' round
the dead hog, but when Bill got in about
fifty yards of him, he turned and headed
for Bill. Bill he stopped swimmin' and
Just hit the stick I'm front and shuck IL
from side to side, TO make a splashin
sound. Then that gator started for Bill.
slow at first, but faster as he came. till
the water fairly billed. and when he got
in about ten foot of him his jaws few open
and / could see his tusks shinin' through
the fog of water and his mouth looked ten
foot wide Gee Whiliikens! 1 hollered
Goodbye, Bill but no, stree! Bill he just
kept his place and hilt that stick at arms
length in front of him. and when the
gator got close enough just showed IL into
his mouth. That cussed gator shet down
on il with snap, and IL just stuck at
both ends and propped his mouth wide open.
The gator stopped and shet one eye and
looked at Bill, he hilt his holt and looked
at the gator, the gator tried to turn his
head one way and the other, he tried TO go
backward and then to go fored, but IL
warn't no use. Bill hilt on and a usin' one
arm and hand swan hack to the shore. a
bringin' the gator with him, and tied him
to a stump, and then he said: You burned
old amniverous cuss-which means you ca Is
meat and likes hog best-'Fn go home and
git and come back here and finish
you"
MY friend having concluded this re-
markable narration took long Whit at his
pipe and regarded me earnestly. Despite
my efforts to be politely credulous my ex-
preston. fear. did not exactly please him.
for he said little stifiiy, That is a solemn
fact, true gospel, and you may be-
lieve ii just the same as If you had seen
il yourself ] expressed my regret that I
had not had that privilege"