Winter of 62-63 and a short while in 64 my company had me do a few jobs in lousiana. I worked out of amite and then dubach, later out of jonesboro. I hired some locals who took me hunting I think below sisily island etc. Those were quaint days for this yankee boy. No matter where I went people wanted to call me "yank"! That was still just before and at the start of the civil rights movement. It was bad, but I am glad I got to see some of it. I got the impression that you couldnt get 5 feet off the road and everything you seen or touched would either bite, sting, give you a rash, or eat you up! Also it seemed to me that every bit of it the locals had a recipe for! Nothing, absolutely nothing was safe!
I had another friend and co-worker from wisconsin on my crew. He was kind of gullible. We were treating poles on a power line that went through some of the worst thickest brush with prickers of all kinds imangable. Finaly we came out to another road. Our truck was about a mile back through all that stuff. I walked up on weldon (Will) rodgers a texas boy on my crew. He was sitting on a knee pulling out prickers out of his arm, and the arm was bleeding pretty good. We started to discuss who should go back through that dismal jungle to get the truck and find a road to come out where we were. About that time neil rainney come back to me with shovel to find out what I wanted him to do next. He was the 17 year old wisconsin boy. He seen will crouching there holding his arm, it bleeding well. What happened to will? Will got bit by a rattler! Quick run back and get the truck and find a road here! I couldnt resist! Will said Im a dieing! Without a word neil took off like a lighting bolt! I was going to tell him we were just kidding, honest! We could hear brush breaking and you could even see some sapplings tops of trees shakeing etc! Presently the truck came down the road at about mach II and skidded to a stop. Neil jumped out and I knew I was in trouble. His cloths were all in shreds and he was bloody all over! When he found out what really happened he wanted to fight me! Didnt matter I was his boss and twice his size! I miss some of that!