Document text
Paper 2
STATE MASSACHUSETTS
NAME OF WORKER ROBERT WILDER
ADDRESS NORTHFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
DATE June 12, 1939
SUBJECT LIVING LORE,
NAME OF INFORMANT MR. MANKOWSKI
ADDRESS NORTHFIELD, MASSACmubETTS
Name Robert iilder
Title Living Lere
Paper 2
Assignment Northfield
Topic Mr. Mankowski
It". Mankowski settled down against the showcase in the cool
interior of the "Red Front" for a little chatting. Mr. Mankawski
doesn't usually "chat" easily or without reason, but this morning
he seemed in a cheerful mood as I hailed him.weibik•
"When a come from old country to Sunderland a hove job with old
Yankee. He look something lak Oncle Sam. Have whiskers on chin, only
he fat not think lak Oncle Sam. He honest and square. He show me
how dey do tinge in this country. A learn to read English and b'm bye
I get to be American citizen. A have good education, anyway, in old
country. A lak to read history, so a get to be American citizen easy
'nuff. A read history now. A get books written in Polish. A get 'em
from Library. They get 'em from Boston, or some place. Dey doan have
no Polish history books here.
"A tell my children to never mind if I don't speak English so
good. They speak it all right. And you can't tell my children from
Yankee boys and girls. You bet you can't. But if you think you can,
wait for my grandchildren to grow up. You can't tell them. It is more
important to understand da country den to speak da language good. Ant
to know if da country is doin4 right you gotta know what da world is
doing. Ef a could fin' out what God is doing an' *Linking, a could know
wedder da world was right or not. But dere ain't no history books
written about what He did certain time and place and how everything
turned out. Yes, a heard about Bible. But dat don't tell you whether
Name Robert Robert Wilder
Title Living Lore
Paper 2
Assignment Northfield,
Topic Mr. Mankowskt
Communist right or wrong does it? Not right out good and plain so
you can't make mistake? You got ter do your own thinkin'.
wWoll, when I live with old Yankee a learn how Yankee people
look at thing. He treat me fine. All other old Yankee treat me fine.
You know Mister Whitmore? He dead now. He old Yankee. He mak da
joke. Joke never mean jus' fanny. He easy for Polish feller to
onderstan'. He talk so slow. He mos' as wide as he is high. Not
very big. But good farmer. Had big farm by river. Had old house
some great-granfather builded. Big place in shade of old elums.
Had ferry, too, to take team and people 'cross river. And waterfall
by house dat ran mill. Waterfall it make nice sound to sing you
to sleep. I work for him, too. Odder old Yankee fellers don't think
much of him, 'cause he Baptist, someting funny about Yankee feller
who is Baptist or Methodist, or anything but Congregational Mho'
a been someting wrong somewhere in family, or would still be Congre-
gational. All was once, you know. A read about it in history.
"But he teach me same ting as odder Yankee feller; mus' be
honest an' square. So I ondarstan' him. An' tink I onnerstan' all
Yankee.
"He need fellers to help him raise tobacco. All Yankee need
feller to help. So I write and get feller to come. Tell 'am what
nice place Sunderland is. And how good Yankee fellers are. Hah!
.3- Paper a
Name Robert Wilder Assignment Northfield
Title Living Lore Topic Mr. Mankowski,
"A jus' remember how odder Yankees try to mak da fun of Mister
Whitmore. How him Baptist. No smoke, no chew, no nothin', don't believe
in it. Think it dirty habit, yet he mak' da money by grow' tobacco. Dey
ask him if it right. He say, 'You mean is it right to -raise
two back oh and not use it my self? Let me see....
I raise grass too.... Cut it and dry it.... But I don't
eat any of it myself.... Do you honestly think that
that is wrong too? Da an-i-mals seem to like it and
if they want it why should not a so-pply them with it?'
Odder Yankees don't know what to say. Mister Whitmore always like dat.
Always tell story; mak' da joke. He fine man. I like him.
"Well, a get lotta Polish feller to come Sunderland. Dey can't
talk English. Cann read English. But I tell 'em never mind. Sunderland
Yankee fine people. All square. All honest. A b'lieve it, too, Dey
look out for Polish feller what doan know Ehglish, like he blind, or lose
arm, leg, or someting. A tink dis find country, jus' lak da Communits
try to mak' Russia.
"People here mak' me laugh. They tink Communists goin' try
overtrow United States government. They can't understand that Russia don't
care what kind of government we got, but dey doan lak our idea to make
big men out of meanest people. If you get money you are big people. But
you can't get lotta money without cheat, or steal, or be mean. Don't care
what happen to odder people if mak' money 'self. Communist say dat's all
Name Robert Wilder
Title Living Lore
Paper 2
Assignment Northfield
Topic Mr. Mankowski
wrong to let selfish people be da big people. Want to have revolution
all over world to fix dat. Say church backs 'am up so get money. Goin'
to do 'way with church. Goin' to do 'way with eveythin' that bakks
selfish people up. Not dat day care what happen in odder counties.
But can't make Russia Communist if selfish people in odder countties
butt in.
*Selfish people all on top in this country with Coolidge, and
Harding and Hoover. But when Roosevelt elected they say revolution
come in this country, an' dey don't need spend more money here. They
like what Roosevelt done. Trying to do same thing in Russia but selfidh
people all over don't like idea of people running country for themselves.
No sense in having revolution here unless selfish people get on top.
Don't vote next time. Democracy no good. Use bullet. Kill dem selfish
people: Burn dere houses, bomb dere office. Dey got chance now to do
as Bible says; be kind, generous and help odder feller wedder they get
pay or not. If can't see it, noddin' do but shoot:
*Well, a tink Sundtrland jus' lak Communist Itussia try to be.
But one day a feller borned there come back from West. He'd been
cowboy and everything. He's been stay 'round some time. Run old farm
for mutter good farm house right on Sunderland street then he
marry fine girl. Why she marry with him I doan know. But a doan know
him then eider.
"One aay a Polish feller came to me. Say that this Yankee
feller goin' to buy crop from feller I get to come to Sunderland. 'Dmt's
Paper 2
Name Robert Wilder
Title Living Lore
Assignment Northfield
Topic Re. Mankowski
fonny,' I say, 'He doan told me notting about it. Is it dat die
Yankee feller speak Polish?' No,' says feller, 'But a is interpreter.
And I come told you right away.' 'How he pay, a wanta know.'
He say he goin' pay three hundred fifty dollar. But I say, 'Crop wort'
more. Wort' maybe five hundred eight hundred dollar.' I know,'
say feller. 'Dat's why I told you.' I go see Polish feller who goin'
sell crop. He feel bad crop wort' no more $oney. I fin' out die
Yankee feller been buy lotta crop all over from Polish people. They
can't read, don't know English. Have trust Yankee, and Yankee pay cash
for crop. But times mus' be bad for price of crop so low. I know
times all right. Get good price for onion myself. An' I see what Yankee
do.He lie to RLish people an' cheat 'em. But I doan understan' Yankee
doing that.
"I say, 'When Yankee feller going bring money?' This afternoon,'
he say. 'Well,' I say, 'You told him dat you already sell crop to me.
I pay you eight hundred dollar.' Then, I thihk, I say, 'He didn't
pay you any money did he? He say, 'No, but wanted him sign paper.
Interpreter tell him wait for money before sigh.' 'All right,' I say,
'You do lak a told you!'
The Yankee come see me quick. He mad, an' wantta know what
I mean butt in on hees business. I wantta know what he mean goin' a
cheat Polish feller. An' we hov' beeg fight wit' mouf. He say he goin'
Name Robert gilder
Title Living Lore
121122.1-1.
Assignment Northfield
Topic Mr. Mankowski
sue Polish feller for breach of contract. I tell him go 'head and
sue if wantta. Dat die is a free country.
"Those word, 'free country, mak' more trouble for foreign people
than anything else. They b'lieve this is free country and they can do
what they want. Doan understand 'bout law. Can walk where want to.
Get drunk if want to. Do anything want to dat's 'free dountry.'
"Well, the Yankee feller sue. An' I go court and tell Judge
what hoppen. An' Judge gay' dat Yankee feller hail; 'eases him costs
and everything, but give him nottin' only hail. Be no good and
disgrace to all Yankee. A fine for help out poor neighbor for nottin'.
"But Judge, he doan know everything. I sell neighbors' crop
for eight hundred fifty dollar. A pay him eight hundred dollar, so a
mak' fifty dollar for trouble, for know how watch market, how read
English. Den, this polish feller owe me three hundred dollar. So I
keep that. That mak' three hundred fifty dollar I get. A pay Polish
feller five hundred dollar. That hundred and fifty more than he get
from Yankee. But, if he sold crop to Yankee a would lost money on loan.
So I not so fine man as judge tink. A no do good to friend formatting.
"A do someting else, too. A told all Polish feller not to
sell to that Yankee. I tell buyer watch sharp what that Yankee
try sell, and tell why. A tink a break dat Yankee. One time a fine
out he wort forty, forty five thousand dollar. Now, they tell me, he
ain't got notting.
-7
Paper 2
Name Robert Wilder Asdgnment Northfield
Title Living Lore Topic Mr. Mankowski
"Woll, dat's da kind of revolution Communist Eussia was trying
get in United States. Gang up on mean fellers. Bust 'ems
"No, I ain't Communist. I Democrat. A hear lotta talk 'bout,
'Merican way of Life' on radio. 'Merican way of life was gang up on
Indian.
No holt' Indian to gang up on no more, so why not gang up on
mean feller? Why they call yOu Red, or Communist for do dat?
"Shall I told you a story? You doan hov' to b'lieve it if doan
want to. It's why Polish feller mak' so much whisky from what's done leave
in silo when ensilage all gone. Dey mak' it to keep crow from corn field.
How dat done? Well, I told you. When crow bodder you by dig up corn.
Tak' plenty corn an' soak it in whisky. Then you plant along wid other
corn. Crow come, eat corn soaked in whisky. Mak' him drunk so he can
no fly straight. He sit on limb and go 'haw, haw.' Odder crow eat, too.
All get drunk, and eyes close and head roll 'round. King bird come mak'
fight. Crows get all peck up.. Odder crows come, down touch corn. They
lick King bird. Go 'haw, haw' at drunk crow, and peck 'em. Nex' day
drunk crow hay' bad headache. Doan like light. Fell 'shame 'cause
get drunk. Dey no touch no more your corn. Odder crow doan touch, neider.
Get good crop. Dat's why Polish man mak' moonshine from lef' over juice
in silo.
"Well, when my old Yankee frien'he move to Northfield I move,
too. We get land togedder here on meadow. He tak' west side, a tak'
east side. And he live in flex' house. You know him? Always bump head?
Name Robert Wilder
Title Living Lore
Paper 2
Assignment Northfield
Topic Mr. Mankowski
'Haw, haw.' He never wear hat. Has bald head. Look see what wrong
under car. Bump head when he get up. Walk under ladder. Bump head.
Go in barn. Board fall off hay. Bump head. He doan need hat. Always
has strip of plaster stuck on head where bump. Sometim' two three pieces.
One time go to crank tractor. Bump head on radiator. Engine kick back and
break leg. Dat dam' good ting:
"Why good ting? I told you. While in bed with leg all hitch
up with pulley, Speer get shot. Nobody know who done it. They shoot him
through window with shot gun, you know. Kill him dead one night in study.
Cop come. Lotta cops come. CCC come. Everybody come. All look for gun.
Can't find gun. Mus' find gun to say who shot. Can't find. Dive in river.
Look everywhere.
"By'm bye, feller who work in hotel hear talk. Go look find
gun. Tell cop 'bout it. But doan say notting. Find it in dump up on
hill near here. Talc' it to Boston. Only got barrel. Can't find stock.
Man in Boston say gun might be one that killed Speer. He find number and
find name of maker. Detectuf work on case; Find maker out of business,
but use be in Hatfield. By'm bye find man who got records. Look up
number and find gun sold to old Yankee frien'. 01' Yankee frien' live
near It. Hermon, where Speer was killed. Gun could hay' done job. Come
to 'rest old Yankee. Find him in bed wit' leg all hung up in pulley.
Been dere for long time. Been dere when Speer was killed. Can prove
Name Robert Wilder
Title Living Lore
Paper 2
Assignment Northfield
Topic Mr. Mankowski
by doctor. Well, maybe somebody stole gun. 'Naw,' say old Yankee,
'Nobody stole gun. Gun got all rust. A broke stock, and threw gun
away two three year ago in dump.' Cop say dey look all over. Gun
wa'n't there when search.. 'A doan know why we spend taxpayer money
on you,' old Yankee say. 'How man goint shoot gun wit' no stock?
You didn't find stock, but now fin' barrel. You go look again. You
find stock. A threw it away wit' barrel, it 'round dump some place,
'less boys found it first.'
"The cop hunt all over try find if old Yankee didn't like
Speer. Can't find notting 'cause ain't notting. Don't b'lieve old
Yankee ever saw Speer to know who he was. Nor none of old Yankee's
friends eiPer. Cops wanta 'rest somebody. But can't 'rest man with
broken leg. If his leg not broke that would be different. So I told
you, old Yankee lucky that leg got broke.
"Woll, come see me again some time. Mebbe I told you more
story. Mr. Mankowkki took up his bundles and trudged out, head
low, massive shoulders bent forward.