Document text
Forms to be Filled out for Each Interview FOLKLORE
ITS YORK
FORE A
Circumstances of Interview
STATE New York
NAM] OF WORKER Frank Byrd
ADDRESS 224 IL 135th Street, N.Y.C.
DATE March 22, 1939
SUBJECT Pullman Porters' Stories
1. Date and tit _ _nterview March 20, 1939 2:30 P.M.
2. Place of interview Smalls Paradise
135th Street 7th Avenue
New York City
3. Name and address of informant Leroy Spriggs
200 W. 135th Street
New York City
4. Name and address of person, if any, wlio put you in
touch with informant.
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
5. Name and address of person, if any, acoompanyinL you
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
Bar
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms, each
bearing the proper heading and the number to which the material refers.)
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
STATE New York
NE OF WOMNER Frank Byrd
ADDRESS 224 W. 135th Street, N.Y.C.
DATE March 22, 1939
SUBJECT Pullman Porters' Stories
FATSO'S MISTAWE
"Set up another one, Mike, then I've got to go." Leroy said.
"I'm late."
Mike came doun from the other end of the bar, refilled the
two glasses and went on with his crossword puzzle. Leroy began
where he left off.
"I walked into this guy Fatso's place to collect the nickels
from the machine. That was while I was working for the Gabel Music
people, the year before I got this porter's job. There sat Fatso
playing Tonic with Pretty Boy Matthews. You know Matthews, the
plain clothes cop who works out of the thirsty second precinct?
A
Well, I been knowing him long before he ever thought of being a
cop; we were kids together back in the old days in thirty-fourth
A
street. Matthews had done me a lot of favors too. So, in a way,
it ain't up to me to tell Fatso that he's playing Tonic with a cop
who's dressed up like one of the truck drivers or longshoremen
who hang out in his place. 'Cause if I hip him, Matthews will
know I'm responsible and it won't help me none in my racket, see?
Still, Fatso is a,good customer of mine and I often take twenty-
five or thirty dollars out of his machine in a week. So, I'm in
the middle. 'Course I hates to see this guy Fatso go to jail seeing
as how he's just getting started in his new joint; I figures it
would be a shame to see him fold up without giving the place a
chance.
"Well, I fumble around with the machine for awhile, count my
change and start over to Eatso with the reciept. Then I get the
idea of writing a note on the back of the reciept which Fatso has
to siiriy. So I :uiokly scribbles;
"I think the guy you're Tonking with is a cop. Don't sell
him no drink."
Then I hands to Fatso to sign. He sees my note and says
kinda salty -like:
11t/
"Don't you think I know how to run Xy business, ol, man?"
"That's all I need to hear. I grabs up the reciept, hustles
back to the machine and gets ready to get outs there as fast as
I can when Matthews says:
"Well, Big Boy, I'm broke. Gue'ss I'll be going."
"Aw don't go man," Fatso pleads. "Stick around and get even.
I'll give you a deuce on that fine watch you're we-rin. We can
play one hand for that an' if you wins, that'll put you even."
"O.K." "atthews agrees, taking off his watch. They he plays
the hand and Fatso beats him again.
"Looks like I can't have any luck." Matthews observes. Give
me a drink and I'll go get a new bankroll. How much is it, a
quarter?"
"Yeah, if you want a double." Fats() tells him.
"All right, lame have it. I got just a quarter left."
Fatso brings out the drink but it's easy to see that he don't
believe Matthews story about having more dough.
"Well, pal," he says, "I always collects in front. You don't
mind, do you?"
-U
"No, I don't mind." Matthews says, reaching into his pocket.
"Will it be all right if I pay you with this?"
Be pulls out his police badge and throws it on the table. Fatso
takes one look at it, measures the distance from where he stands to
the window but just as he's about to try for it, Matthews reaches
o-,er and slaps the cuffs on him. Not until then does Fatso realize
his mistake.