Document text
WA14T 1%) AAA a PAC.
14pressiou Victim story
Research by: Mrs. Ada Radford
Augusta
adited by: Mrs. A.eila h. harris
Suporvising Satter
Georgia Writers' Project
Area 7
Wm JO*
"hell, yes' i did everytning %nese was to do on a farm from
plowing to building fences. The whole damn burden of ths place
was on my older sister and myself.
"We bore it as long as we could and after a great deal of per-
suasion my fattier agreed to sell the plaee and move to Augusta.
This was in 1806 and in a very short time I got a job at the
Augusta Steam Laundry. I stayed there until my marriage two
years later.
"We set up Aousekeoping and I thought all my troubles were
over. My husband was a fine cabinet maker and his salary was a
small fortune to what I had made. I soon Llamado however, that
life was an *p -hill *limb in which you talcs X steps up and rail
back one.
"My husband was working for the Augusta Lumber Company at the
time of our marriage and two years later he was offered a better
job at Valdosta, Georgia.
"Well, we moved and stayed tiler* only one year when he doeid-
ed to try out a job at 6taunton, Georgia. One month or that was
quite enough. We went bacr; to lialdosta, %non we moved to Griffin,
and in two more years we moved to Atlanta.
"I thought than that we wore settled for life but the damn
bug bit him again."
"What bug, ars. Aciarman't" 1 *axed, when I could stop laughing.
"The moving bug, and we were off like a shot for Gadsden,
Alabama. One year tnere and bac& to Atlanta. In another 16
-4
months we hit the road again, this time for Tampa, iloride. In 6
months it was Mobile, Alabama, then aiontgomery, back to iltlanta,
thou Montgomery again.
"By this time I had enough of that damn moving and I told my
husband, 'f you want to move it's all right by me, but I'm stay-
ing in kAontgomery and going in business.' That was in 191G.
"Thou I rented a small store for 417.b0 a month, bought a 16
pound iron, and hired a boy, who had a bicyols, to °all for and
deliver the garments. I ran an advertisement in the newspaper
and opened for businoss."
"bid you dry °loan the garments'?" 1 asked ouriouely.
"Oh, not I scrubbed and spotted them."
"And you did the work yoursolf?"
"Hell, yesi Who else do you think would do it? I had to get
started, but it wasn't long before I hired 2 men to work in the
plant, and I solicited business.
"Tragedy had stalked into our lives quite sometime befors this.
Two years after I was married I dovelopod cancer in some of my
female organs. AU operation was compulsory and they were all re-
moved. This brought *bout a hignly nervous condition and my husband
and i aad anything but a happy life together. I nave been told that
he told others, I was hell to live with.
"Many were the rumors of other women that same to me. on one
occasion I learned that he was going with a woman, *Am he met in
Allen Park. i went to my lawyer ano asked him what 1 must do about
it.
"'Why not give him a good scars,' he told me. 'It might help
a lot.'
"Jo I loaded my pistol with blank cartridges and hid in the
park. My mind was fully made up that when I saw them together
I'd fire away.
"1 did just that, never dreaming that it would create enough
publicity to get in the papers. It was funny, though, the way
the papers printed it. They stated that when i shot, the two of
them ran and up until the time the paper went to press they were
still running.
"that it didn't stop him. de was from one woman to another,
until he met the one in whose house he finally died.
"Le picked her up out of the gutter, her and her children, put
her in a house an lived outritiht with her.
"I made hila leave boas and he threatened my life. For the
last b years of his life I lived in constant dread of him.
"And now to get beak to the newly established business at
Montgomery. My husband became interested when it began to look
as if i might make a go of it. Lie gave up his job and came to
work with me. We really did a good business and were able to save
quite a bit of money.
"in
1912 1 bought the first steam press machine to be used in
Lontgomery ano when we moved to Augusta it was also the first to
be used here. That was in 1913."
$1,ily did you leave Montgomertt" I asiced. "Whioh of you was
bitten by the moving bug this time?"
*Well, this tilts it was I who wanted to nave. My mother and
sister were here and after all this was home. After a year of
business on Aighth Street near Greens, we moved to the corner
and were there for 25 years.
"No, ours wasn't the first try *leaning plant in Augusta.
Stark had a plant which bore the name: 'Stark, Tim Cleanser.,
We were known as 'Augusta French Dry Cleaning Company.' Business
was very good in Augusta. Our first small cleaning plant was
looated on lower kenwick Jtreet and the pressing was done in the
office.
"This Aethod was very unsatisfaotory, for the steam and duet
made the office very untidy. I had a oomplete MADAUll picture of
the kiAQ 01 a place 1 wanted and I began to look about for a lot.
Joan I found this pleas. I have a lot 100 A 150 feet and a plant
fully equipped for dry cleaning, rug cleaning, and dyeing. Al/
of this was bought in 1921 at a cost of #24,000.
"We built a #7,000 home on nickman toad. It was MCA easier
then to meet the heavy psyments on the equipment and the name,
than it is to nowt a note for 0.0u.u0 oue nt the bank todAy.
"I never new so much money as poured into our place trawl.
I had 5 girls and 2 men tt, wait on the trade. It took all of them
for every garment had to be folded and I can tell you, that took a
lot of time.
-7
"Whoever invented the hanger and bags was a life savor for
cleaners, financially, as well as from a timm-saving standpoint.
"I worked 2 tailors ballades lb other man at tho plant. My
business averaged 4130.00 a day and ay income tax was fairly
heavy.
"Our first dry cleaning was done with gasoline. It would
hold up to 66p for time but after it was distilled the strength
would decrease and it could only be used a few tines. Then some-
one discovered a fluid oallod solvent that could be bought for 14
cants a gallon. This fluid oloaned much better and could bo used
many tiMas. It cams muoll cheaper when bought in largar quantities.
"Than came the dopressiont At first I thought it was 'just ono
of these things' and that it Vould soon pass. I figured that after
a row months of roadjustmosat business would be normal again. Well
I thought wrong, all wrong.
"For awhile my business was fair, but it wasn't long before I had
a plenty to worry about. i had to start letting my help go and each
week brought a out. Finally, there was only one girl and mycelf in
the of floe.
"My husband was running the plant with only 3 men. About this
time the other local *loaners got panicky and began to out prices
in order to inorease their business. One of then opened a Cash and
Carry. I got a large beach umbrella and placed a boy on the curb
to catch the cars as they cams clown Greene 3trost. In this way my
patrons were offered an extra servico. They didn't even hay, to get
-8.
out or their oars.
"I tell you it was one hell of a fight to make a dollar. Then
the bottom fell oompletely out. It seemed to as that nobody was
having any cleaning done. I began to look around for a reason and
found that the majority of women were wearing eotton dresses and
were weaning them.
"I had to have money from somewhere to stay in business. I
just eouldn't close and less everything. There was nothing left
for ma to do but to mortgage my home. Bat let se tell you, don't
you ever do that, it is much better to sell it ouiright. That
damn mortgage nes really kept as awake nights. Almost every night
see #35Q0 and interest, in my sleep. NOt don't mortgage any-
tning. :live it away, if necessary, for your peace of mind.
At one time I bad b trucks and a nice Buick oar for my own
use. Now, I have a pie., of a truck and I think the damn thing
will have to be junked. The garage awl just Galled and said he
would overhaul the motor for s00.00, and fix the wheels for
4410,U0 or 420.0U. Bu.t.the body will still look like hell."
"tow is your business now?" I asked. "Are you beginning to
feel the recovery that has come to so many?"
"Well, I can't complain. There aas been a steady Lamm in
my business for sometime now. tor the first time in years I have
been able to pay all operating expenses and have even been able
to take up some of the back debts, and my taxes that were two
years behind.
"I'm workin6 hard to get my business back OA.* paying basis.
Then I'm going to sell out, pay oft my mortgage, and make my
home into 4 apartments.
"1 am planning to live in one of them and rent the other
three. As you know I don't have chick nor *laid to leave any-
thing to. i'm alone in the world and I want to get out of this
struggle and die in peace*
"Living too high and having too mush money to spend was the
cause of the depression. ijeople didn't realize that a pay day
was ooming. I, even, expected business to make a quick come-
back after a very short recession. if I hadn't 1 would have
been better prepared to meet the crisis.
"What is my opinion of woman in business" Stie asked sharp-
ly.
"Why, they make much better managers than men* They are much
mere observant. Men look out tor the dollars and woman take eare
of the dimes. In other words men are to confident and never find
the leak until the well runs dry.
"Roosevelt la the only president we have Aad for many years
that tried to do anything for the people of our country* Some of
the things he tried failed, but at least he tried. All this criti-
cism about the WA was not brought about by his ideas or is it his
fault.
"ijolitics is responsible for most or it, for much of the money
has found its way into the pockets of the politician and the so-
called higher ups. lost or tfle poor devils who needoo it, 114110Q it
still.
"And to go book to my husband and as again. he was on the
receiving end at the plant and L stayed downtown at the office.
he kept all he took in and 1 had to meet all operating expenses.
"And this woman that he nauled up out of tit* gutter% Do you
know is bought her an automobile, sent her children to school,
and she had 46000 in a safety deposit box at the bank. No wonder
I couldn't take up the mortgage on my APAO.
"Nat long before my nusoand died she had some dental work
done and he stood good for the bill.
wNben he 4iod d very short time later, the dentist sent his
bill to the ifrenon Dry (;ishing t;ompany.
"Weil, I took the bill and walked into ais office and told
him that the %;ompany didn't owe him anything. Is said: 'I'll
put the natter in the hands of an attoruoy.'
"AsI flounced out of the office I threw back at him;
"'To hell with you if you haven't any better sense tudn to
do work for a damned crook, you juat try to collect it.'"