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Wild Bill Attacks The Shack
Aug. 1st, 2020 10:24 pmNothing spectacular happened today. I slept in, got a late lunch, went to Home Depot to look at storm doors, then back home, inked some comic book pages, watched TV.
I'm not sure what sparked my remembering of this, but I remembered a cousin and a location back home.
My great-uncle Matt and his sons had a small shack on a piece of property outside the city limits. Everyone referred to this as "The Shack." Uncle Matt was a moonshiner. The still itself was not at The Shack, its location never revealed to me. The Shack was where Matt and his boys would sell the 'shine and other alcohol (I hear). Matt and his sons were well known to have done this. Eventually, they sold the land to my Uncle Harold who put his house there. When he passed, a friend of his inherited it. My cousin Wade said it was a shame that one of us couldn't buy it since it had been in the family for generations, hinting I think that one of the well-off cousins should buy it (possibly me). Uhh... no, I thought, it's not like we farmed the land, it was a place where Matt and the boys could get wasted and sell booze. This is the setting for the rest of this entry.
William was a cousin to Matt, I think. The family relations get fuzzy as the generations go forward, so I think Matt and William were first cousins. William was known as "Wild Bill." He was a county sheriff or deputy and was called "Wild Bill" because of his unpredictable behavior. Supposedly, in the middle of shoot-out, he would launch forward, not caring about his own welfare, into the thick of it. Some call it bravery, others would describe it as recklessness. Knowing some of the family traits, I would lean toward the latter.
Matt and the boys were known to stay at The Shack late a night, usually passed out. They were loud drunks from what I have been told and would have firearms handy. I have always been told that you didn't go to The Shack at night because you never knew if they'd take a shot at you.
One dark night, Wild Bill eased his police vehicle as quietly up the gravel road to The Shack as he could. Matt and the boys were likely asleep or passed out. As soon as he got close enough, Wild Bill hit the police lights and the siren.
Calamity ensued.
Matt and the boys (and any other relatives and guests) were startled awake, thinking they were being raided, which had happened in the past. Instead of going for their guns, they were going for the woods. Hillbillies leaping out of windows and staggering as quickly as they could for the nearby woods, hoping in vain that the police wouldn't chase them down.
I can only imagine how this must have looked from the front where Wild Bill was standing, laughing his @$$ off at the absolute panic and pandemonium he had created.
I have no idea how this story concluded, as my Aunt Ruth relayed the story to me years ago and ended it at its climax. I imagine that the cousins stayed in the woods until Wild Bill turned the lights off and yelled for them to come back. I suspect there was lots of cursing and temporary hurt feelings
I never met Wild Bill, unless I was REALLY young, but it's nice to remember the fun stories he generated.
I'm not sure what sparked my remembering of this, but I remembered a cousin and a location back home.
My great-uncle Matt and his sons had a small shack on a piece of property outside the city limits. Everyone referred to this as "The Shack." Uncle Matt was a moonshiner. The still itself was not at The Shack, its location never revealed to me. The Shack was where Matt and his boys would sell the 'shine and other alcohol (I hear). Matt and his sons were well known to have done this. Eventually, they sold the land to my Uncle Harold who put his house there. When he passed, a friend of his inherited it. My cousin Wade said it was a shame that one of us couldn't buy it since it had been in the family for generations, hinting I think that one of the well-off cousins should buy it (possibly me). Uhh... no, I thought, it's not like we farmed the land, it was a place where Matt and the boys could get wasted and sell booze. This is the setting for the rest of this entry.
William was a cousin to Matt, I think. The family relations get fuzzy as the generations go forward, so I think Matt and William were first cousins. William was known as "Wild Bill." He was a county sheriff or deputy and was called "Wild Bill" because of his unpredictable behavior. Supposedly, in the middle of shoot-out, he would launch forward, not caring about his own welfare, into the thick of it. Some call it bravery, others would describe it as recklessness. Knowing some of the family traits, I would lean toward the latter.
Matt and the boys were known to stay at The Shack late a night, usually passed out. They were loud drunks from what I have been told and would have firearms handy. I have always been told that you didn't go to The Shack at night because you never knew if they'd take a shot at you.
One dark night, Wild Bill eased his police vehicle as quietly up the gravel road to The Shack as he could. Matt and the boys were likely asleep or passed out. As soon as he got close enough, Wild Bill hit the police lights and the siren.
Calamity ensued.
Matt and the boys (and any other relatives and guests) were startled awake, thinking they were being raided, which had happened in the past. Instead of going for their guns, they were going for the woods. Hillbillies leaping out of windows and staggering as quickly as they could for the nearby woods, hoping in vain that the police wouldn't chase them down.
I can only imagine how this must have looked from the front where Wild Bill was standing, laughing his @$$ off at the absolute panic and pandemonium he had created.
I have no idea how this story concluded, as my Aunt Ruth relayed the story to me years ago and ended it at its climax. I imagine that the cousins stayed in the woods until Wild Bill turned the lights off and yelled for them to come back. I suspect there was lots of cursing and temporary hurt feelings
I never met Wild Bill, unless I was REALLY young, but it's nice to remember the fun stories he generated.
