The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-31
GATOR JOE SPINS YARNS.
STRANGE THINGS FRAT HAPPEN IN
FLORIDA WILDS

A Descendant of African Kings lowed by a
Crocodile, Assaulted by n Devllilsh and
Saved by n Shareholder Stories of ALI
gators That Northern visitors believe.
JACKSONVILLE. Fla. July 25.-"Hello. old
man though Gator Joe'is not yet middle
~aged-"come to town for the Fourth"
1 suppose my W daddy d run me of eff l
didn't say 'yes.' But my own ptic'lar Fourth
is tho 4th OF October. when I start southland to
the gator ranges. Then I Jump up three
ines m pop my heels together. shake the
town dust OF my brogans, m take on the mud
OF the sloughs, the slime OF the Everglades n
the yaller clay OF the river caves"
only then life becomes endurable. 1 sup
poser"
1T used ter be." repliedth stated Alexander
OF the morasses. There's mighty little to
keep up the interest. know every mud bank,
every foot Of water from Tho Sisters to Tampa
Bay. There's nothin' left fer mo to discover.
no bigger monsters to hunt down to death. I've
Mt with the savagest maneaters on tho coast
I've boon In worse gator holes m had more
escapes than Alligator Davis ever did. though
I'm only 80; Two hunted with lords m
piloted the greatest sports In the world into
caves n hammocks that nobody knows but me.
My hides decorate the swell clubs Of Great
Britain and America. I say mine because I
g~in'rally do the danger part OF it-lnd the
gator n stand ready to prompt or put In a I'm
ishin'b bullet or knife when necessary. TIN DO
the same thing over this year. next year, m
forever. I've been raisin' alligators lately fer
a change"
Have them confined In a largo pool?"
NO; that wouldn't be anything new Two
got q regular gator farm on the banks Of the
muddy Withlacoochee l gather the eggs m
follow the mother gators mode Of Matching
them, takin' care to build the nest exactly like
the one they came out OF. There's very little
cost TO 1t, as the young ones need nothin' more
than fresh water the first two months"
"Is the annual slaughter by sportsmen so
great as to justify your venture 2'
1T is, fer a fact. Ef / didn't keep a few
sloughs to myself I couldn't git eggs fer
hatchin'. The trade in young gators is steady.
Rich people all over the world wants 'em in
their ponds. sayin' nothin' of museums. 1t was
mighty interestin' while the novelty lasted"
oh, youll have to return to civilized life."
Not ef I know 1t. Why, it'd kill me In ono
year. I'll hunt up q new country-Hawaii or
the Philippines. l guess. No. I've got wild blood
In me n can no moro stand TO be housed up
than a gypsy. Kingly blood, too. that has no
use fer o boss. My great-grandmother was q
real princess. the daughter Of an African king.
My great-grandfather was a peculiar kind Of
slave trader-a mar without the least race
PiCJuulSo OUOuO HlIn. Do, when H9 IOOK q nOClOn
to the Princess MRddelena Tai he married her,
African fashion. treating her ever after as his
legal wife. which. indeed. she was. How can
the marriage ceremony Of one country be more
or less binding than another's? He bought
Fort George Island. at the mouth OF the st.
Johns. whore they lived m raised their family,
workin' hordes OF slaves on the rich lands. The
Princess believed herself Queen Of the island
n the slaves her subjects. Her husband, who
kept up his African trips. let her think so fer
several reasons. n never interfered, though
she governed the slaves like the savage she
was. 1t wasn't my Observation-Disclosures preju-
dice. but other peoples, that made him buy
white husbands fer his handsome. accomplished
daughters. So we're not ashamed Of our dark
blood. though we all marry white people. Ny
mother. aunts. n great auntsathe family runs
mostly ter females-were all educated North
m turned into very hne ladies, indeed.
They went abroad m had a fine time
on the family riches. while they lasted.
were bellies wherever they went. m my mother
was toasted Il in Paris as the American beauty.
They could have married with the highest. but
they had too good sense to marry men who
country. Or course / shall take a White wife
sfSsIat a., WI eoIISTsd 'to 5Yse Ths SS r. fvs s Gsltt ed
nteI But It's Elttin' kinder tame around here,'
AZ: tha aSSS the &c n ,same ~ 4 he srG 9splIsd. eqGal s Eyes
lighting. The difficulty In gittinf anyway
chase. his eaiteness,' NJ n? DARN iSi G'e the fs'i Almost 81 e sao
tain death in his tail. n his Jaws. are somethin'
m aKsl I Of k Gesar an C SighIt-f %on, SGrPSsodile At the
take him alive Of I'd had tackle strong enough.
He must haye been the last Of the breed Black
Cesqri Why, he was tho +,bloodiest old pirSte
OF the last century, m had his rendezvous
Of thes creek kkS With staples tnpksS sti fpG in u It 'R Mh %eu 6e
H 10 moor his vessels. The Conchs say
aoouts. W course. took my first crocodile fer
sAI22%Iy swim%inE eawsrd, ! said, 'HtuiiiioSil'
YkIt ho 10tPiP' sluggish er clumsy about11t," Then
ha 4ss ike iEeS Si%r rs fSH q o Ri' face is inspired per-
after him. 1 gSlned on him In the ee sRa TiIaEes.
I wasp I se ~ fI e l SssfRa lin . Fl 2 e ssS o hGi5 ~ E'Hf
Srastsy,l + stuck 0ifS astp IL LIS bacFbd 5Sst' R IL
d sSsSs1 q 's dozen 81 fin 1es' 4TfSSemn.e oR Rs q being h9ss
ba oW sn ds put Ma to seq tSowia't the boat with her
swamp me; begun shootini' IN twenty feet T.
III y a TSs s f1Stli wou tiTsS 5 FIEht t then ten you;
his side, mighty nigh ~upsettin' the boat the
seconq turned him on his back. fioatin' like a
log. ! hauled up closer n rowed fer Land,
Tas 50 excited at the idee Of Kuhn a eroeodile
That forgot to watch him; He was playin'
~ hunted alligator l ever fooled With. One splash
OF ms tail =. was overheard, with the boat
ness Of Of the water along the reef. The boat
was G%hurnin,, the sand .tryin' ter III loose
hste e TO- slash hiS hide bit saw no help fer IT.
! found afterward that the Seminoies know
the Florida crocodile. calm him the long
"BStthe worst scare I ever had was from a
GS on B. m the most mem,rabIs adventure,
Cape Florida in my boat new. stout ONE.
!uckily5,9. great sea serpent. as I thouSht'
throwed Itself In the fash OF an eye across The
b9NW. was almost as quick. chopin him In two
Win my hatohet. Over come another, mi
made two OF. it but I knoWed then Il must be a
deyilfish. m my marrer ,froze., After that. thee
arms Kept a-comin', m l kept chopin, for two
~ ! stood up g, he wouldn't hug me with
ulunI ANYHOW. Il waQ VVaakanInb md, AZ