The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-17

back, an ses he, 'Lemme alone, men. I'm
a-goin' to tackle the thing An fore they
could stop him, he sailed in. Whewl BY
jings, the was a fghtl Twas a big OF
wheat, an Bill was a. fightin' him bare
handed. He was more'n bare-handed fore
he got through He was bare-legged an
bare-backed. They say the cat just strip
ped him like shuckin' a ear o corn.
The balance of 'em says they
was at 1t fer hour, but
don't guess twas that long. Bill says
twas the biggest fight an the worst fight
he was ever in, an he's bin in some bad
ones But Bill come out atop. He killed
the cat, but the cat near killed him. He
was jest cut an clawed a most ter rib
bins. He didn't git outen his house a. gin
fer about six weeks. Bill was a reckless
cuss when he was sober, but he was a
plum fool when he was drunk"
Not long ago after my night on the
mountains with Cy Ricketts,, it was my
fortune TO attend the funeral of William
Bailey, ESD, who, in spite of his human
FORM might well have passed rs mem
Der of the wildcat family. William was
more famiiarly known to his neighbors as
Biggity (bigoted) Bill After eighty-seven
years of wicked experience in this wicked
| world, Bill passed peacefully away. If
| the information given me regarding his
| career be at all reliable, there would seem
| to be no doubt that his last moments were
the only peaceful ones of his life. His
character, as described by those who knew
him best, was evidently that of a quarrel
| some man, who loved fight for the sake
| of a fight.
l inferred, from sundry descriptions of
an anatomical character, that BilPs body
might have served very well as railroad
| map of Ohio or Illinois. Numerous pune
lures made by bullets either intercepted
in melee or received Ia more directly
| personal encounter, would serve to repre-
| sent the towns and cities of those popu-
| lous states, while the system of railway
lines was indicated by an endless COM
/ plexity of scars running in all directions.
! These scars were souvenirs of little bick-
| erings with various parties whose CONVEX
| sation was attended by efforts to divide
| Bill into sections by means of edged tools
commonly known as Barlow's and Bowies.
| 1t is not to be understood that Bill submit
| ted to these courtesies with any marked
| Indifference. Far from it. / am told that
| his six feet four inches of bones and sinew
was a sight TO see during the process of
| one of these entertaining passages. As
| Ham. Reed SAYS: when Bill fit, he fit all
over" Not only was he good ALI
| round fighter, but he seemed to possess
the ability to fight in all directions at one
! and the same time.
AS this is probably the only obituary
that BIZ will have ever have, 1 should be
most happy to include in it, as is custom
airy on such occasions, something to his
credit But I cannot without an unwise
| disregard of the ninth commandment. /
| find myself in very cordial sympathy with
| the circuit preacher who conducted Bills
| obsequies. The reverend gentleman was
evidently a man of inherent honesty, and
| wholly disposed 20 be charitable in his
liz 81 49, TOaaF
he had known the deceased all his life.
He had been raised within few miles
Of Mr.. Bailey's mountain home, and was
wholly familiar with Mr.. Baileys life and
| history He evidently felt the awkward
| ness of his position. He read chapter,
which had no special bearing upon the oc-
CASTOR, and offered a very long prayer
| which was mainly of a general character,
| with some incidental reference to the splr-
itual state of the living, but it included no
reference to the condition of the departed
| patriarch. In the remarks which follow
| ed. the speaker confined himself to such
topics as the brevity and the uncertainty
of this life, and the desirability of some
preparation for the life to come. He clos
ed his brief discourse with these words:
'As for this man who is to-day laid
away from our sight, am deeply grieved
to be obliged to say that 1 can give you
]
state.
BilPs title of "Biggity" had no refer
ence whatever to his theological opinions
1t is somewhat doubtful if he had any
| of those religious beliefs or doubts, or
fears to which the majority of human kind
is more or less addicted. He occasional
ly attended a revival meeting, but his
object in doing so was to make a public
display of his wickedness rather than from
any desire TO obtain grace His special
distinction as a bigot was along more gen
eral lines His opinion upon all subjects
| were regarded by his neighbors as bad
ones, and 1t was his tenacty in clinging
to them and his pugnacity in expressing
them which won him his title.
An indication of his popularity manifest
| ed itself in his construction of his own
coffin, some forty years before he had any
| definite need of IT, But he " lowed as
| how he might need it a most any time
| He took his own measurements and built
| the casket according to his own IDEAS But
| when upon its completion he tried 1t on
| he found it somewhat too contracted for
| his notion of comfort. He, therefore, re-
| iected it for his own use and proceeded
| to construct a larger one. He kept the
1 discarded one however, saying that ia
would do for old Nance" ''Old Nance
| was the poor, broken-spirited old woman
| who, for more than three-score years, had
| lived her life In wretchedness and misery
/ as Biggity Bills wife She had reared sons
| who had walked in their fathers footsteps
/ and who quarreied over his little property
/ when he died Yet Old Nance wept bitter
i ly over Bills grave.
BilPs second coffin was wholly satisfac-
tory 1t was huge affair. wide and deep.
/ Bill made 1t so because he said that he
didn't know but what ne might wanter
turn over some time-night git tired o.
1 layin' on his back, yer know" He also
| insisted that his Old Kentucky rife should
| be buried with him. because he was "goin'
TO kentry he didn't know nawthin' about,
| an didn't know jest th' sort o. people ne
might meet up with"
1 There were occasional briefs intervals