Document text
EDWARD WALCOTT
Written by:
Edited by:
Mrs. Sadie B. Hornsby
Area 6 Athens
Mts. Sarah H. Hall
Area 6 Athens
end
John N. Booth
Area Supervisor
lederal Writers, Project
Areas 6 and 7
Augusta, Georgia
March St 1939
January 23,26, 1939
February 1, 1939
Mr. George Shaw Crane (white)
897 Prince Avenue
Athens, Georgia
IABAlord
was•Hir„
EDWARD WALCOTT
Edward Walcott was the name on the card above the
electric button by the front door, and my ring was promptly
answered by Mrs. Walcott. She is a prim little woman, end on
this occasion her neat silk frock was protected by a print
smock.
"Do come in, my dear," she said, with an inviting
smile. My hostess left me in the living room, while she went
to let her husband know that I was there. Glancing about me,
I saw beautiful old furniture, some of which I later learned
has been handed down from one generation to another in the
Walcott family for more then a hundred years. A rare and
lovely old blue glass carafe sat on the floor under a mahogany
drop-leaf table that has been in this family since 1800. A
mortar and pestle, given by Dr. Crawford W. Long,discoverer of
anesthesia by ether2to a member of the halcott family, was placed
on an interesting old bookcase.
Mr. Walcott came in with his wife and invited me into
the dining room. "It's warmer in here," he explained, as we
approached a glowing Franklin heater. When I explained that I
had come to hear him tell his experiences in the renting business,
he laughed heartily. "Why don't you ask Miss Annie?" he asked.
Page 2.
"Miss Annie is his wife. "She could give you a much better
story than I can with ell her experiences as a nurse before we
married, and then, too, she knows as much about my renting busi-
ness as I do, if not more. She's had many and varied experiences
since she's been helping me keep our property rented."
"Oh, Ed!" she began, "You know how busy I am today.
You just go ahead end talk. I'll be glad to help in any way I
can though. Just call me and I'll be right in."
"You'll find that dining table a good -place to write
on," said Mr. Walcott, and as I opened my notebook he continued
the conversation. "That table Is what I would call a real antique.
My grandfather Walcott purchased it in 1800, and it has been in
our family ever since. I, myself, have eaten off of it 60 years.
It's solid mahogany, and we have never had to have a thing done
to it. It's construction is remarkable; there's not a nail in it.
An expert spent 4 hours looking it over with a flashlight, and he
declared that it wasn't made in America. Lie should know about
good furniture for he was apprenticed as a small boy to a manufacturer
of fine furniture, and at the time he was in our home he was in his
70th year. Practically all of his life ties been spent in the furni-
ture business. Another man offered me a complete dining room suite,
the best obtainable, for this one table. Of course I refused the
offer. That was in the days when all of us had plenty of money,.
I doubt if the man who made that offer could pay cash for a loaf of
bread now."
Page 3.
Taking an odd -looting pistol from the mantel, Mr.
Walcott inquired, "Would you like to know the history of this?"
My knowledge of firearms is limited to almost nothing, end seeing
the quizzical look with which I regarded the weapon, he answered
the question that I had not voiced. "Sure, it's a real pistol.
Take it in your hands end see for yourself."
I begged him to tell me the story of the pistol.
"Well," he said, "This was one of a pair of duelling
pistols that my father used to keep in a handaome morocco case in
his desk. After our home burned in 1885, we found this one in the
beck yard, but we nev-r did know whet became of the other pistol
and the case. This was the pair of pistols used in the duel between
Aaron Burr and Alexander h. Hamilton, and the one you see here
now wee the one fired by Burr to inflict the mortal wound. I
suppose you remember reading that Hamilton died as the result of
that duel. The pistols belonged to Hamilton, and were exactly
alike, only the other was for a right -,'4ended man. Aaron Burr was
in
left-tanded. If you held this one/your right hand the hammer would
obstruct your sight end endanger your markmanship, but you can hold
it in the left hand and sight from the small piece of steel on the
right side of the barrel." I had never known before that there
was a time when a pair of pistols, like a pair of shoes, were made
in "rights" and "lefts."
Mr. Walcott continued: "Now let me tell you how this
pistol is operated. It is first loaded with gunpowder and wadded
w:th cotton, then a piece of flint rock, just large enough to fit
Page 4.
the seat that's whet that pert is celled is placed In it on
top of the barrel. This piece of steel is than fastened over
the flint, and when the trigger is pulled it produces a spark
from the flint, and that spark ignites the powder and causes the
explosion. This pistol is of finest steel, and look at that
handle: It's mahogany, I'm sure. Now, look closely and rent
the name of the manufacturer, 'U. W. RICHARDS.' You remember,
no doubt, that Hamilton was an Englishmen. These pistols are
known as the flint -rock type. How my father camp into possession
of them, I don't know.
Mr. Wolcott's ancestors have been connected with the
development of Athens from its pioneer days. His paternal grand
tether was the architect who designed some of the oldest of the many
notable buildings here, end his maternal grandfather rats equally
distinguished in his individual enterprises. Ur. Oalcott is
rather stout, has black heir, and he seems to favor a bleak
broadcloth suit, black felt hat, black shoes, white socks, white
shirt and black tie to any other type of attire.
"Talking of buildings," said Mr. Walcott, "I was born
in New College on the Franklin campus of the university. Grand
fattier wee one of the builderssof New college, and 30 years after
it wee completed, while the university was closed because of the
war, he and his family lived there. My mother was visiting them
there when I was born.
Page 5.
"There were six of us boys, and we always realized
whet we missed not having a sister. We boys were into every-
thing. In my young days ell the houses were enclosed with
picket fences, and we had our gateposts named 'twelve' and
'one.' When we had been out at night, next morning at the
breakfast table our parents would ask us:
"'What time did you boys come in last night?'
"'Between twelve and ant,' we always answered.
"We lived on this same street, down there in front of
the church. The street was not laid out straight at that time
like it is now. It was a part of the old stage route from Athens
to Dahlonegs, and the coaches wound in and out among the trees.
The road in front of our house was higher than the yard. Father
had let mother choose between the Ben Hill house and the Thomas
house, and she chose the latter. That was where we were reared.
"You can imagine what life around six boys would be like.
One of mother's best friends, a fine woman, taught a private school
in a building erected for that purpose in her yard. Thnt old house
is still standing in the yard of that family's home. inhen it came
time for us to enter school mother's friend told her that she
simply couldn't have the six of us for we were so noisy we would
ruin her school.
"Well, that didn't keep us from going to school. Father
just built e large one -room building on the side of our yard sad
hired Professor Hudson as tutor. He end father had been in the sane
Page 6.
company in the Civil War, and so father knew him well and was
satisfied that he was quite capable of teaching six noisy boys.
It wasn't long before there were so many parents anxious to send
their children to our school that father put a partition in our
schoolhouse and employed another teacher. He was Professor Orr
from Martin Institute. Declamation time, as we called it then,
was on Friday afternoons, and we invited our parents to attend
and hear our speeches. At the closing exercises in june,Professor
Hudson awarded a gold medal to the pupil who 1184 maintained the
best average throughout the school year.
"Well, instead of us breaking up the other sohool with
our noise, it broke up because all its pupils came over to our
school. Mother's friend was a wonderful teacher and a fine person
in every respect, and we never had the least ides of making any
trouble for her.
"My father was one of the instigators of the public
school system in Athens. The first public school was on Meigs
Street, and when that old building was torn down in later years,
two houses were built from its timbers.
"Father was a great one for raising Jersey cattle, and
gave each of us boys a male calf. We rode those calves all over
town and probably would have ridden them to Sunday School, but
mother wouldn't ellow that.
"As tar as you could see baok of our house was in woods,
Page 7.
and in the branch about where Boulevard now is, was 'the old
seimming hole.' We boys went there every day in summer to
evilm. Bathing suits were unheard of. We just pulled off our
brown check pants and blue cheek blouses and dove in. Every
boy in tom learned to swim in that old swimming hole. There was
another one on the old Phinixy branch that we loved to swim in too.
"Speaking of clothes, everybody wore cotton cheeks made
in the old Qheck Mill, in summer. 16ven ay father wore them. Bows
ever, he had handsome broadcloth suits that he bought on his trips
to New York. winter clothes were of jeans, wool and cotton mixed,
and this jeans was manufeetured in the same old Cheek Mill.
"Those were happy, carefree days for children. Every
need was taken oare nf, but children didn't have money to waste
like they do now, no matter how much their parents had.
"Dan was the name of one of grandfather's slaves. When
he was about eleven years old he accidentally fell into the mill-
race at grandfather's cotton factory, and his head was so badly
mashed that it never grew back into the right shape. When he 8ot
old enough to work he became grandfather's coachman. His wife
was named Martha, and every Saturday all six of us boys would go
out to their house for dinner. Such feasts as Dan end Martha did
set before us fried chicken, ham, and ash oakes, all cooked in
an open fireplace, and if you have never eaten ash cakes you have
missed the treat of your life.
"Grandfather was one of the first to have an interest in
Page 8.
gold mining at Dahlonega. It was a two-day trip from Athens
to Dehlonege then, end grandfather made it about twice each
year to see after his interests there. His oldest eon was up
there in charge of the work. When time case to go, two horses
were hitched to a spring wagon that was loaded with trunks
filled with bedding and food, and a trusted servant was sent on
with it a day ahead of the family. He spent the first night at
:efferson, a distanse of about 20 miles, and the second night he
was scheduled to be in Sugar Hill. For a week before these trips,
A
the coachman was busy shining up the carriage. end all the silver
on the harness. The family left in the carriage the day after
the wagon set out, and usually overtook it at ugar Hill.
"Some years ago I took mother to Dahlonega for 4 day.
I picked her up at 9 o'clock in the morning, then stopped by
home for my wife and daughter. We arrived at our destination
about noon. At 3 o'clock that same afternoon I told mother to
get ready as we were leaving for home.
*My, Ed, you must be out of your mind,' she argued,
'you know this a two-day trip.'
"'Anyway, we're leaving at 3 O'clock,' I told her.
"When we were back in Athens and she got out of my car
at her home, the sun was still shining. Turning to me, she said:
'Well, I never thought I'd live to see the day when I could go
to Dahlonega and beck in one day.'
"One of grandfather's sons followed in his footsteps as
Page 9.
a builder. Be was one of the three commissioners in charge of
the construction of the tate Gepitol in Atlanta. Did you know
that's the only State Gapitol in the United btates that was built
within its appropriation? When that building was completed and
all accounts paid up, there was a balance of $5.60 left.
believe I've already told you of some of our boyish
pranks. What the six of us couldn't think of wasn't worth thinking
of. We used to blacken thick ropes and pull them snake -like across
the paths in front of courting couples that pesied,our yard at night.
Our thick shrubbery made a grand hiding place for us to crouch in
while we manipulated the strings that made the 'snakes' look more
life -like. Once we stuffed a long black stocking and pulled it
across the path in front of a young Hebrew couple end frightened
them out of their wits. You could have heard them yell blocks
away. Our parents 1.eard the noise and stopped our fun when they
learned that we were causing the racket.
"Dr. Billups was a fine old dentist practicing at Natkins-
'rill.. After his death father bought his dental kit and gave it to
me. The mahogany case was well equipped for that day and time, and
I was just the proudest boy you ever saw. One day I wee sitting
on our front steps looking through the dental case when a neighbor
came by.
"'Good morning, son: What are you doing?' he asked.
"Waiting for a patient,' I told hint as I held up the
dental case.
Page 10.
"'Good!' he exclaimed, 'Come on dowm to my house and
see what's wrong with this tooth that's hurting so bad right
now.'
"When we arrived at his house, I had him seated in a
*heir, and in an exaggerated professional style I took a piece of
cotton from the kit, saturated it with oil of cloves and put it in
the hollow of the aching tooth. My patient said it stopped the
tooth from hurting and he paid INA a nickle. That was the first
money I ever earned, and from that time on the boys called me 'floc.'
"The height of my ambition as a boy was to carry water
on my head like our old cook, Cindy. Way back of our house, near
the spring, we had a well dug that was 62 feet deep, and every
morning mother sent all six of us down there with Cindy and John,
the gardener, for water. I tried and tried to carry a pail of
water on my head, but wee never able to accomplish this feat.
"We boys played many a day with the old ram that Mrs.
Franklin had installed to pap water into her house. Here were
the first waterworks we had ever seen. She had slave that did
nothing else but stand at that old ram ell day and pump the water
through the lead pipes to her house and gardens. During the war
she had those old lead pipes taken up to be made into bullets for
the soldiers. That old house has been changed quite a bit since
then. At that time the entrance was on the west side of the house.
There was even a ports-coehere for the carriages to drive under.
Three rooms extended across the front of the house, and now the
entranoe is in the middle room. The front porch has been added
Page U.
mince then. Her porch was on the west side and its columns
attracted lots of attention. They were put up just as the trees
were when they were out down that is, the bark and stubs of
the branches were still on them. One of the largest trees I have
over seen was in her back yard. All six of us boys used to clasp
hands and try to reach around it, but our six pairs of arms were
not long enough to encircle it. The interior of Mrs. Franklin's
old house has been changed but little.
*Once mhen mother sent me to the dry well for something
she needed, it was raining and the house girl hid to go along with
me to carry a lamp so I could see how to get around in that dark
place. That was long before we had electric lights. I had to
carry an umbrella to keep the rein from putting out the lamp.
When we got beck to the house I vas lowering the umbrella out on
the beck porch and got it caught in the lamp, which fell to the
floor and exploded. The maid sew me through the flames and began
yelling, 'Lord, have mercy! Morse Doc done burnt up. Se's done
(laid!' She fainted dead away, and was taken to the servants'
house. I wasn't hurt, but.I was plenty scared. Father appeared
and extinguished the fire by turning over a churn of milk on it.
All through the night the poor house girl kept wailing, 'Lord,
have meroy: I done killed Maras Doc.' Early the next morning I
had to go down there and show her that I was alive and all right.
"I have in my possession now some of the old manila paper
made in the old paper mill. My uncle married the daughter of one of
Page 12.
the owners of the paper mill. During the Civil war, this mill
made the paper that was used for the wads to hold the powder in
the guns. These wads were about four inches long end were
twisted at both ends. The soldiers hastily bit off one end and
rammed the wad into the barrel of the gun with the ramrod. The
women made those weds at home. That was just one of the many ways
they found to help out during the weir. There was another name
for those old gun weds, but I've forgotten it now. ivantities of
rags were necessary for the manufacture of the paper, and people
A
around here saved almost every scrap of fabrics to sell as rags
at the paper mill. Rags finally became such a medium of local
exchange that while those who preferred were usually paid in
cash, others traded their rags for food or clothing, whichever
they needed most.
"My college days were full of excitement, as well as
herd work. I graduated from the University of Georgia in 1896 in
Civil Engineering, end in 1897 in Electrical Engineering. I was
the only one in my class to graduate in the latter subject. Henry
Grady, Tr, was one of my schoolmotes during the college days. He
was a fine boy.
"In 1895 after Roentgen discovered the X -Ray, we made
the first X -Ray picture ever made in the south in our classroom
at the university, under Professor Patterson. That same year we also
made equipment for sending wireless telegraphy at the university.
When I left college in 1896, I went in business for myself. I think
Page 13.
the little electric shop that I originated then was perhaps one
of the first ever opened in Athens.
"Did I tell you that my Civil Engineering course was
under Dr. Striation? He was civil engineer for the county at the
time, as well as an instructor at the university. He had charge
of supervising the country roads as far back as the pick -and -shovel
days. Those were the days when every property owner was called
on to meet on a certain date to work the roads going through their
own property. Dr. Strahen was instrumental in tntroducing plans
for having the public roads worked at the expense of State and
on
county. It was while he weis/a trip to Europe and I was acting as
County Fngineer pro -ten in his absence, that the ruling went into
effect.
"I sold my business here and entered business in Atlanta.
That proved a failure. I returned to Athens and with one or two
of my brothers and a few others, helped to put up a machine for
making cement blocks, and we also installed a rock crusher. These
blocks we made were the kind used in building houses. One or two
of the houses made of our blocks are still standing here,and there
are several elsewhere. I guess we were too far ahead of the times
with that enterprise, so we gave it up.
"Work with the sell Telephone Company drew ma back to
Atlanta. I have helped to run telephone lines from New Orleans
to New York. I was working for them when the first underground
oables, or wires, were laid from New York to Philadelphia, and when
the tube was laid under the Hudson River.
Page 18.
"A white family was living in one of our houses, and
whenever we went to collect the rent the man always had some
excuse for not paying it. We were forced to take steps toward
making him move out, so we gave him 60 days notice. Still he
didn't get out. We issued a warrant, and he was to move by a
stipulated date or the bailiff would °leer the house. A man who
said he was from out of town came to me for a house, so we rented
him that one. In the lease it was plainly stated that he was to
move in after the other family moved out. He said that he told
A
the man who was living in the house that he was ready to move in
and that he had already paid me some rent in advance. One day
when he called on me, I asked him if the other family had moved
out. He informed me they had not, but that he had moved in with
them. I showed him the clause in his lease that read: 'You are to
move in only when the other family now occupying the house has
moved out.' I went straight to the bailiff. 'I'm paying you to
do this work,' I reminded him, 'Why don't you do something about
that warrant'>' He went out to the house and put the furniture out
in the yard. When I learned where he had placed it, I told him
that would not do for no one could move in the house as long as
the furniture stayed on the premises. Then the bailiff moved it
on the right-of-way across the railroad tracks. The railroad agent
ordered me to move the goods from their property for the owners of
the furniture could sue the railroad company if a train cane along
and set fire to it. So the bailiff finally put the furniture in the
Page 16.
street, as he should have done in the first place. It sat until
the last pieoe had rotted down or was stolen. The owner never
moved a piece of it. The funny part about the whole business
was that the man who came here to rent the house was a brother
of the women who already lived there, and he was living there with
them when be first came to see me about renting the house. They
thought that by his making a new lease and paying the current
rent they wouldn't have to pay up the back rent, or get out
either. Well, they couldn't pull that stunt on us.
"An apartment in the house back of our home here was
rented to a couple. The woman was an artist and, the man had what
seemed to be a good job. They got about three months in arrears
with their rent. When we felt that we bed kept them as long as we
could we asked them to move. Often when we went to their apartment
we sew that they had much better food than we did. The woman put
up an awful pitiful story in which she told us that her friends
bed sent in the food. I found out that a missionary society in one
of the local churches was feeding this couple, and when s woman from
this society called me to inquire about their financial troubles,
I told her that I believed they were making enough to take *ere of
their own expenses, and I couldn't understand why they were in such
a Jam. She asked if we would be willing to pay the expenses of
moving them. Now, I was glad to spend, say two dollars, to get
then out, so I could rent the apartment to someone who would pay.
I was surprised when the woman from the missionary society sent
Page 17.
large van to move then, for they were living in one of our
furnished apartments and they only had about three or four
suitcases and a few personal things. The bill rendered me for
the use of that moving van was $18. We investigated, and found
they moved to Anderson, south ‘41rolins, after we had been given'
the impression we were to pay for moving them to another apart-
ment in Athens.
"At that time we had a joint telephone in the house,
and each of the three families paid a third of he bill. When
that month's bill came in we found that this man had made a long
distance cell to Chicago and charged it to our phone. That toured
us of any kind of joint telephone arrangements. On the other hand
the people in the other two apartments in that house never gave us
a minute's trouble.
"Negroes are funny people. For instance, they only work
by the day or by the week, and when a menber of one of their
families get sick, they just won't pay the rent. After they are
well again and start beck paying current rental, they have already
forgotten about the back rent that they owe. It's hard to make
them understand that it's still an obligation. However, they are
not all like that. One old negress lived in one of our houses 50
years and never missed a payment. She raised a large family and
when they were all grown her sons built a throe -room house and put
her in it.
"All of our downtown store buildings are located in the
Page 18.
best part of the business section, and we don't have to.take any
foolishness from the tenants. If they complain about the rent,
all they have to do is mnve on out. We never have any trouble
keeping those stores rented. Several of the tenants in those
stores have been with us 25 years. However, we do have several
small stores scattered over town that are herd to keep occupied.
At the present time we don't have a single building, store, or
residence, vaeant. I don't think that's bad for 67 pieces of
property to be kept rented.
"I'm not trying to give the impression that we own all
of this property. We only have an interest in some of the buildings,
and for various parcels of it I am administrator, agent, or guardian.
Others of the parcels are our own individual property. te only
have one -fifth interest in some of the property, for which I act
as renting agent.
"When we have to make lots of improvements to please the
tenant, we have to raise their rent, but when there is not much to
be done beyond the inevitable repairs, the rent remains the same.
We haven't followed the up and down trends of rental charges
throughout the years. Our charge for negro houses averages 500
romps per week, plus the water bill which amounts to about 100 per
room each week.
"There is one thing rfegroes will not do; that is, when
anything happens to a water pipe they never report it. They just
let the water run. We have had to pay as much as 120 for one water
Page 19.
bill, caused by e pipe that had burst and which had not been
reported to us. Dances at negro houses often end in fights, and
they do so much damage to our property that we have had to pay as
high as $50 for repairs after one of their frolics*.
1",,e are subject to oall, night or day. During the
worst of the storm yesterday I had to go to a building that had
sprung a leak in the roof. I could not delay, for after the rain
ceased I wouldn't have been able to locate the leak. Some property
owners have their repairs done only when they can't keep tenants
any other way, but we try to keep up our repairs as we go along,
just as fast as we can after learning of the need." His eyes
twinkled as he said: "In one of my apartment houses there are
three families that 1 believe must take turns about staying awake
at night to think up things they can ask me to do. You can't
please some people, no matter how hard you try.
"Our rental prices range from 42 to $100 per month. Five
store spaces in one building rent for $95 a month each. On some
of the property the taxes and insurance run so high that we can
hardly realize any profit from the rents.
"People from all walks of life will beat you if they can.
You have to be on your guard at all times. A woman who was living
in one of our houses went one night to call on an acquaintance
across the railroad tracks. On the way bac* home she fell and
skinned her leg. She sued us, telling the lawyer that her injury
was incurred in a fall through a broken plank in the house she was
Page 20.
renting from us. She had broken a plank in the kitchen to prove
her point. Of coursei, we made her move. She lost the ease.
*There was another family we had to put out, and under-
stand these people I'm talking about were white people. They
hadn't paid any rent in so long that we had to get out a warrant
for the bailiff to put them out. Every time he went to that house
and asked the children where their mother was, he was told, 'She's
sick in bed and can't see anybody.' That went on until we finally
sent a doctor out there to find out what was the, trouble with the
women. ne reported that she was as well as anyone. Did you know
that as long as you or a member of your family is sick in bed,
even pretending they are ill, no law under the sun can be enforced
to make them vacate rented property? We only send the bailiff
with a dispossessory warrant, as a last resort.
"My sister-in-law said to me one day, 'Id, there's a
family in one of my houses that I haven't heard from in some time.
Will you find out what's the trouble?' I auvested that perhaps
she had better go herself and investigate. She found that family
in an awful condition. The man was drinking up everything he made
and letting his family suffer. My sister-in-law went to the stores
and bought what food and clothing they needed and carried it beak
to that poor woman and her children. This went on for a year
providing not only the rent, but their food and clothing as well.
Finally we did succeed in getting them out, but before they moved
that man had the audacity to ask me to let them move in another of
our houses that was vacant at the time. 'Not a chance in the world,'
Page 21.
I told his, 'What do you take me for?'
"Don't think for a minute that all our tenants are
like the ones I have pietured to you. They are not by any means.
The renting game is like a mincemeat pie," he said with a twinkle in
his eye, "for it's either good or bad. We complain about our piece
of bad pie, but there's really not enough said about the good ones
who pay their rent promptly and don't complain about this or that
all the time. A professor and his family lived in one of our
houses for 18 months before I ever saw him or contacted his in
any way, except that as regular as the second day of the month came
around, his check came to us through the malls. Miss Annie had
rented to him and that accounts for why I had not met his sooner.
"We make it a point never to rent to undesirable people
if we can help it. We investigate the character of the prospective
tenant before the lease is signed, but even then we gat bit some
times. In Ins of our apartments last year there was a person whose
uncle was awfully attentive to her. We were suspicious of the two
without a definite reason, so when this woman decided to move be-
fore the lease expired, we were delighted to see them go pleasantly
and without hard feelings.
"Now, please don't minunderstand us. We are not as hard
boiled as some of these things I've been telling you might picture
us. We help our tenants just as much as we can, but after all, we
didn't go into this game just because we love it. The business of
renting was thrust upon us. We couldn't get an agent to look after
Page 22.
it to suit us, so we decided to take it in charge ourselves.
There's not enogb volume in our rents to warrant maintaining en
office downtown end to hire a secretary to do the typing and book-
keeping, so we do the work ourselves right here in our awn dining
room at home.
"To help me with the repairs, we employ e man the year
around who is a pretty good carpenter, plumber, and electrician.
I do a good deal of my electric work. The only reason I hire any
of that done is that when I was a young men I fill from a building
I was repairing and broke my leg just above the ankle, and since
then I've had lots of trouble with that limb. Sometimes I'm in bed
for 6 weeks at a time as a result of that tall.
"There is one of the downtown buildings in Which I own
one -fifth interest, that has been involved in five lawsuits that I'
have brought in order to try to clear the titles, and they are not
cleared yet.
"Yes, indeed, we rent to lots of mighty fine people and
Mies Amnia and I enjoy having every one of them. We are proud of
having that class of tenants.
"In conclusion let me say that as to renting property; we
live with it, eat with it (at this very dining table), and we sleep
and dream about it. We sleep 4 hours and work with our property the
other 20 in 'most every day. That's the life of people who rent
real estate."