Big Joe Baker and the Alligator

       Joe Baker told me this story several years ago.  Now Joe Baker was always a very truthful person.  If someone else told me this story, I might have some doubts about the truthfulness of this story.  If Joe Baker told you something, you could depend on it being the truth.  A lot of evenings you would see Joe and his wife riding around town just to get out of the house.   If he saw someone he  knew and liked, he would usually stop and visit for a while.  Joe was always really good to me. He helped me out several times and I always tried to help him when I could.  So, I always considered him a good friend.  One evening he was driving around town and he saw me out in the yard. We got to talking about the pet alligator Willy and Sadie Wilkinson used to have.  They had it in a pit located in the shaded lot across from their house.  I used to go look at it occasionally when I was growing up.  Joe told me,  “I made twenty dollars off that alligator one time.”  I ask him how he did that .  He said it was back in his drinking days.  He said he had been to Louisiana on a fishing trip.  When he got back, he said he was in a bar across town.  He was telling everybody about the fish they had caught.  So, some smart mouth drunk asked him why he didn’t bring back an alligator.  Joe, told him, “I did.”  He told Joe that he did not believe him.  Joe said he would prove it.  The guy bet him twenty dollars that he was lying.  Joe told him he would be back shortly with the alligator and collect his twenty dollars.  So, Joe got an alcoholic by the name of Leo Meixner to go with him.  They drove to Willy Wilkinson’s house to get his pet alligator.  Joe told Leo to get down in that pit and bring that alligator out of the pit.  Leo did not want to do it.  But, Joe made him.  You did not tell Joe no.  Leo reluctantly did as he was told. That alligator did not give him a warm welcome.  He violently snapped at Leo,  almost taking an arm off in the process.  Leo came out of that pit scared to death.  So, Joe said he crawled down in that pit and he wrestled that alligator until the alligator finally got tired and gave up. He said he had to get a piece of wire to tie the alligator’s jaws together to keep him from biting them.   He then drug that alligator out of the pit and put him in the back of his pickup.  They then drove back across town to the bar.  They collected their twenty dollars and then took the alligator back to Willie Wilkinson’s house.  Instead of being in trouble,  Sadie Wilkinson had already called Joe’s house wanting him to keep the alligator.  Of course Joe said no.  I don’t remember what happened to the alligator.  They eventually got rid of the alligator.  I know it was a lot of trouble to take care.  But, I know I still miss those occasional late evening visits by my friend, Joe Baker.