Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-08-28
VANQUISHED A MAlgE
BILL ScROGGINS DID IT AM -Wsass.
DISAPPEARED.

Missouri Farmers and LsUSSE1neA
With Trained Snakes.
Rev. Bill Scroggins was g. saoEsnAK-,
In a border county Of Missouri ..h@2&h~
How he acquired the ecclestasisra4xss-
fix and what he did unde, Id 1Nka,
the farmhouscs of what Is ntH Lxrssxzas
as Cass county.
They said he had been u ssaHx
charmer when he was Il yo@S &Gsg.,
that he travelled about the coil1. t- ssxas.
sort Of magician and that in En- xDxt.
farmers with his divining rod '9~tsacN-ss
dig wells.
The people Of what was INF .ssz-,,
tier country assembled II C T. = GSs "a
their respective communities aME lsss&
camp meetings. On Ii Of Ionia lx1i-
gious occasions Bill followed Il. -sxsS.
with his bag of reptiles. Ise 1oals.ss@
an old nan whose face YVES .lImas-F11aa
a patriarch. told the story insa1trryz-
Of Moses lifting up the bra zenhasysc1ss
In the camp Of Israel under Ar axassa
mand of Jehovah. The MissesHT 1sNlS~
er who used to entertain tr-apelexgrxfrs
the recital said that the COZ g,RrgTHxRa
was not particularly moved tT-tMassatA,
peal. but after its delivery NR~zsux=sa
gins got up and announced thar fsxs..
a bag Of real, crawling, kissing ~ra,asse.l
which he would exhibit after la2Hni
just outside the camp ground, 'aAtAAa
claimed that he would show Ghs.ysEsyes,
some snake tricks which wouir 44as,
the Mosaic story they had just nsssI--
In spite of the protest Of the aAGp,srzsi
the people turned out to the. I,ve.s 1xaskNi
show. and Bill gave them an e1.lAass5tgl
which was a great success. " II saSa.,
or it used to be said, that there 7saxzr
a snake trick which Bill S.ncg.r9s3yef
serpents didn't do. When tu- gsLt.xs~-
ton was over. Bill told the petMta3..1,
he was a sort of missionary himassAStx
connection with his business 0l t%aAa,--
ing wells and that he wouic IA NET
each member in the evening af&ftaT y
with them as to their spiriusa III
worldly wants.
When he called, his hrsl vaes'.1v~S
WIS. iluNt you SOt a WtH% N@ -
reply was in the negative. a2t vFss ~
We're scarce, Bill Informed The 7EasqEzssf.
that he must have one locas.a-. asaa}
then he opened his bag of snsrha-sn.i
as they began crawling Bill ,1GgIA syA&
his voice and called the people ssoas-
p%entance. He told them tn @znaasxs
would do no harm If they (the aEsSxt3
would give him the job of ss=sliy&,s
wells. ~
1t was a tax on human be2tE yas.a
the Missourian who told tn. sazs-ve
vouched for the truth of his s4sxs.T.Mans
that the people gave Bill more sa4raA
than hn Could fiji in one seaklsn tatX>
that he broke up the camp rfrTvrar.|
He was the first hereto In tiFe 'Tsss
although the word was nnkpnwn4tax
that country then. He became r:fmuI
and was in demand. Wherever u rSs7s
eled he had his bag Of trained ss.a.zy
and he waxed fat and becaru- WY
pendent.
Whenever there was any douv .aNsya
the success of any movemert In ,cssc@a
was passed that Rev. BID Ssrsg ya1aaT
should be summoned.
People in that section belgatas IN
ghosts, as many more e~nlightcGF w -.
pie believe IN them in this 0ss~ 2l.sss
was one ghost which had done . slyeasr
business along the highway " 7@sexV
the county seat and a rive Af4nrpy esAp
this day as Bear creek. Il 4sE 2Xa4'
custom OF this ghost to ch0@ p sst%
horsemen over the highway lnAs A.s
ford at Bear creek was reacbek Ia
the chase stopped. The Ghua >f2ssg
crossed the stream.
When the fame Of Rev. B8 sgsS
gins had spread abroad, ii ws VIZ
gestcd thar he travel over tsa Ilr9&
creek road and try his hand Il 9ss
spirit. Bill accepted the IN. III
made a number of journeys i>cNrg, ny
ghost materialized, and theN 'Fs~,
people who began doubling tss ax.sS
ence of the ghost. while otipral csss1
Rev. Bin as one who coulG 0Nsf-ysMsa.
anything. and by that token q. &a7R
made the ghost take to the Wcta- 1.aas,
community was equally divioeQ
1lONtNcl. tie SlOSt SloNEL &-rF-t"s
night in the midst Of a storm aEss TGtg.-
lenged Rev. Bill to ride for .s.ts.e.
The snake ecclesiastic refHss., T2&3
there was a contest in wtneh EEsAs2
horse was killed, and he was a4a2aAGs.&.
The ghost got the bag of sl1ssssgsssakl
escaped to the ford. where HU.axMsr
took him on the following daysz xsI- tasa
contest was renewed. The swsg21sss
dertook to turn the snakes on ,MN SxXss
they refused to act. Bill got y~xaassFAr.
of them and turned them on tsxa1sAak$;
They drove the spirit into BxarzxsE
and across it. and the spirit YsAl .rsx@
that was the end Of the ghuG.41G1Gs
country
Bill returned in triumph to ttnssuEsSa.'
ty seat and told the story. ~Ecrxzessssa
ceived with some doubt. bue &xs geMear1
slipped by and nobody IVES .'assassls
people began to believe Bill, xrIcx~s~
ogies came in rather late. But hsnwxdzl