The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-09-14
4 RATfLiNG SNAKE STORY.
How His Snakeship Became Con
federate Colonel.

aiter rrcu IL. Iarkcr, Judge Iarker 8
brother, killed the big copperhead on
the road to West PARK, and the air
was full Of snake.
The stranger listened respectfully
to TIE copperhcad story, but it was
evident chat he had something up his
sleeve.
i had farm down in Alabama be-
fore the war" he said, when there
vas lull in the talk, 'aud one day
when | was at work on the hocky hill.
side, | came across female rattle
snake and her brood. l killed them,
all but one little fellow, and brought
him home to show him to the chill
drcn.
when got him home he behaved
SO well that let him live, and he
became the pet of the house. lie
used to come in when the horn sound
ed for dinner and he would sit in
high chair and eat just like the rest Of
US.
"He was mighty smart snake and
he could do most everything but talk.
When he wanted q second piece Of
huckleberry pie he would rattle in 6
certain way and we would know just
what he meant. We called him Bill,
and he acted as c sort of watch dog.
"When che war broke out and I got
ready to go Bill saw that something
wss Up, end be kep. following me
around rafting away to notify me
that he wanted to be in the game.
told him he'd have to stay hcme and
watch the farm, and I started down
the road to join my regiment.
I'D gone about half mile when
something dropped out of tree and
wound itself around my neck. 1t was
Bill, and by the way he looked into
my face, beseeching like, I knew I'd
have to take him to the war.
Gentlemen, that rat. 81 proved to
be one of the best soldiers in the Con-
federete army. When we closed in
| with the Yanks Bill would wriggle
into their ranks and bite 'em right
and left, killing Yankee every time
ho stru :. When the bugle blew at
night ne would come back to our
camp and look at me, as much as to
say
If you have done as we'll as
have today the war won't last long,
Gen. Lee heard about Bill aud bre-
vetted him colonel Of gallantry.
Col. Bill kept up his work as long as
the war lasted, but in the confusion
that followed the news of the surren-
der he was lost.
II supposed the colonel had been
killed, and after grieving for him I
went home and got my family and
moved to Tennessee, where I thought
| could make better living. hired
some niggers to work on my place, but
l knew that if Col. Bill had come
home with me couldn't keep them,
because he heard somewhere that the
a;ggers were the cause Of the war,
and he was death on EN-.
Gone day one Of my niggers went
down to the spring and came back
yelling that he had been bitten by
the biggest rattler he ever saw, got
down my shotgun and ran to the
spring.
"Sure enough there was o snake 8
feet tall above his coils. I got bead
on him and was just going to fire when
| the rattler hoisted his tail and began
to rattle of Dixie It was Col. Bill
playing the tune that he had learned
in the army. The recognition was
matual and I welcomed Bill as one
from the dead.
"Then l heard great noise like
fish being fried to the air Of Dixie
and out Of the rocks came thousapd 4
or so OF rattiers, oil Bill 8 des s,eudauts Is
and all playing the rebel music. Bill
had taught 'em.
"There wasn't anything to do but
take Bill and his kin up to the house
and entertain 'em. The result was
that I was eaten out Of house and
home. I've been q poor man ever
since aud I've come up here to see
Judge Parker and ask him whether he
cant spare me just one little. Tennes-
see postmastership when he gets into
Office"
As the old man passed down the
hill toward the judges no comment
was heard from the group at the Quinn
Inn. The simple veracity OF the
traveller had Impressed even Capt.