Snake Handling in a Southern Church

By Elton Camp (This is a continuation of the series about life in the rural South during the early 20th Century.) Various denominations operated in North Alabama. Chief among them were numerous branches of Baptist, Methodist, and several types of holiness churches. New churches were formed easily. If a group in an existing group decided they didnt like some aspect of its doctrine or practice, theyd pull out, obtain a small building, and go into business. In most cases, no formal qualifications existed for ministers. The flock usually expected their leader to have experienced a call to preach. The congregation wanted to smell the brimstone and feel the fire of Gods wrath against sinners, themselves excepted of course. A few of the pastors couldnt read or write effectively. Although the official religion of Milas family was Baptist, he didnt forbid his children to attend meetings of other denominations. All roads lead t th sam place, he often assured them. On one occasion, this liberal view led to an educational experience for Albert. It was one he never tired of relating, even decades later. Joshua, a teenager about Alberts age, began to insistently urge him to attend the Saturday services of his church. We follow th Scriptures n a way tet nobody else does. The rest ez afeared t follow th true teaching o th Lord. Yu should come n see fer yoreself. Yull b glad yu did. For a time, Albert resisted the invitation. Theys pore as Jobs turkey, he thought. All his friends went to Mt. Olive, a far nicer church than the one Joshua attended. Finally, his resolve faded. I reckon Ill go wif yu next time. The shabby structure was located well off the road in a scope of pine trees. Itd once been a barn, but the group meeting there had improved it enough to function for religious services. Albert swallowed hard several times as he approached the building with his pal. He recalled mocking comments his brothers had made about the group. A nervous tick began to affect the muscles of his left eye. He took a deep breath and marched on. It was too late to back out.

A crudely hand-lettered sign read Church of God With Signs Following. It listed the name of the pastor, Brother Milton Fergis, and the time of the Saturday meetings. Albert wasnt able to make out more than a couple of words, but Church and God made him feel that it was going to be all right to go there. The interior of the ramshackle building showed an attempt to make it more suitable as a place of worship. The walls had been lightened with whitewash. The group had constructed a stage raised about two feet above floor level. Hand-built benches, without backs, substituted for pews. Behind the stage, long and short two-by-fours had been fashioned into a representation of a cross. A podium stood for the preachers use. A small table with a wooden box atop was to the right of the stage. Four cracked, dirty windows on the south wall admitted light. Members of the congregation were already present when Albert arrived. The men had short hair, long-sleeved shirts, and Sunday-best pants. Some of the older ones had beards halfway down their chests. The women wore no jewelry and used no make-up. Dresses were floor-length, with sleeves to their wrists. The older ones had their hair arranged into simple buns on top of their heads. Younger girls had long hair that flowed down their backs. Several of the flock smiled and nodded as Albert passed. Their friendliness made him feel welcome. Whos thet grinnin like a mule eatin briars? Albert asked as he looked toward a well-dressed man standing near the stage. The man walked in his direction. Hits th preacher, the other boy whispered. Watch whut yu say. Welcome, son, said Fergis effusively. Wes so pleased t have ye wif us. We believe n ever word o th Bible. Do ye believe n th anointin o th holy ghost? Air ye saved? Albert, unsure how he should reply, simply answered Yes, but without conviction. The meeting commenced with singing of a gospel song, A Mighty Fortress. It lacked musical accompaniment. Some of the flock sang badly off-key. Then came a fervent prayer by Fergis. The sermon itself initially sounded familiar to Albert. The minister spoke of the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ and the need for repentance for sin. He emphasized strict obedience to everything found in the Bible. As he proceeded, he lapsed into occasional sentences spoken in a tongue. An old sister near the back of the meeting room began to cry and speak incomprehensively in a frenzied manner. Brang her o th front n let her testify fer th Lawd, Fergis instructed.

The woman stood on the stage and continued to speak in gibberish. As she grew increasingly excited, she began to swing both arms in wide circles. Abruptly, she stopped, commenced to cry harder, blew her nose, and returned to her seat. Praize th Lawd fer yore faith n gifts, sister, Fergis called out. The congregation responded with Amens. Now, I want all ye, specially our youn visitor, t listen as I read from th Gospel o Mark, the preacher said. A hush fell over the group. They knew what was coming. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. The preacher stared up toward Heaven and appeared to be praying. The congregation sat in reverent silence. After about five minutes, he turned with a jerk toward the box resting on a table to his right. He yanked open the lid, thrust in his hand, and pulled out a three-foot long timber rattlesnake. The reptile twisted wildly in his hand, curled its tail around his arm, and moved its triangular head menacingly toward his face. Its forked tongue flicked in and out of its mouth. Its lidless eyes showed vertical slits for pupils. Taken by surprise, Albert was stunned. Oh, how he hated and feared snakes. He wished with all his heart that he hadnt let Joshua talk him into coming. Now that he was trapped without any easy way to escape. He briefly considered making a dash for the door, but didnt want to risk people laughing at him. They shall take up serpents n hit shall not hurt em, Fergis paraphrased. He draped the snake around his neck as it continued to writhe. His display of belief emboldened a man in his early thirties to jump to his feet and call out loudly in an unknown tongue. He began to dance erratically, bringing first one knee and then the other, upward with a fast motion. He approached the stage. Brother, air ye n th spirit? Fergis demanded. Do ye believe? I am, I do, he affirmed. His eyes were glazed, his mouth partly open, and his breath came in hard gasps and sudden spurts. He reached the box and extracted a copper head. The man handled it with careless abandon. The snake attempted to escape his grasp, but didnt bite. The believer continued to prance about and call out, partly in English and partly in unrecognizable sounds.

Snake Handler The lady, who had testified earlier, rushed forward and joined them on stage. She took a cottonmouth in one hand and a diamond-back rattler in the other. She, too, spoke in unknown words and began to jump up and down. She fell to the floor on her back, kicked her legs several times, and abruptly became still and silent. Albert wondered if shed died, but nobody in the congregation seemed to be concerned. The snakes she had held slithered across the stage, but Fergis quickly scooped them up and returned them to the box. He slapped the lid securely in place. I aint gonna do thet. Nobody kin make me, Albert whispered urgently to Joshua. I purt ner druther die then t pick up a snake. Nobodyll try t force yu. Only them thet feel theys anointed ever do hit. I aint never tried hit, but I may sometimes. The service turned from the snakes to more familiar preaching. Albert began to relax somewhat, although he kept a wary eye on the box of serpents still at the front of the church. Toward the end of the service, Fergis again returned to the sixteenth chapter of Mark where he emphasized the drinking of poison. He produced a small bottle from his side pocket. This heres strychnine, he asserted. Ez long ez I has faith, hit cant possibly hurt me. The man removed the cap from the vial, placed it to his lips, and drank about half of its contents. He calmly restored the cap, returned the bottle to his pocket, and continued with his sermon. Fergis seemed to have no ill effects from the powerful poison. Albert wondered if it truly contained what the preacher had said, but thought it best to keep his thoughts to himself. The congregation sang a final song, Ill Fly Away. The pastor concluded the service with a long prayer of praise and thanksgiving. Albert had enough. Never would he return to that church, he vowed silently. That type church wasnt unique to Marshall County. Historians note that a Church of God minister by the name of George Hensley had, around 1900, introduced

snake handling into the Pentecostal church headquartered at Cleveland, Tennessee. After a period of years, the sect had repudiated the practice. Hensley responded by establishing a separate church. He survived to 1955 when he was seventy years old. The man died the next day after being bitten by a snake at a church meeting in Florida. Authorities knew the circumstances, but listed the cause of his death as suicide. The minister had survived numerous other snakebites over the years. Snake handling churches in north Alabama didnt recognize Hensley as their founder. On Sand Mountain, James Miller came to the same conclusions as Hensley, but appeared never to have heard of him. Miller was most active in the area around Scottsboro, but his followers spread his beliefs. The church in Marshall County traced its origins to his teachings. Neither man was aware that the verses in Mark on which they founded their ministries are known to be later additions to the Gospel. Modern translations note them as not having the authority of true Scripture. Yet, they are a part of the 1611 King James Translation that many ill-informed people hold to be the original Bible. Such persons credulously believe that Jesus and his followers, nearly two thousand years ago, spoke in archaic English and that the 400-year-old translation is the very book that existed at that time. No argument can persuade them otherwise. There have been a number of deaths from snake bites during religious services. Those cases are attributed to lack of faith or failure to follow the leading of the spirit. The church tends to be secretive, but its estimated that fewer than one hundred people have actually died over the years. Those bitten refuse medical treatment and depend on Divine power to save them. Even among fundamentalist religionists, snake handling is looked upon with disfavor. It tends to give credence to the idea that the South is filled with ignorant people. The practice is now illegal in Alabama and all other Southern states except West Virginia. There are few prosecutions.