Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 September 1883 — The Alligator Fever. [ARTICLE]

The Alligator Fever.

It beats all how a Northern man does hanker to shoot an alligator just as soon as he gets beyond fee Ohio rive* and the further South he goes fee stronger grows the feeling. It’s a sort of “buck fever,” and nothing will cure it except the gore of the reptile. A chap from Rhode Island went down tb Biloxi from New Orleans with the party. Small alligators were plenty enough along fee creeks and ditches, and every time the Clam State man saw one he almost kicked his boots off.' He tackled everyfbody around Biloxi for an alligator hunt, and he finally paid a darky $3 todrive him to a lake four or five miles away, where the saurians were said- to be numerous enough to crowd each other out of water. The boys had been over in the morning and fixed things. A rope was tied to either end of a wa-ter-soaked log and led into the bushes, and no sooner had fee hunter gone down and discovered a movement in fee water than he opened fire. “Dat’s yer game, boss," said the darky, as he seated himself in the shade, and the way that old log was bombarded was a caution. The man made eye shots and line shots and dead shots, and after he had fired cbout twenty-five times he began to wonder why his game didn’t turn toes up. “Takes a heap o’ lead, boss, but you is trubblin’ him mighty bad, ” encouraged the darky, and the bombardment was renewed with a determination to die in the last ditch. Pretty soon a man broke from the bushes to the left, and in a voice of authority called out: “Shooting alligators out of season is an offense punished by a fine of not less than $10.” “N-o-a!” “How many shots have you fired?” “Only thirty-nine.” “Shooting off a revolver in the State of Mississippi, except in self-defense, is a fine of $5 for each time! Have you a permit?” “Permit for what?” “To shoot at Col. Ford’s alligators. If not he can recover damages not to exceed SSOO. Did you cross that field?” “Yes.” t “That’s trespass, and the fine is not less than $25. You must come with me!” “But, sir—l—” “I will bring up my horse and buggy and you must go the county seat!” The “constable” started. So did Rhode Island. They went in opposite directions. The Rhode Islander came into Biloxi on a canter, settled his hotel bill without stopping to cdnttt' the change,' and. picking up his satchel he dusted off along the railroad track as if called to a death-bed. When I fqpnd him in Mobile a few days later he had shaved of his whiskers and black-“ ened his eye-brows. He also com-' plained of a lame back and corns on his feet. ; “say!” says he, as he carefully looked around for listeners, “If old Missis 1 sippi feels so stuck up over a few ponds alligators and , constables she can *Kteep ’em and be hanged to her! I’d Hither shoot a crow any time than an [alligator'!"— Detroit Free Press.