West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1901-02-28
FEB WHITE I'M
A TIGHT FIX.
Had . Keg Of Ioonshine in His
Arms When lie Net a Bear.
what Followed and the Conclusion lie
Reached When the Trouble Was All
Over Are Graphically Told by the
Old Hunter Himself.


possum hunter, "but the old wo-
man raised SIGH fuss about it that
had to give it up. She just sulked
and cried and acted up fur a hull
week, and she couldn't sleep nights
fur thinkin of them revenew fellers.
When they got the still runnin,
they wanted somebody to carry the
kegs over the mount'in to market,
and they coaxed me into the job. 1t
was a trip of fo'teen miles, and, of
co'se, it had to be made at night. /
dasn't let the old woman know what
| was doin, but as | had to hev an
excuse to be out told her / was
coon huntin. I'd bin out three or
TO nights when she turns on me and
says
"'How about them coons, Zeb {?
Yo've bin out every night since
Sunday, but yo' hain't dun bring
back coonskin.'
"'Coons is mighty shy this time
of year says 1.
"'Oh, that's it Coons jest keep
right away from yo', do they p
"'Pears like they do, but I'm
hopin to strike big lot of 'em all
to once
WAL, Zeb White, yo' mind
what l tell yo',' says she as she
looks straight through me. Yo'
jest keep right on coon huntin, and
yo'll find coon sooner or later,
and it'll turn out mighty bad find
TO- yo'.'
"Then l knowed she s'pected
what | was up to, but as she didn't
say nothin mo- didn't. That night
when | went over to the still l felt
a little skittish. The old woman's
words had kind of skeered me.
Them revenew fellers was around
lookin fur stills, and was liable to
run across 'em in the woods any
time. If they ketched me with
keg of moonshine on my shoulder,
it meant year in prison fur me fur
suah. When Jim Harper found
was skittish, he says
"If it's got to that pint whar
Leb White, the celebrated bar
killer and possum hunter of
Tennessee, has become afraid of
rabbits, then he'd better stay home
of nights and play checkers.
"Then Bill Hope chips IN and
says it's wonderful that man who
has killed a wildcat with a club |
should be afraid of woodchucks.
The other two men laughed at me |
and said was gittin old and feeble,
and, of co'se, the talk r'iled me and |
made me determined to go. 1t was
about 10 o'lock when l slung a key
of moonshine on my shoulders and |
sot out. II wasn't cloudy night,
but a man wanted the eyes of cat
to foller the paths over the hills and
through the bresh. | tried to think
1t was all right, but the old woman's
words kept comm back to me, and
| felt my knees grow week as /
scuffed along. l was Jest about
half way over the hills and had sot
down to rest when heard a bar
sniffin in the bresh. The noise he
made was a sort Of sniff snuff, with
a 'woof at the end of it. That's
the way bar allus does when he
smells man at night.
" Look yere, Zeb White says | |
to myself as that bar kept comm
nearer, elf yo' amt in a scrape then
then I'll eat my butes. In the dark
ness and over these hills yo' can't
run fur shucks, and how yo' gwine
to fight bar barehanded ?"
"Yo' bet l wished / had needed |
the woman, but it was too late then.
/ thought the best way was to git up |
and go along and give that varmint
a cold bluff, but l was tremblin all |
over as ] made forward. tried to
whistle, but my lips was dry as pa
per. ! started 20 sing, but my own
voice skeered me. was movin
along slow and hopin the bar would |
take the bluff when run up ag'in |
sunthin in the darkness. put out
my hand and felt the fur Of bar, |
but / hadn't more'n teched him
when sunthin hit me 'longside the |
head, and / went head over heels
down Hill and into the bushes. 1t |
was as If mule had kicked me on |
the ear and I hadjcst sense huff |
to wonder how it would feel when |
the crittcr begun to tear me to |
pieces. heard him snufiin and |
snufiin and movin around, but he |
didn't come 90 me, and bimeby |
heard him moyin away.
"When ] went head over heels, / |
lost the key. ] didn't stop to look |