The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-02-16
VANQUISHED A SPOOK
BILL SCRoGGlNS DID 1T AND THEN
DISAPPEARED.

The Singular History of IA Peculiar
Character Who Located Wells For
Missouri Farmers and JuggIed
with Trained Snakes
Rev. Bill Scroggins was u character
ln a border county of Missouri in 1914.
How he acquired the ecclesiastical pre-
dix and what he did under the title
were stories which used to be told in
the farmhouses of what is now known
as Cass county.
They said he had been snake
charmer when he was a young man,
that he travelled about the country as a
sort of magician and that he showed
farmers with his divining rod where to
dig wells
The people of what was then a from
tier country assembled once a year in
their respective communities and held
camp meetings. On one of these rel-
gious occasions Bill followed the crowd
with his bag of reptiles. The minister,
an old man whose face was like that Of
q patriarch told the story in a sermon
of Moses lifting up the brazen serpent
in the camp of Israel under the com
mand of Jehovah. The Missouri farm
er who used to entertain travellers with
the recital said that the congregation
was not particularly moved by the APP
peal but afteT its delivery Bill Scrog
gins got up and announced that he had
q bag of real crawling, kissing reptiles
4.
just outside the camp ground, and he
claimed that he would show the people
some snake tricks which would beat
the Mosaic story they had just heard.
In spite of the protest Of the minister
the people turned out to the live snake
show, and Bill gave them an exhibition
which was a great success. 1t is said
or it used to be said, that there wasn't
a snake trick which Bill Scroggins
serpents didn't do When the exhibit
ton was over, Bill told the people that
he was a sort of missionary himself in
connection with his business of locat-
ing wells and that he would call on
each member in the evening and advise
with them as to their spiritual and
worldly wants.
When he called, his first question
was, Have you got a wellY If the
reply was in the negative, and wells
were scarce, Bill informed the member
that he must have one located, and
then he opened his bag of snakes and
as they began crawling Bill lifted up
his voice and called the people to re-
To tnIl
would do no harm if they dhe people,
would give him the job of locating
wells
1t was a tax on human belief but
the Missouran who told the story
vouched for the truth of his assertion
that the people gave Bill more orders
than he could fill in one season and
that he broke up the camp meeting
He was the first hereto in the west
although the word was unknown in
that country then. He became famous
and was in demand. Wherever he trav-
eled he had his bag Of trained snakes.
and he waxed fat and became indie
pendent
Whenever there was any doubt about
the success of any movement the word
was passed that Rev. Bill Scroggins
should be summoned,
People in that section believed in
ghosts, as many more enlightened peo-
pie believe in them in this day. There
was one ghost which had done lively
business along the highway between
the county seat and Il river known to
this day as Bear creek. 1t was the
custom of this ghost to chase belated
horsemen over the highway until the
ford at Bear creek was reached. There
the chase stopped. The ghost never
crossed the stream,
When the fame of Rev. Bill Scrog-
gins had spread abroad, it was sug-
gested that he travel over the Bear