The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1912-05-24

spectacle income by demonstrating the
Wild honey bees and by raising droves
OF mountain hogs, which, until the ad.
vent of warm weather. would run wild
and fatten upon the chestnu,s and
acorns OF the forests"
Judge Bolen remembers Uncle
Billy" Combes in his later years. IL
recall said the lawyer. that he once
showed me spot on the mountain
where panther had leaped out from
covar and seized one OF his mountain
hogs as his prey Uncle Billy went
TO his cabin, got his dogs out and then
summoned one or two of his nearest
neighbors. For two days and nights
they stalked the panther. until the
dogs finally ran the beast into tree.
where Uncle Billy shot ii and skinned
1t for its pelt."
Uncle Billy" Combes stood six feet
three inches tall and was muscled like
a lion. He always wore buckskin
breaches and fur trimmed round.
about jacket. On his head a coonskin
cap was poised rakishly, and until his
death, about 40 years ago. he never
was seen without his shot pouch and
powder horn.
Uncle Billy" was one OF the earli-
est OF the "moonshiners" OF this Sec
ton. One year there was an almost
total failure OF the corn crop, and hard
frosts late in the season had killed the
fruit. The liquor "blockaders" were
in sore straits for raw material 10 put
in their stills. Uncle Billy" deter
mined 10 try an experiment. So he
gathered together several hogshead.
iuls Of acorns, which he undertook TO
distil into a new brand OF whisky.
When the old trapper tasted the prod
uct. so the story goes, he made wry
face. and pronounced It powerful bad
liquor" Thereupon he mixed II with
some honey TO Offset its bitterness.
When he tasted 1t again he allowed"
1t was right smart" better, and a man
'mought get used to II in time"
Thinking 10 cultivate an acquired
taste, Uncle Billy" tasted the rank
stun so often that he fell into n coma
and remained in a state OF stupor for
two or three hours. On regaining con.
sciousness, with a racking headache,
the experimenter In acorn whisky Is
said to have sworn an awful oath TO
the effect that he would join every
temperance society between Halifax
and hell rather than take another
drink Of that mean stuff" Thereupon
l. a. A
ure
Uncle Billy" though phenomenal
ly strong. was n peaceable man among
his fellows. and died much beloved
and respected. His son Jed" how.
ever endowed with much of his IA.
Tiers physique. was a noted bully OF
the mountainside. Jed" had met and
conquered many rivals. but he had
never tried conclusions with Ike Beam
or. Ike was, like Jed" n giant In
strength and with sinews of steel, but
Ike was neither quarrelsome nor am
bilious 10 shine as bully. Jed" de-
tcrmined TO force him to fight. trump
cd up some imaginary debt and went
10 Ike under pretense OF collecting Il.
Jed" knew II probably would give
him the opening he and his satellites
had been craving. Ike listened calm.
ly. Then he remarked Jed, you know
| don't owe you no such sum, but folks
Is saying do owe you tolerable good
thrashing. Are you prepared to col
lect that debt, too?"
jed" needed no urging. The two
mountaineers went at II. and tradition
says II was battle OF giants. Time
and again the men. evenly matched.
had to cease from sheer exhaustion.
Then they clutched each other while
they painted for breath. II doubtless
would have been fought TO finish.
but friends of Beamer interfered
Neither man had "squealed." Ac.
cording to the mountaineer code OF pu.
gilism, II had been drawn fight
Beamer had lost the index finger OF
his right hand. which Jed" CombeS
had worried in his teeth until he chew.
ed It of at the middle Joint. Ike had
thrust his thumbs SO remorselessly into
"Jed's" eye sockets that the bully was
blinded. and did not regain his sight
AeAs aNI