Document text
Mr. G. O. Dunnell Hay. Grain
and Feed Man
paper 13
STATE MASSACHUSETTS
NAME OF WORKER ROBERT WILDER
ADDRESS NORTHFIELD, MASSALliubETTS
SUBJECT LIVING LORE
DATE OF INTERVIEW June 19, 1939
NAME OF INFORMANT G. 0. DUNNELL
ADDRESS NORTHFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
Name: Robert Wilder Assignment: Northfield
Title: Living Lore Topic: G. 0. Dunnell Halr,
Grain and Feed Man
Paper 13
"Young people these days ain't what they used ter be," said
Mr. Dunnell, dealing himself a hand of his favorite solitaire from
a worn pack of grimy cards. "When I was young we used to walk. We'd
think nothing of an eight or ten mile walk. Although, if we were
going that far we generally managed to get hold of a horse. But for
walking up the street, and walking down the street, or over to the post
office, we never asked anybody to drive us. Even if a team was all
hitched up and waiting we wouldn't take it. It would have been right
in the way, and might have interfered with what we'd want to do after
we got to the place. I'm not sure but the reason we have so many
corner loafers and drug store cowboys is on account of the damned
automobiles. Young people like to go places and do things. If they
are allowed to drive an automobile, why those that haven't any car
envy them. They think the young person with the automobile could
drive to San Francisco if he wanted to. They forget that his old man
buys the gas and keeps a good check up on what's used. That the young
feller ain't got no money of his own. And that the drug store is about
as far as he dare go. And that about all the fun he gets out of life
is standing on the drug store steps, and making believe to a bunch of
other fellers in the same fix as himself, that he's been everywhere
and seen everything, so that he don't feel like driving no more. Once
in a while he hooks somebody that ain't got a car to put up money for
Name: Robert Wilder
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: G. 0. Dunnell Hay,
Grain and Feed Man
Paper 13
the gas and oil. But the chances are that the feller paying wants
to go to a liquor place where he can dhow off to the feller with the
automobile. By himself, or with the friends he'd have if none of their
fathershad automobiles, he'd never go near a liquor place. He'd rather
have a nice cream sody, or some candy. But just because he ain't never
been taught to use his legs to get places and I don't suppose it does
any good for any one family to try to fix it he ends up in a booze
joint. The young feller that ain't got a car hqs Er tough time, too.
He hears the crowd talking about how sick they are of driving around.
He ain't never been nowhere. But like all young fellers he's managed
to learn how to drive a car. Not being anything but a kid, he listens
to the talk, and next thing you know, he's 'borrered' somebody's car.
"I ain't got no use for 'Goopt Sauter. He's got a nice mother
that he's meaner than dirt to at times. But I don't see how he got into
jail. And where his car stealing habit come from. 'Course, there must
be something wrong in his top story, or he never would leave cars that
he's stole where he does. They point right towards him. I guess,
though, it's got so that no body could have a car stole 'round this
section without 'Goop' getting the blame for it. They've guessed right
too many times now. But he never tries to sell the cars. He never
hurts 'em none. He just takes 'em for the ride. Last thing he did
that I heard of, he took a dump truck from Morgan's garage and w4nt
-3
Name: Rbbert Wilder
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: G. 0. Dunnell Hay,
Grain and Feed Man
Paper 13
over to the Hollywood and made whoopee. He got it back all right
without the Morgans missing it. But the State cops asked the garage
what they were doing running one of their dump trucks like hell, about
two o'clock in the morning 'way over in Bernardston. Mike Morgan
said 't wasn't any of his trucks. The cops said it had his number on
it. Mike knew that the truck had been filled with gas, so he checked
up, ana they was only about two gallons left, so he guessed it might
have been his truck after all. He found out that 1Goop' had been seen
at the Hollywood and put two and two together. He told the cops that
if they saw any more of his trucks anywhere to stop 'em. And that if
'Goop' was driving to pinch him. That he'd never give him any permission
to drive, 'cause he knew he didn't have a license. And that he'd tell
who ever was driving his trucks before they started out not to die of
heart failure if a cop stopped 'em, but to give the cop their names
peaceable and answer any other questions the officer wanted to know.
"Ever hear about our Sheriff Darby losing his car? Stole
right in front of the Court House? That was a number of years ago now.
Darby ain't here no more. He used to be the station agent. And he
was appointed Deputy Sheriff about the time he become head of the
Masons here. ne had some out of town visitors and a brand new car.
He thought it would be a good way to entertain them to show 'em the
new court house. It was summer time then, so he had his wife put 'em
Name: Robert Wilder
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: G. 0. Dunnell Hay,
Grain and Feed Man
paver 13
up a picnic lunch. And they drove to Greenfield him, 'his wife,
and the visitors give the Darbys a chance to show off their new
car, too. They parked in front of the court house and went inside.
When they come out the car was gone. Him and his new badge and his
wife, visitors and everybody was left on the sidewalk!
"That wasn't quite the worst of it, either. The lunch was gone.
And so was Darby's straw hat. Not to mention a collection of tools,
like handcuffs and blackjacks and pistols sort of tools of the trade
that Darby had. The fellers used to say that Darby would never be able
to arrest anybody. That before he had time to make up his mind which
tool to use that he'd be knocked cold. But the whole tool kit went
with the car. And all Darby had left was his bare hands and his bare
head.
"He thought he seen a car that looked like his turning from
Main Street into High. So he run out into the street, and 'most scared
a man to death by jumping on to the running board of his car and telling
him to get going. He explained matters somehow and the feller did his
best. But as all he had was a model T Ford, he wan't no match for the
feller in Darby's car if it was Darby's. So Darby dropped off at the
Weldon and 'phoned ahead. He notifiedeverybody clear to Boston, But
it didn't do no good. His car was gone. But I guess the state police
don't pay much attention to what a feller says. They ain't much love
Name: Robert Wilder
Title: LiViUR Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: G. 0. Dunnell HAY,
Grain and Feed Man
p s2 13
lost between the state police and the sheriff's office. But the state
police got hold of the facts; number of the car, engine number and that
stuff, and broadcast it, or sent it to other state forces. Well sir,
they found Darby's car 'way out in Kansas City or Ioway, or somewhere
'way off. And they got the feller that stole the car, too. He lived
in Turners Falls. And Darby went out and got 'em. But that was about
the last of Darby's public appearances around here. He's moved out of
the state. Even the papers made fun. 'Be Brazen Thief, You stole the
Sheriff's Car' was one of 'em. That wasaheadline.
"There used to be trouble enough in the old days with fellers
stealing horses. They'd steal 'em and dye 'em and fix 'em up so that
the owner wouldn't know 'em. Then they'd sell 'am somewheres. But if
a feller wanted to gin a horse away he'd had no trouble. That is, if
he could find anybody to take it. But it seems that you can't even give
an automobile away unless you go to a lot of trouble. Not even if they's
someone that wants it.
"Take Davis up here. I don't know as I got the facts just straight.
But I got 'em near enough to show what I mean. Davis hired a feller who
come along looking for work. The man had a car. The feller needed
clothes and he needed this and that. He couldn't register the car when
the time come, so he sold Davis the car, and Davis registered it. That
was all right. That was legal. But the feller got a job somewheres
else for more money, or something Davis was left with a car he didn't
Name: Robert Wilder
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: G. 0.
Grain
an.
Paper 13
ell,- Hay,
Peed Ma;
want. But he used it some and let his new hired man drive it. The
feller wanted to buy it. But Davis said no, 't wan't worth selling,
that the man could have it. The car hadn't been registered for several
years. Davis had only used it to drive around his place, on his own
land, and figured that if the hired man registered it that was about
all the man was financially able to do. Well, when the hired man got
to circulating around in,the old bus, he found another job. And it
didn't seem right to him to take the car Davis give' him, so he wouldn't
take it. He said that when Davis give it to him he must have figured
on him doing an errand now and then. And as he was going where he
couldn't do no errands for Davis thatt he insisted that Davis take back the
car. And that he appreciated what Davis had done for him.
"Well, Davis had the car back. But he didn't want it. The
hired man that come to take the other feller 'a place asked him what
he wanted for it. Davis didn't know the feller. He hadn't shown whether
he was any good or not, and they wasn't any reason why Davis should
give him the car. So he dickered with him, and afterawhile they closed
the deal for seventeen dollars, and the feller paid six dollars down.
That is, it was agreed to take the six dollars out of the feller's wages.
At the end of the week the hired man allowed as how he'd take the car
and drive over and see his folks that lived up in Halifax, Vermont.
That was all right with Davis. A hired man has to have some time off
Name: Robert Wilder
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: G. Q. Dunnell Hay,
Grain and Feed Man
Parer 13
now and then. But the feller didn't come back. Davis smelled
around and found that he was working up in a lumber camp on Stratton
Mountain. So he got himself a new hired man. I don't think he ever
give a thought to the car.
"But it seems that the feller who bought the car had his
troubles. He was on a back road somewheres when the clutch give
out. He couldn't do a thing with it. So he takes off tlie license
plates and pushes the thing off into the brush and leaves it. They
wan't anything else he could do. He didn't have the price of repairs
and couldn't get trusted, for he didn't know nobody, and the thing
probably wan't worth repairing anyway. He thought he'd done all right.
But the farmer on whose land he'd pushed the car didn't think so.
He didn't know who'd left the car. But he claimed it wan't no way
to get rid of old automobiles to push 'em on to his land. That
he wan't in the junk business. And that the thing should be removed.
He called in the state cops. They found the engine number, of course,
and traced the thing back as belonging to the man who used to work for
Davis. They spent considerable of the tax payers' money looking for
him. Finally, they found his. But he said he didn't know nothing
about it, that he'd given the car back to Davis. The cops chased
over to Davis's. And he said, 'Yes', the feller had given the car
back to him. But that he had sold it to this other feller who'd
Name: Robert Wilder
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: G. O. Dunnell Hay,
Grain and Feed Man
Paper 13
skipped out owing him. Davis give 'em the feller's name. But I
don't think he told 'em where to find him. He didn't want to get
the feller into no trouble. He wouldn't lodge no complaint of stealing.
Said he was glad to be shut of the car. But the state police detective
force is pretty good. I don't know as they used bloodhounds, but they
did use a bit more of the taxpayers' money. And by sticking close to
their knitting and keeping up a relentless under cover man hunt, they
finally located this poor cuss.
"The feller said he was the man all right, and give 'em the
plates he'd taken off the machine. He told 'em all about it. He
thought he'd done all r ight. But with those plates the fat was in
the fire. The cops pinched him. And then they come and pinched Davis.
"You see, when the hired man give the car back to Davis, that
time, the hired man's plates was on it. He didn't have no car so he left
'em on. Davis had no use for the car so he didn't bother the plates.
And he never thought about 'em when he dickered with the hired man that
was now in trouble with him. He wa'an't going to let the man get
himself no plates 'til he'd paid for the car. And he thought, if
anything, that when he was given the car he was given the feller's
rights in the plates. He didn't think it important, anyway. No more
than you would if they was a halter on a horse that someone give yer.
Sort of went together, yer see.
-9
Name: Robert Wilder Assignment: Northfield
Title: Living Lore Topic: G. 0. Dunnell *HAY,
Grain and Feed Man
Parer 13
"But the Judge didn't see it that way when they arranged the
two fellers out in court. The Judge fined both of 'em five dollars.
Davis pleaded guilty to allowing the feller to operate the car 'cause
he did let him. And the feller pleaded guilty to operating it. Davis
could pay his fine. But the feller couldn't, so the Judge give him a
chance to go to jail for thirty days. Davis butted in and said he'd
pay the feller's fine if the feller would cow and work for him. The
feller was glad to. And everything come out all rights The feller
is working there yet, I guess. Thinks the world of Davis.
"But you see what I mean? A feller could give a horse away
easy. But Davis had to work like hell to give an automobile away.
And when he thought he had, he gets pinched and fined for it. I tell
yer, the damned automobiles complicates things all up. Fixes it so
a man can'5:p even be open handed and kind to folks. And, as for the
young people, it's fixing 'em so they can't walk, and I vum, I expect
to live to see the day when babies is born with no legs at all, but
wheels where their legs is supposed to be It'll happen, too, unless
something is done about it.//