The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-05
THEY KILLED THE SNAKE.
A How struck AZ Personal Liberty In the
Garden Spot OF Texas.

Npb' W.
A very entertaining trip had, indeed,
going on the cars from Beaumont Tex,
to Sour Lake. one day" said John Gilbert,
the travelling groceryman through nav
ing the company part Of the way of tall,
slim passenger with a very wide trimmed
gray hat and long white mustache
From the aroma of Texas grown per-
fecto that olung to him as he sat down In
the seat in front Of mine imagined he had
been for some time enclosed in the atmos-
phere Of the smoking car. Gazing out OF
the window a moment at the unsylnpatheto
prospect OF gnarly-rooted cypress trees,
patriarcha in their long. gray boards of
Spanish moss. and the ranks of bristling
palmetto palms at their feet, he heaved
sigh, and turning TO me. said:
L want to tell yo', sub, that It amt
the man who holds a suttenty in his hand
that always wins success Two little Juices
In the hand of a man Of courage, sub, have
many times played hob with the club flush
of the coward
with that philosophic burst Of conf
dence the white mustached passenger
turned TO the window again, but / saw 1t
ALL There was no doubt now that he had
been In the smoking car. And up against
IL.
Il couldn't help but assure him that there
was truth enough in his homely remark
to give a George Washington share of It
to every man in Texas, with enough to
spare to stir even the breast OF Senator
Joe Bailey with new and strange sensations
BY and by he turned to me again and said:
DO you know, suh that these yere
Hi A.
roots O. pussonal liberty. sub, yere in
Texas"
Il said It wouldn't surprise me bit,
And they've struck tho blow in tho
Hor-epen Creek precinct, sub, the garden
spot of all Texas. and my home, suh.' said
he The blow had mighty nigh fell when
It come to pass that yo' dissent give yore
neighbor or the wayfarin' man refresher
from yore bottle, 'kaze yo' was breasin'
the law. and liable to land in Jail and they
kept their eyes on yo' so close.
And yet, when Capt. Joe Finley come
joggin' In to my house from up the creek
one day. with his eyes bulgin', sub and in
a ragin' fever. and hollerin' that big moe
casin snake had bit him, they didn't have
the heart to lay the law on me for unhidin'
my bottle and pourin' half pint or so
into Capt. Joe TO antidote that snake p'lson.
III say that for 'em.
i nat doggone moocasin had been
hlrkin' up around Capt. Jocs for more than
a long while, and seems like nobody could
Git a Club onto II, somehow. Guess maybe
il wasn't more than two days after Capt.
Joe come runnn' In to Rit cured o. that
snake bite, when il it didn't ponce out onto
him, sun, and sock him another timel
In he come, and human natur' wasn't
goin 10 see him curl up into fits and die,
lest 'kaze the law was ag'in passin out the
bottle that had the antidote In it, and
passed IL out to Capt. Joe and sent him
home rejoicin'. But the Prohibitioners
shook their heads.
Twice ag'in Capt. Joe got bit by that
lurkin moccasin, ard come dashin in to git
cured. Then Yesterday he come in ag'in.
I noticed that he looked discouraged. and
says that snake is shore keepm' Capt.
Joe busy. Practitioners was standin
round pretty thick.
- We'll. Cap l gays, Il see yore bit
ag'n Come git yore antidote
'-Cnnel,' saws Capt. Joe. amt
bit. and there amt no usel' and he was
most a-m0anin'.
Amt bit?r says.
-'-Nol" he says. They've done gone
and killed the moccasinl" SAYS he.
'Prohibitioners, subj said the white
mustached passenger. Strikln' at the
very roots o. pussonal liberty suh' yere IN
Texasp
THE train stopped here, and 1t was the
station where the entertainin psssen ger got
off. and ] was sorry, for the trip seemed
uncommonly dull after that.