CASSELL: If it needs raking I'll go the raking.
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CASSELL: That engine has a door on it, you just put your foot on it and
release it. The old Shays* you don't have to. (Blank space on tape)
CASSELL: It popped off just when we got to the top of the mountain. He
blowed the whistle, had it wide open. He said, "My God, no one's ever done
that." While it was still whistling he jumped down, kissed me and twirled me
around. Said "I've been driving so many years and no man's ever popped off on
this side of the mountain, as long as I've been driving."(Blank space on page)
CASSELL: He went right straight on through.
(Blank space on page)
CASSELL: I went with Browney (Brownie)* where they was. We heard the
rattlesnake whizzin'. I said, "Brown, I hear one a whizzin'." He said, "Yeah." The
path was only about that wide and the brush was grown up about that high on each
side. He said, "I'll go in front and you get you a stick and go behind." The
further we went, the more we could hear them a whizzin'. Then we saw a flat rock
and that rock was yellow and black with rattlesnakes. I don't know how many. I
killed 11. I don't know how many got away. We went on down and around across the
bridge. I got blind, hypnotized. Brown, he was an awful man to swear said, "My
God, I'm sick." He commenced to throwin' up and when he commenced to throwin'
up, I commenced to throwin' up. If we hadn't of, it would have killed us deader
than a door knob, I believe. I never have been as sick as I was.
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CASSELL: She's a big woman. She'd stand on each side and cut, left-handed
and right, same as a man.
ALEX.: Did you peel any bark?
CASSELL: Peel any bark? Lord, yes. Peeled down on the river for A. V.
Millner* one summer. Lord, yes. Twenty-two thousand feet a day. Just me and
another fellow. I did it, he didn't do nothing. Just two or three bottoms* and
he'd turn it over and stopped. I done more splitting than that man.
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CASSELL: I used to be stout in the arms. I'm awful weak in them now. Keester*
was head sawyer down at Cass for years and years. Name of Keester*. We were on
____* both sides. I never sawed on both sides. (Blank space on page) A fellow
come along wanted a farm hand to whip Jess Willard. Jess Willard is a
prizefighter, you know.
ALEX.: I've read about him.
CASSELL: He come up here and I was out there about where that trailer is,
hoeing the garden or something. We had rail fences around the garden. I'd thrown
off one rail so (Blank space on page). I was there and he came out and started
talking over the fence about how I'd been recommended to fight Jess Willard. I
says, "My Lord, whoever done that?" He says, "I got the word all right to see
you." I says, "That's useless. I never had a fight in my life." I didn't want to
fight anyone. Ah, thunder nation. I'd hit several fellows but I'd never had a
fight in my life. Well he says, "Can you jump that fence and not touch it?"
"Yes, sir." Well, I did jump it, but if I'd been that much lower I'd a hit it. So
we went down to the barn to measure me. I was just to lean up against the barn.
He measured and marked off. Then he said, "My God, you've got an eight inch
reach on Willard." He says, "I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll give you $75,000
if you get licked or $150,000 if you can lick him." I says, "Oh well, that's an
awful lot of money, but I would know what to do with that much money." I didn't
take it up. Offer good, but I didn't. They made all kinds of money in boxing.
Because it drew such a crowd, that's where they made the money.