The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-06-24
Snake Doctor

to get up out of his bed and go to feed that old crow bait sorrel nag of his'n. It had started in agin by then. pourin' down hard. and so she made him stay where he wuz. And she put on his old hat and throwed his old coat around her to keep off | the wust of the wet, and she started out of the back door to do the feedin'. And no more'n she'd got outside in the lot than a shot came frum the | aidge of the woods right over the fence and down she went with a bullet through her brains"
 Gods sake! Dead?"
 No, not dead, but same eZ dead. She barely wuz breathin here not ten minutes ago when I left her house. Old Doctor Bradshaw, he's there with her now and he says it's miracle she's lasted this long. Well, it seems like Snake Doctor jumped up at the shot and run out to see whut had happened and there she lay a-whelterin' And him-wen, he's been takin' on like all possessed ever since. I wouldn't "a believed he could "a had so much feelin' in him eff l hadn't seen him with my own eyes. It wuz him run for help, though-he did have sense enough left to do that. He found me in my tobacco patch and l dropped every thing and took out fur there, and bunch of us picked her up and toted her home on wagon bed. She's shot in the left side of the head just over the temples; the bullet went clean through and come out on the right side"
 But. who did it?"
 I'm commin' to that. 'Twuz that low-fung husband of hers done it- that's who. It seems like he must "a followed her down to Snake Doc tors and laid in wait fur her and felled her ez she come out. Gawd knows why, onless 'twuz jes' pure l pizen meanness.
 The murderin' dog. They're cer- tain twas him, then?"
 "ShGre ez guns iron 'twuz him Snake Doctor ketched a quick look at him over the fence ez he darted off. All right there they found his rifle where he'd dropped it before he whirl't and run--fool thing fur him to do-and l seen his tracks my self. in the soft ground, goin' and comin', and where he must "a stood ! when he fired. l seen 'em by Ian | tern light after I got there-and fully | half a dozen others did, too. There's a long red streak on her arm where he must "a been whuppin' her durin the day"
 "Hangin's sight too good Did they catch him?'
 NO, but they will. Some thinks he's made fur the slashes and hid l out there-his tracks made off that way. There1l be a line of men throwed all the way round Little Cy- press before sun-up. They're or ! ganizin' the posse at the Morner place.
 sheriff got there yet?' INC, but he's due by daylight or sooner. They telephoned in from Gallups Mills to him and he's al ready started fur here with his pack good, ground bein' damp the way 1t | is. Ole Snake Doctor he's carryin on and ravin' round sayin' the Lords goin' to strike the murderer down in his tracks. But I'm putin my main dependence on them blood hounds-on them first, and then mebbe on a good stout blow line and the limb of a tree. Oh. they'll ketch him, and when they do l low to be there, I'm jes' putin out fur my place to rouse out my oldest boy and fetch him back with me. There's good size crowd already
 Don't let me hold you up any longer, then" said the pedestrain, deadly grimness in his tone. I'm ready now-got a pistol here in my hip pocket. That poor thing! She always was good hearted, hard
 workin' woman and nightly put upon. As for Jafe Morner-well, If I should be so lucky as tG be the one to jump him out of the sticks. I'm goin' shoot first and ask questions l ha iv' a Morner's. Davis"
 He broke into a half run. III