Tag: Folk Tales

Coon Hunting with Uncle Jim and Uncle John: A Bath County Folktale

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn UncategorizedLeave a comment


Night hunters – this picture is courtesy of Oliver Hartley’s Hunting Dogs,
a book you can read for free at Project Gutenberg. 
Hartley published the book in 1909. 
Several months ago, I shared a folktale that my father-in-law had written down.  In that very short story, “Uncle John” and “Uncle Jim” jump a train to Mt. Sterling and later end up climbing trees to avoid what they believe is a rabid dog.  If you missed that tale, you can read it here.  Well, our protagonists are back once again, and this time they’ve gone coon hunting!

From the journals:

In days past it was a custom for men and boys to hunt with dogs at night.  On those forays through pastures and woods, the dogs would “tree” varmints either in dens or up trees.  The word “varmint” was used to cover most any wild animal found in the county, such as ‘possums, skunks, weasels, minks, coons, and muskrats.  It was a sport that could supply much entertainment and some monetary income.
It was something to look forward to and enjoy.  Some hunters would take a snack with them and maybe even roast some corn over an open fire.  Occasionally the dogs would catch a varmint on the ground and often the animal would be a skunk.
Uncle John and Uncle Jim enjoyed hunting with their dogs at night and spent many enjoyable evenings in quest of varmints.  One night the dogs treed a varmint in a den under a rock ledge.  Uncle John reached back under the ledge and could just barely touch the tail of the animal.  He suggested that Uncle Jim should reach in and get the varmint.  Uncle Jim stretched and could just reach the animal but suddenly jerked his hand back. 
Uncle John questioned, “What’s wrong?”
Uncle Jim retorted, “He swapped ends!”

Hope you enjoyed that little tale.  Hopefully, I’ll be back with much more soon.  We’re still working on the book, but we’ve all had a lot going on, and that’s been put on hold for a while. ~Ginger

You don’t have to go coon hunting to enjoy roasted ears of corn.
 You can use your grill or even the gas burner on your stove.

Folk Tales (Uncle John & Uncle Jim)

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
“The past is not dead.  It’s not even past.” ~ William Faulkner
Jumping a train.
In Mr. Burl’s folk tale below, “Uncle Jim” and “Uncle John” hop a train to Mt. Sterling.

Folk and fairy tales have always been a source of fascination to me.  As a child, I couldn’t get enough of Hansel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and all of those beloved classics.  As an adult, I carried that interest with me into some scholastic pursuits, studying, for instance, the history of those age old stories while trying to understand what they mean in our collective consciousness. 

Folk tales  hold an especially important place in local communities.  Children can learn moral lessons from them and they can act to enforce social norms.  But, and perhaps most wonderfully, they work to help us define a sense of place, and we all need that, no matter how far we roam. 

Mr. Burl had a few Bath County folk tales he liked to tell and what follows is one of them.  “Uncle Jim” and “Uncle John” are completely fictitious, by the way. ~Ginger

From the journals:

It is probably true that tales, whether true or not, are told and ever handed down from generation to generation.  The author has heard some local tales many times and with a little different twist each time.

Do you remember the one about the two good old boys who loved to jump the freight train and ride to Mt. Sterling for special events?  On some of their visits they imbibed in a few “snorts.” One day, before hopping the freight to Mt. Sterling, they heard that there was a “mad dog” in the community.*  While in town, they had a few “snorts” and attended a circus.  After leaving the circus, they went down to the tracks to hitch a ride home.  Upon reaching the jump off place which was up a grade, they jumped off and started walking through the woods.  Suddenly they met a dog.  Remembering  the news they had heard prior to leaving home that morning, Uncle John climbed a nice big tree nearby, while Uncle Jim unfortunately scrambled up a sapling..  As he was trying to climb out of reach of the dog the sapling began bending over until Uncle Jim was almost back on the ground.  

Uncle Jim being very frightened called to Uncle John and said, “What do I do now?”  

Uncle John hollered back, “Turn her loose and climb her again!”

*In Mr. Burl’s notes, he mentions “mad dog scares” and writes that he wants to ask Dr. Bobby Byron how rabies was treated before the vaccine.  I don’t guess he ever had that chance, but it sure would have made for interesting reading.  I’m assuming there was no cure, and any treatment would have pretty much been regarded as futile.  

Atticus Finch protects the town from a mad dog in To Kill a Mockingbird, surprising his children with his skill with a gun.   I thought of this scene when I read Mr. Burl’s note on mad dog scares.  
Don’t we all just love Atticus?

“It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.” ~ Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird