Document text
Marc
Mrs
892
Athe
Sale
Sadi
AN AIR -MINDED FAD
I aiked tne taxi driver if he kne
lived? "Yes mam." At the same time at
story red brick house,
forsythia and jonquils
the spacious lawn that
with the woodwor
were in full blo
was green with g
ed the house There'was a lattice fenc
enough for a car to go through, screene
Like the front yard famaxe: waa- flOwersi
close to the- hause and -garage. A wasif
play house, and parts of a deme1-444ad
I knocked on tne door, and a.voic
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open the door and come in. I am too 1p
the livingroom, there sat Mrs. EdwardS
.blue -eyed little girl about four years
I don't dress.!5iSsie before I get up an
I haven't made a fire in the furnace an
The maid hasn't come yet and everything
A3 she talked about this and that
It .waa_evident-thatt-a-menkker-ot-tne fam
GaRipetay-.- inere were tnree lamps in tni
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another on a marble top antique table
Winthiop desk. Several 'mita ftmtique
6, 1939
mie Williams Epps (White)
11 jtreet
Georgia
ady
B. Hornsby
LY
just where Mrs. Edwards
nbing in front of a one
painted wkite. Kyacinths,
These flowers -eeet24.04
ass, low shrubbery surround
with an ePening just large
the back yard frant.,f-ronti
full bloou. lowniadartbiaery.,7.
t turned upside downi-a
rplane in the garage.
within called to me. "Just
y to get up." I entered
ressing a small black _aired,
ld. "Do have a chair, if
won't let me get her dresse
the nor 13 none too warm.
is(topsy=turvey)."
I glanced around the room.
ly worked for an electric
room. One on the radio,
d a floor lamp by a governor
c airs, modern tnree piece
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livingroom suit* book case filled with books on agrimadamt
aeronautics, two mirrors andlaeveral pictures on the wall. -A
clock and pictures of her two grown sons on the mantel as well
as a picture of ner deceased husband who ,was a well known aviator,
and one of her oldest dagghter on the desk. A rug with a flowered
-q4NF,9f pink roses in block design and criss-cross curtains with
blue ball trimmings completed the furnishings in this room.
She had finished dressing the child turned out the light, came
over near -the window where I was sitting on tne red upholltered
divan. Picked up a sweater and began darning it. "My boys wont
wear these sweaters because tnere is a touch of re'd on them. It
Isn't necessary to oge-let mending this morning; but I thoUght
might as well be doing something while I am talking. It is such
a bad day I can't get out and sell my cosmetics. My battery is no
Food on my car so I will have to wait another day. When I go out
I take the two small children with me and leave them in the car
while I make my calls selling my product. I also sell Christmas
cards in season. My children fuss with me because I get out and
.work, but I nave worked all my life and knaw what it takes. to live
on. Too I don't fell right to sit down and let IttY' older children
take care of me and the ones who are not laPge ehougn to work. 3o
after tne negro finishes her work and; dinner is ovbr I puVthe
children in the car take my cosmetic kit and trk to do My bit.
Some days I do real well and some days I get so discouraged T
feel like pax giving up/ but I can't.
"But what is it you want me to tell you I hate just talked
and talked and you nave come for my lifp; history. Why, would anybody
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pick me out of all people: Iou know a mother of ten cnildren
and nine living don't have time to think about what has happened
and afraid to tnink what, might take place after all I have been
through. I have had a child and my husband killed. I am pray-
ing I wont have to go through it again. We never know what is
to happen to us in this life.
"My young days spent in Greene County at 31100) Georgia.
I was born in Madison County out here at Neese. People in Madison
County could sell their land and buy land for half price in Lireene
County in tnose days. 30 my people sold tneir land and bougpt a.
farm necr 31loam and lived in the little village that is the way
people did than. I was 12 years old when I went there to live, and
pernaps my happiest days as a young girl was spent in that settlement,
"It Was a little odd the way I started to work. There was a
man who ran a general merchandise store, his daughter who was my
best friend helped Aim tA his bualne3s0 On the day my friend was
to marry another man the invitations had been issued and everytning
9-31-43-J-
.44?--w-R-45----e-
set for tae wedding, sne ran away and married a4p4,4e4a-mart. A few
'days after that I met the girl's father on the street, he told me
his wife'wanted mm to see me right -away. Well I was scared green,
I tnought sure, she blamed me for tne girl running away and martig
marrying someone lese. That woman was a captain, instead of that
sne wanted me to work in the store in her daugnter's place I
ac0elpted tne job and received 86.00 a month. I worked from eight
o'clock in the morning until twelve o'clock on 3aturday
Intact I worked twelve hours a day. I was crazy about my job.
worked and took music lessons too. I remember I had an argument
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witn my family they wanted the money for something else and I wanted
inexma to continue my music lessons and did it, also bought my own
clothes as well as tnings for the house.
"My brother got a job with the Athens Railway and Electric
Company. He was nere about a year when I decided to write a leading
store in this town for a job as they were the oply people I had
ever heard of in business. My people laughed at me and said. 'Why,
don't you know they wont give you a job. There are so iany people
in Athens they won't even answer your letter.' "Anyway I wrote
them. and right away I received a letter from them telling me the
next time I came to town to come by to see them. .1--wr-e-te--effraTir
rightJe.t from tem tolling me t& le=ght away I received
ne_x_t_lim4-4---e-arrer—ter--trvirrtu come by to see them. I loat no time
coming to'Atnens on going to the store, applying for tne job tney
told me tne one who employed tne girls were out sick and for me to
come back the following Monday. A3 I was leaving the store I asked
them to save the job for me 1 would be back when they told me too.
As I walked out of the store the man to whom I had been talking to
came to tne door saying to me. 'Come back when we told you too and
go to work.'
"I received tne big amount of l5 a month. I worked there
about tnree years before I married and worked of‘and on about two
years afterward. I worked as long as I could before my first child
was born. AS soon as I could I went back and worked until Jr. came
along, then I gave up and decided there was no need trying.
"My father and mother came to town with me to live. He want
back and forth to Greene County to supeV,ending his farms and saw
trio 11';',4
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mill. Eotner kept house, and looked after tne children, cows chickens
and etc.
"Then I. came hare to live, I was engaged to a man studying for
tne Presbyterian Ministry at Clemson college in 3outn Carolina. I
have had 30 many tnings said to me that turned out to be. tfUigl it
frigntens me for anyone to make any predidtions. This man to wnom
I was engaged to didn't want me to come to Athens. He said you wont
be tnere .three weeks before you will istmxtxxx meet someone you will
lie better tnan you do me. I told him that was impossible, because
I was in love with him and very mucn interested inAmy music. 3ure
enough I hadn't been here but a short Lime before i met Bert.
"One day I was leaving the store going to lunch. A boy I knew
was standing out in front he called to me and said. 'Wait a minute
I have something to tell you.' Bert started do the street, 'come
back here pal I want you to meet the new girl in the store, she
nasn't been in Athens long.' From that time on my friend kept asking
me for a date to go automobilegg riding. I didn't know girls
went riding at night. I told my mother, she told me it would be no
harm if tnere was another couple along. 3o when my friend, Bert and
another girl came to my house I didn't know I was to be with Bert
until he got tnere. From tnat time on we had dates regular. I told
him I was engaged to someone else. He told me he didn't care, he
was in 3outh Carolina and her here, and he was going to beat his
timaand he did. He was like that he started to build airplanes
and wouldn't quit.
"After we married we lived with his mother two years th,Ln his
father and mother gave Bert a building lot just out side of the city
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limits. We built a nice house, I thought I was all set with a well
on the back porch, and kerosene lamps. With a nice garden, chickens,
cows and I even had a nog or two. It wasn't long before Bert put
an electric pump in the well. After tne children got large enough
to go to school it was too expensive to send so many to school in
town. 341) I began to beg my husband lets build in town. He told
me, 'All right, but as sure as we do one of the children will be
killed sure.' 3till I insisted so after living in the country 13
years we built this house and moved to town. 3ure enough we had
only been here 3 years when the child next to-the,baby than was
run over in the yard and died as the results of tnat injury. He
developed pneumonia and only lived a short time. We have been
living here ten years.
"My husband's real business was in the garage business. He
nad tne first filling station in Atnens. You linow every man has a
hoboy, his was with airplanes when he closedhis garage for the day
instead of playing golf or working in the yard or garden he tinkered
with his planes, my brothers just sat .down. He begun building air-
planes about two years before we married.
"He made a short flight in 1909, in 1910 he write to a land
company asking them to let him attend one of their land sales and
take people to ride to draw a large crowd. They wrote him they NE
would take the matter up with him and they were sure it could be
made profitable for tne company as well .a himself, but they
never did anything about it.
"The whole family is crazy on the subject of airplanes. How-
ever, when he had a smahh-up his family blamed me for not discourage-
ing him. He was doing this before we married, how could I change
him than.
"There was no airport hem to try out his planes, so he took;
them out to an open field to try them out. That was when he first
tried to fly them, he smashed them up hauled them in and started
all over again. He just took it up as a hobby and only studied it
a short time in a private school in Virginia when my second girl
was a baby. He took up this-nobby a short time before the Wright
Brother's flew their's.
"Bert was never a person to talk abbut himself'. He always
brougnt the newspaper clippings home for me to read. 3everal days
agorDr. Reid told me that he and Mr. Hugh Rowe went out with Bert
at two o'clock one morning to 'fly his first plane.
"Back when my oldest son was 14 'some friends took him on a
trip to Washington, D. O. Mrs J. 3. urey of Chevy Chase, Maryland
was writing a book called 'UP' aviation of yesterday and today.
It never occueed to me to mention it to my son to visit her. 3o
when he got to Washington he decided to lOok ner up. 3he was very'
much interested in him and wrote a page and a half about him in her
book.
"He made his first solo flignt in Atlanta at an air show ta
when he was 13 years old. That was the first time I had ever seen
him fly and ne handled it just like his daddy. When I look at
these children of 13 and.it frightens me to think of tne things we
let him do. As far as we know he was the youngest person to Ply a
plane in this country or abroad.
"I remember tnere was a mob in Atlanta at tne air Ahow. It
was about dark when I started nome one of my little boys was missal.
I looked everywhere in tnat crowd. Finally I learned that he had
flown home witn his daddy in the plane, and slept all _he way.
Yesterday Mother Edwards was spending the day with me. The planes
were flying overhead. I sAid to her, 'My little boys are dying to
get out to the airport and get in one of those planes.' 3he said,
'I don't blame them, I would too if I was out there.'
"Bert taught lots of boys to fly. It was $10.00 an hour,
he gave one man lessons to refresh his memory on flying. I had to
get up when one of my babies were two weeks old and get Bert's
breakfast 30 he could get out to the field by six o'clock to take
him up and teacn him two nours before he went to his arage at
eight. That man run his bill up to $80 and never paid a cent of it.
He was later killed in New York. He ran into a high tention wire
while flying a passenger plane over the city.
"Oh, I do wish the weaaher would clear up 30 I could get
out and sell my cosmetics. You know it's my disposition to work
and I sold them during my hisband's life time to help out. I don't
make much but now, every penny I make goes a long ways.
Mrs. dwards daughter who holds a responsible position with
reliable company in Atnens came in: "Good morning," her mother
told her wnat I was doing, "That's fine," she said: "Mother I
want my lunch by twleve o'clock and while you fix it I will Take
out some reports." 3he went to tile desk and lay her books on it.
Mrs. -Ldnards got up to excuse herself while she went to tile kitchen,
saying. "Now, you don't have to go just stay and have lunch with
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us." I declined. "Now, don't go there's no need and after lunch
we can finish what you want to know. It:wont take me but a few
minutes as I cooked quite a bit yesterday, I was expecting a house
iull of company they didn't come 30 I am just warming it over. You
just make your self at nome. I have the most convenient way of
cooking in the world."
I followed her to the kitchen there was an electric stove,
refrigator, perc4lator and several other electric appliances sitting
around, a kitchen cabinet, rug on the floor and curtains at the
windows. "While the dinner is warming I want you tq see the bed my
daughter had made. A woman had tne lumber left from a suite she
had made and sold it to her. I tnink it cost SO finished." I
went into tne bedroom from the kitchen. Was this ever a breakfast
room I asked? "NO, this is the only say so I had about the building
of this house:" 'I told my husband how in the name of the Lord Could
I run tnrough the kitchen, diningroom and livingroom to get to the
bedrooms to see about one of the cnildren if one, of them were sick.'
"3o this door was cut."
In the room was a slender four post bed, vanity dresser painted
green a few scatter rugs on the floor and a pin-up lap still burn-
ing over tne bed. This room opens into a small narrow hall. A bath
room opens into this hall. Tne floor is tile with tub and other
conveniences. Another bedroom Ones into this hall, which is evidently
the boys room as. clothing, shoes, book and airpleans are scattered
all over tne room. There was two white iron beds dresser, bed side
table, pin-up lamp and nice blue bed spreads on the beds. firs.
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t;dwards took me into another room which .3'.he says: "This is my
room and tne babies, I don't have no other place for this desk
my husband used in his office. I nad several students staying
with me for eight months I let them have my rooMoand the boys.
I have a nice large room in the basement and wlent down there to
sleep. There is a sholrer too. I would like to have some boarders
now, but the boys don't want,them. If I did than I could give up
selling my cosmetics and devote all my time at home." There was
a walnut suitein her room. "Everytning is so torn up this morning
I am ashame for you to see my house. Tne maid came,, but she didn't
stay long she is a settled woman and has to look after ner affairs
on Monday when I pay her off."
"Motner?" asked the girl/ "Is lunch ready I have got to eat
and get back on tne job." "Yes, all I have to do is to put it on
tne table." I was writing and she went to the kitchen. In a few
minutes she announced tnat lunch was ready. "Now, I nave set a
plate for you, and there is no reason why you can't have lunch
with us." Again I declined Lne invitation:Agying I would wait until
t'hey had finished to complete tne interview. Mtss.Edwards, said:
"014 come on and ear witn us." 3o I went to the diningroom witn k
heiland had lunch. The suit in tnis room was mucn too large for the
size of the room. Consisting of a large buffet, table, chairs, an
old victoria, doll carriage and a large book case filled with_ books
on aeronautics, sat back of tne door. A floor lamp was placed
between tne windows overlooking the street. Crlss-cross curtains
with blue ball trimmings was at tne windows, a few pictures on tne
wall and a green rug on the floor. We had Grace at tne table by
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Miss Edwards and tne lunch consisted of spinilk, turnips, mashed
potatoes, cornbread, biscuit, banana salad, cake and coffe also
batter milk. "Now, help your self." Invited my hostess, "Don't
be afrzaid to eat for .there is plenty for,all. I had cube steaks
and gravy yesterday for lunch, so I didn't think we needed meat
today. -Anyway'vegetables are much better for people."
Lunch was over and we sat chatting when an airplane came zoom-
ing over head, everyone jumped from the table some ran to the window
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wnile others ran out on the front porch.' After the cotton was
over LiSS Edwards came back into the room saying: ,"Gee it was
flying low." Did you ever fly a plane I asked? "I never soloed:
but I did take lessons from my father when I was about 'fourteen or
fifteen." Why didn't you continue your lessons, I asked? "Well,
tne depression came on and father couldn't afford to take his planes
up unless -Jae was getting paid for it 30 I had to disconti-hue them."
Putting on her nat and coat sne was gone.
Mrs. :-TI-vards came in and began: "These children nave pulled
out every book their daddy has on airplanes. At night i have to
pick riky way to bed over modal airplanes, and find books all over
the bed and even under tneir pillows where they have fallen to
sleep witn them.
"Bert felt like he was a failure, but of course he wasn't.
He went to New York about twenty years ago and bought a flying boat
that had been shipped back here from France. I was 30 busy with
babies I didn't know what he was doing. He provided for his family
'what he thought was necessary. 3o He .had saved a litLle money of
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which I kntw notning aboutiand bought tile boat with it. He adve-
tised it for sale fthr $100.000. 4 man who was an aviator saw the
ad", wrote him, saying. 'Lets get together on the boat you have
offered it too cheap, and rebuild it and make some money :1 They
spent three weeks putting it in shape, t4n they took it to New
Jersey'. to fly it. The man who was an Englishman. took it up and had
to make a force landing in a small place where there were lots of
trees. When they tried to take it up again they didn't have room
enough to get it over tne trees they nad a smash gp. That $100.000
was gone, so they brought it back to Athens and made a land plane
out of it. Tney made quite a bit of money 41t-t*f. it. Tnat was
back when people didn't mind paying 815 to take just a short tide.
"Bert nad a very diginified man helping him at the air field.
One day several people went out for a ride in tne party was a very
prim woman. That was wnen women wore icing dresses. After the
helmets, safety belts and strappings were ajusted on the people in
the plane. Tne 'helper noticed the woman hadn't pulled her goggles
down. He said to her, 'Pull your goggles down,' she looked at him
but made no attempt to pulled them down. He told her several times,
after the door to the plane was closed he tapped on the window and
yelled. 'I say lady, pull your goggles down.' To this she meekly
pulled up her long skirt to ner knees and pulled ner garters down
around her ankles. That brought a burst of laughter from everyone
who saw it. That man would get out of the way at theimention of a
woman's garters.
"The money my husband made on his planes he always put back
in them, the money lie supperted his family on was made in the gargge
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:business and filling station. He had so .many smash-ups it took
everytning he realized from them to put them back in shape again.
)Once he was going to Florida to an air show when they got to Macon
they stopped for gas. Tney had hardly got out the sight of town
when he had a -smash-up. He always did think the people at the fil-
ling station put cneap gas in his plane, When he was building his
hanger, there came a terrible storm, it took one of the post up out
of tne ground and sat it down in tne middIA of his plane,as if some
.person had done it. Every time he had an accident, people would
say to me. 'Well, I guess Bert wont fly any more after this.' I
would tell nim what tney said. His snawer was; I never quit.'
3
"Ine most honest tning ever happen to him was; he had a man
helping thim reouild planes, one of them he connected tne control
wires backwards and when tney took it up to try it our it worked in
reverse. That smashed, the man got out of the plane and walked off
the field without saying a word. Several years after that Bert was
in Atlanta and saw nim on the street. He said to my husband: II
want you to know when I stashed up tnat plane I was broke, now I am
:making good and I want to pay for half of the damages done.' My
nusband took the money as he was badly in need of cash at tnat
time.
"About fifteen years ago Bert built a light place of hisown
design and sold it. Than he built another one, my son flew tt all
tne time and my husband was flying it when he had nis last smash-up.
IBefore his deatn he had lost everything we had. He often said one
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thing ne would never do tnat was mortgage out -home, but he did, and _
now we are doing everytning we can to save it. He nad closed his
garage and gotten a job at 835 a week ne .thought witn tnat coming
in each week and wnat he made on his pliines we could do very well
he nad only drawn one pay cneek. At one time we were worth 140.000,
now it is a struggle to keep our heads above the water. Just a few,
nights before he was killed ne couldn't sleep.. Mother -dwards said,
'It was nis garding angel warning him tnat sometning was going to
happen.! "No, tne Wrigat Brotner's nad no effect on him he thought
everybody was responsible for tileir own failure or success, he never
nad one penny donated Aim toward his enterprise.
"His death has nad no effect on us as to our disbelief in
aviation we wars are as interested in it now as we were in his life
time. I am sure if Bert had known tnat was his last flight he would
nave been happy to know he died or was killed in what he loved best
no matter now far ne nad to fall.
"..is "death left us without a cent. He did have two insurance
policies however, he nad borrowed money on both of tnem. One
policy nad a clause in it that the policy was no good in case he was
killed in an airplane accident. The other one was taken out before
tnat clause was added in policies. To be exact I only received
$500. and 118. which was just enough to put him away decent.
"I have two sons in college they work in the day time and go
to Tech at night. My oldest son is taking aeronautical engineering,
and tne other one is taking a plain freshman course at the same
college. I nave two girls who have finiAhed college both have
good jobs. One here and tne other one is teaching school at Tate,
Georgia.
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"One of my little boys told me not so long ago. 'Mama, did
you know one day I went up with daddy to chase the clouds and got
lost?' "No, I told him." 'Well we did, we didn't have much gas
and was afvaid we would nave a smash-up. I am sure we were over
Comer, Georgia so we turned around and came back safe. Do iou
know wny we weren't hurt or run out of gas?' "No, I said." 'Well
it was because af.tier daddy told me.tnat we were lost in the clouds
and didn't nave much gas. I began to pray and prayed until we land-
ed. When we got out of tile place I said tnank you God for letting
us get back safe.' "Thats fine, 'I told him, but you children
are going to drive us to the poor house, spending-everyteentybu
get on model airplanes. A few days after that tae baby said to my
oldest daugnter." 'Did you know we are going to move?' IN0,Ishe
said, 'Well we vire.' 'Where' she asked 'To the poor house.'
'How are we going?' In an airplane.' answered the baby.
"I know what I nave told you isn't interesting, but it is
our life we are all wild about aviation. But when you need some
cons/metics please get tnem from me tnat is where my few pennies
comes from now." I thanked ner for the story, and started to leave."
"Do come back again. There is my daughter she went to get a cneak
casned so I can pay
my bille." The telephone rang she closed tne
door. The girl was getting out of tile cart belonging to her company.
"Come back again." Thanks I said/ and left the Edward66 nome and the
air minded family.