The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1904-10-05
Wednesday. October 5, 1904.
A Rafting Snake Story.

Inc Osd SCutEeIEer COu1u uiCf nose
mount halted at tie cross roads for
rest and moisture. It was The day
fter Fred q. Parker, Judge Parker Z
brother, killed the big copperhead on
the road to West Pask, AID the air
was full Of snake.
The stranger listened respectfully
to the copperhead story, but it was
evident that he had something up
bis sleeve.
Il had farm down in Alabama
before the war;" be said, when there
was lull in the talk ''and one day
when I was at work on the hccky
hillside, came acros female rattle
snake and her brood. I killed them
all but one one little fellow, and
brought him home to show him to
the children.
when I got him home he behaved
so we'll that I let bip live, and he be-
came the pet Of the house. He used
to come in when the horn sounded
for dinner ard be would sit in a high
chair and eat just like the rest OF US.
'sHe was a mighty smart snake
and be could do most everything
but talk. When he wanted second
piece of huckleberry pie he would
rattle in certain way and We would
know just what he ment. We called
him Bill, and he acted as sort Of
watch dog.
s'When the war broke out aud l
got ready to go Bill saw that some.
thing was up, and he kept following
me around rafting away to notify
me that be wanted to be in the game.
I told him he'd have to stay home
and watch the farm, snd l started
down the road to Join my regiment.
I'D gone about half mile when
something dropped out Of a tree and
woupd itself around my neck. 1t
was Bill, and by the way he looked
into my face, beseecbing like, I knew
Id have to take him to the war.
;"Gsntlemep, that rattler proved to
be one of the best soldiers in the
Confederate army. When we closed
in with the Yanks Bill would wriggle
iuto their ranks and bite 'em right
and left, killing a Yankee every time
he struck. When the bugle blew at
night he would come back to our
camp and look at me, as much as to
say:
"'If you have done as we'll as I
have today the war won't last long.
s.Gen. Lee heard about Bill and
bre7et' him colonel of gallantry.
Col. Bill kept up his work as long as
the war lasted, but in the confusion
that follwed toe news of the sur
render he was lost.
Il supposed the colonel had been
killed, and after grieving for him I
went home and got my family and
moved to Tennessee, where thought
I could make better living. Ihired
some niggers to work on my place,
but T knew that if Col. Bill had come
home with me I couldn't keep them,
because be had heard somewhere
that the niggers were the cause of
the ws-, and ne was death on en-.
lone 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. I
got down my shotgun and ran to the
spring.
''Sure enough there was snake 3
feet tall above his coils. I got a
bead on him and was just going to
FIRE when the rattler hoisted his tail
and began to rattle off Dixie It
was Col. Bill playing the tune that
he had learned in the army. Tue
recognition was mutual and I vel
coined Bill as one from the dead
''Then I heard a great noise like
fish being fried to the air of Dixie
and out of the rocks came thousand
or 80 of rattiers all. Bills descendants