The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-08-24
RAP4LBSpAKE
Went Through the Civil War and
Learned to Rattle Dixie.
New York Sum-

The old SOutherner pound Iof hose-
mount halted at the crossroads for
rest and moisture 1t was the day at
ter Fred HI. Parker nilled the big
copperhead on the road to West Park,
and the air was full Of snake.
The stranger listened respectfully
to the copperhead story, but it was
evident that he had something up his
sleeve.
Il had a farm down in Alabama
before the war; he said, when there
was a hull in the talk, land one day
when I was at work on the rocky hill
side | came across a female rattle
snake and her brood. | killed them,
all but one little fellow, and brought
him home to show him to the children.
"When / got him home he behaved
so we'll that / let him live, and he be-
came the pet Of the house. He used
to come in when the horn soundet
for dinner. and he would sit in high
chair and eat just like the rest of us.
"He was a mighty smart snake,
and he could do most anything but
talk. When he wanted a second piece
Of hucklebelry pie he would rattle IN
certain way, and we would know
Just what he meant. We called him
Bill, and he acted as sort Of watch
dog.
"When the war broke out and l
got reaty to 90 Bill saw that some
thing was up, and he kept following
me around, rafting away to notify
me that he wanted to be in the game.
II told him he'd have to stay home
and tend the farm, and | started
down the road to join my regiment.
"I'd gone about a mile when some
thing dropped out of tree and
wound around my neck. 1t was Bill,
and by the way he looked into my
face, beseeching like, | knew I'd have
to take him to the war.
"Gentlemen, that RATHER proved to
be one of the best soldiers in the Con-
federate army. When we closed III
i
to 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 We done as we'll as I have
today this war won't last long,
General Lee heard about Bill and
brevetted him Colonel for gallantry.
Colonel Bill kept up his work as long
as the war lasted, but in the confusion
that followed the news of the surren-
ter he was lost.
II supposed the Colonel had been
killed, and after grieving for him
went home and got my family and
moved to Tennessee, where | fought l
could make better living. | hired
some niggers to work on my place,
but / knew that if Colonel Bill had
come home with me / couldn't have
kept them, because he heard some
where that the niggers were the cause
of the war, and he was death on 'em.
Gone day, one of my niggers went
down to the spring and came back
yelling that he had been bitten by the
biggest RATHER he ever saw. | got
down my shotgun and ran to the
spring.
"Sure enough, there was a snake
three feet tall above his coils. L got
a bead on him and was just going to
fire when the rattler hoisted his tail
and began to rattle off Dixie 1t was
Colonel Bill playing the tune that he
had learned in the army. The recogni-
ton was mutual and [ welcomed Bill
as one from the dead.
.'Then / heard a great noise like
iish being fried to the air Of Dixie
AID out of the rocks came thousand
or so of rattlers. all Bills descend
ants 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 | was eaten out Of house and
home. I've been a poor man ever
since.
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 Cap
tain Quinn himself