The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-03-02
THE MAJORS ALLIGATOR STORY
Perhaps This Is a True Incident Of Lii
in the Far-Down South.


in the Far-Down South.
Maj. W. P. Cooper, chief of the mis-
cellaneous division of the interior
department, usually ertertains his
visitors with stories of life in the far
down south. To party of friends
who clustered around him recently he
told the following yarn:
Sat 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 big gator?' !
said No Well, he continued, when
Bill and lived in Polk county we lost
lots of hogs by gators, and one time
me and Bill was ridin' through the
woods in our range lookin' up some
meat hogs, when we come to little
lake. about forty acres, / reckon, OF
about 400 yards wide. Right in the
middle of it big black hog was
foatin' dead, and swimmin' near it the
biggest gator l ever seed-he 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
if he didn't get that blasted
gator anyhow l tried to stop
him, but it warn't no use-he
tuck and cut stick about as big
round as my wrist and about two feet
long and sharpened both ends, then he
tuck the twenty-foot rope he had for
halter and tied it to the middle of that
stick, he shucked off his clothes, and
just with stick and rope, as naked as
he was born, he commenced to swim
out to that alfred gator. At first
the gator didn't pay no 'tention tc
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 swim.
min and just hit the stick in front and
shuck it from side to side to make
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 a shinin' through the fog OF
water, and his mouth looked ten foot
wide.
';.'Gee williams" hollered. Good.
by, Bill but no. stree! Bill he just
kept his place and hilt that stick a,
arms length in front of him, and,
when the gator got close enough, just
showed it into its mouth. That cussed
gator shet down on it with a snap, and
it just stuck at both ends and propped
his mouth wide open. The gator
stopped and shet one eye and looked a,
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 &C
backward and then to go forer'd, but
it warn't no use. Bill hilt on and
usin' one arm and hand swan back tc
the shore, bringin' the gator with
him, and tied him to stump, and then
he said You burned old amniverous
cuss-which means you eats meat. and
likes hogs best-I'll go home and get
an ak and come back here and finish
you
my friend having concluded this re.
marka BILE narration, took long Whit
at his pipe and regarded me earnestly.
Despite my efforts to be politely credu
lous my expression, fear, did not ex-
actly please him, for he said, little
stifiy: That is a solemn fact, as true
as gospel. and you may believe it just
the same as if you had seen it your
self expressed my regret that had
not had that privilege. ."-Washington
Post