Document text
Introduction to STORIES OF AN ALCOHOLIC WORLD MAR VETERAN
by Marion Charles Hatch
It was Sunday afternoon. A cool breeze was blowing from the East River
and the sun was warm. In a parked taxicab opposite a garage on First Ave., the
interviewer talked to Huey and
was not obtainable, was rolled
time to time he awoke and made
his brother. Huey's brother, whose first name
up asleep in the back seat of the cab. From time
interjections. The interviewer sat in the
driver's seat with his typewriter on two iron bars which extended beneath the
meter. Huey sat on the small extra seat in back of the cab. Twenty five
unoccupied cabs were lined up and down the street in front of an unused warehouse.
"You have a room?"
"No address," said Hapyiwaving his hand dramatically.
Both men were probably born in America or came to America when they were very
young. they are of Irish descent but speak clearly and rapidly without any brogge.
Did Huey have a good education?"
"No. We were more interested in fishing in those days." said his brother.
The two brothers have stuck together through life and are now engaged in
drinking themselves to death together.
at -Jai p0A^Q76A.J'
They joined the armyx*ogiii iiig and orke as bell hops in the same hotel. Both
were skilled buglers in the army.
"Don't they say anything to you for sittimg„itl)this eab, sleeping here?"
"No. They're all good sports. If they take out this cab, we'll take the
next one."
Huey is emaciated, red-faced, slight, his clothing not noticeably poor.
His blue eyes gleam slyly out of their red background. His brother's face is
heavier and coarser.
The interviewer paid Hy twenty five cents for the material. The money was
immediately translated into a half pint of reddish whiskey which Huey said he
had to buy to quiet his brother.
[NO TEXT AVAILABLE FOR THIS PAGE]
STATE
Forms to be Filled out for Each Interview
New York
NAME OF WORKER
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
FORM A
Circumstances of Interview
Marion Charles Hatch
862 'First Ave.
Oct. 5,'38
Stories of an alcoholic world war veteran.
1. Date and time of interview
Sunday ar ternoon Oct. 2,'38
2. Place of interview
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
7-0
Parked taxicab of sentinel Cab company Allied system,
across street from arage between 'First Ave. and
3. Name and
rineopiptrat8Th Stre'-'et.
uey Davison.
"You have a room on Second avenue have you no t"I asked.
With a dramatic, d,cisila'e, even proud wave of his hand:
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in "No address" he answered_
touch with informant.
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
Huey's brother whose first name I didn' t get, was rolled
up in the back seat of the cab. He wakened and' made
interjections from time to time. Huey sat on the small,
extra seat in the back of the cab I sat in the drivtr's
seat with my typewri ter on two i fon bars that extended
beneath the meter Huey laughed and talked through
the window opening through which by now some millionaire
may be calling destination instructions. The day was pleasart
with a cool breeze from the east river and a warm sun
above. miso Twenty five unoccupied cabs were lined
up and down the street in front of the blank wall of an
a bandoned or unu sed warehouse.
(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.)
FORV
Pers9nal His tory of Informant
STATE
New York
NAME OF V,ORKER
862 First Ave.
ADDRESS
Oct 5 '38
DATE
Marion Charles Hatch
Stories of an alcoholic world war veteran
SWECT
1. Ancestry
Irish descent but speaks clearly
brogue of any kind
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
qui ckly without
2. Place and date of birth
Probably born in America or came to America very young.
61-141,1
3. Family The information on this page is necessarily sketchy All
New York alcoholics,penniless, engaged in committ,.ng
suicide the slow way are suspicious. When Huey went
away to buy a bottle in the middle of our interview his
4. Places lived in, with dates brother said I could get a certain story
New York and in from him I said I would ask him for
Europe during war. it 7.'hen he returned. "No said his
brother "If you ask for anything he won't
5. Education, with dates answer a word."
"Did Huey have a P.:-.od education" I asked hi brother.
°No. We were mo.e interested in fishing in those days."
Probably not over a common school eAlcation. Made am (etA)
6. Occupations and accomplishments, with dates grammatical errors.
The t':.o brothers have stuck together through life and
are now engaged in drinking themselves to death, together.
7. Special skills and int'e'rests Besides joining the army together
Bo th were they worked as bell hops in ho tels. This
skilled buglers IN S all I c uld get from them without
8. Comm iti-lIntibfeDiSius activities awakening suspicion.
Very affable and ,rood heart& "Don' t they say something
to you for si-. ting in these cabs, sleeping here.""No
No
they're all good sports. If they take out this cab we'll
9. Description of informant t e the next one.
Huey is emaciated red-faced, slight clothing not
noticeably poor. His blue eyes, belieing his woe -begone
10. Other Points gained in interview face gleam out of their red back—
oidosildr..oqiitrhhAyness and devilment.
rougner, coarser
face and heavier figure. One
wondered how such happy, bright
remarks could come out of such
a battered, poisoned head.
See extra. comment.
STATE
New York,
NAVE OF WORKER
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
_ _ _
Marion Charles Hatch,
862 'First Ave.,
Oct. 5, 138
Stories of an alcoholic world war veteran.
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
/44.441. of R-4.4TAL
*now can you just keep your moth shut I If first thing you'll do is give
me the price of a half pint's te ...flit 's a wash out 4111.1r, 1 give
46041% OW.
you the #rice of a half pint dont w orry Now I can' t do 1
your stuff you gotta lit as me the qu.Ctions. How about some
bu tts? Oh that's right you don't smoe That's 3vanhoe one of the
Tif1.44zeigA4
totAghest cigalirelates in the worl‘'Away goes your typelvri ter
if you take a drag out of this Its pipe tobacco but its all
/1
we got
was foa_Ling aroul.d in 1917 working for an express company 4.
.40 we decided to go to the war we were all young fellows.
So we we went into that war game we walked into a certain olace
on 46th et and the doctors one is by the name of O'connell.
*1.4
and the other was nelsaiD so we all walked it in there he said
If
to us how many of you men want to go to can c right awpgd> el
1:=
too..
out of 45 men there 11111116only two that stepped forward
d....4
Doctor now you two step back again so we went to camp upton
ca.*. 4:-.4„, r....:014
_
we do—Frit know what happened to the other gang separated 1.. I
went with an engin4ter to IrarIce my partner to the 77th diviSion
1 at bat tailion he's
kAi't started to hit the camp/in hoboken a gen leman there was
itA he co ny b ber
a bairber in city of e could get away with
O EM\
dTd and I'm here when
it he did n' t have to go to war. So we landed on the hoboken
t.-.
.06
docks when we hit the docks the first thing they said was
4 t
It
throw your pack on the left shoulder p and walk up the gangplank!
this gentleman thought he could beat it by
left shoulder and falling down
we hit camupton
sr
ir pu ting his pack on hiS
this ge-tleman tigiEttametsmaz:ir at this time goes the gang planklts.
he's got .it all framed u p how to beat the draft, so he goes up
gangplank when he gets in the middle of the gangplabk
ttet
he falls down pack ad all bu't they fooled VW three Sailors
4-
ran down the gang to plank and threw him on the ship pack and all
and the the next time I met him was on the British front with
1•••
t'c e greatest barrage they ever had They made h im took in
the outfit to keep dip him back of the lines0 and comini back after the.
armistice all during his timt_n france he was /ritinf to his
--11••:AAAk
sweetheart in. the united states and aft building up his
moustallthe He had one of the most wonderful moustaches he was
trying to beat the kaiser out at that time a nice big black
CiAais^-e-dir"44-1
moustache0 so we pulled thr_cugh to the at
Bassens outside of -Bordeaux 4111. Genoucourt This party
that's telling you the st ory now is th nly person who ever
sounded the boat call /as sounded by the united states army
in k.E.IF and I sounded it at Bassens docks 3:: --e-y144-404ti
A
644;t4 4-0•)-1-4-4 a...
-t-
Instead of getting him from the botom part and taking him ashore
ik
they run from the top part and took him abelard so he didn' t beat
)4
the draft
-timompommo,
(04i40, weia r
Thei e ammeak a cook ovt r there was a Polock We um livin in billets
14#44/3
VI this cook every night he used to get drunk a d we were livid in
1111111..
billets and general Pr-r-shing give the order we had to put our
shelter halves up This cook came in every night he had the right of
4
way to come in late but he used to, step on everybody ehe step on youfl..._
feet he would step
on your hands he would step on your feet Oh every night we used
t
to argue with hi,vosiir ilk we raise hell, with him but we rzuldn' t
do anything with him. "o we decided one night we i'uould change the
subj ect we were billej_ed up over a barn plenty of cows and
horses below wth the big hay door open so we decided we would
fix-rhe cook up,, so we had few francs so we went out and bought
ONFib
a fromage cheese if you parlez-vous franciv
roquefort cheese it sounds good so when he/came in that night nobody
said anything Itr him and we let him go to sl ep. As soon as he
went to sleep and when he went sleep and we was sure he was asleep
we wrapped his hair in that roquefort ore, get it and th
Ra ts were very plentfiful there at thecime wait but here's the
pay off wait til I get through with the payillitff, so you/flow the
-t-
door where they have block and fall where they bring up
the bales of hay- unstairs7were you ever on v we *were
J? laying there we couldn't get no sleep to see what going to
happen finally he comes in, stepped on Meek steeptt on
a.
other guy they all squawked walk right on ycu r feet hands
r.
everythingegoes over and he lays down0 so after laid cb wn it AN,
was our turn to let the rats to ride to him, as soon as he la:- s
011.•.
down and go. s to sleep two guys wait, as soon he goes to sleep
start in snoring take the roquefort cheese and spread it all
over his hair/ head and everything. Now his guy was a tough guy this
cook. He had iem all beat.
so finally about threlclock in morning
there's an awful uproar in the joint. We wer pstairs over the cows.
He jumps up and he runs like hell .You know where he rur? right
out through that window right out that window on the second
story That's true 54. telling you we had it fixed un for him
as soon as he reached up and found 'the rats in his hair he went
right through the .7-;oddam window. Just an ankle broke. He's
a casualty of he war that's the only Way to figure it out.
he's on relief now
long as we don't mention no names its O.K. wait til'
I figure the ;Oar now. the year that, the year that Rosoffs didn't
clean the center of the streets where the car tr'&11110)cs were
did you ever tell a proposition go ahead we'll write it up
-tT-
One nightI'm roaming around so finally I stop a man on the IRS.r
tbQ 11 3
of 96 street I said will you oleae lend me five cents I want to
4-
A 4.
get down,town. so the gentleman gave me the five cents I go out
-X
and get a bus on second avenue I get aboard the bus and I got
package a couple of old shirts lid\ ant to wash up/ in my hancii_
I'm riding ab wn second avenue on this bus, and all of a sudden
*4-44'9
R
the bus hit a tbumptof ice in the middle and I wound up on the
A
floor, and the bus driver as soon as I fell on the floor
va, I
he pulled the bus r'ight over to the curb and locked all doors.
so
I'm 11 right He says to
sr
says get tn my car
sit down.
ou'll
nut CA,
her e
and
06-4-454.
I didn't even know what was the mattalr II:itneither did the rest
of the passengers. he didn't ask me if I wanted any medical itsga
or anything else, so finally they were a 1 sitting there and
a big car pulls up. I don't know the licerarse of the car a swell
car a Buick eight pullsup. and he takes me out the side door
t Vf
of the bus takes me into his car, so he says He ei• rou're a 1 right
4e* 1( 1 A
aint ou. I said to him yes sure call a doctor to find out if
ft I
me no no we won't call no doctors.
1 z-.2--
sit down./1 so I ge t in his car and—
Ms
_,. b -Ts -s, !y sish ere/01E11Y'
It 4' 1( CA4044!" of
Says here's 1111C$5. O.K. He says sign this $o ign it.
r.:- sr 0
0
I saidllo I won't sin He says take a five and sign it.
0 1,-_-_. 1 i
No I says I'm gonna sue the company for for well my injuries
He want me to sign a blank sheeteiL what a dope I'd be for
/4,444
christ sake a e $1L00 on the sheet wants to get my signature
-14
so he stayed with me aL 1 bight he stayed with me al 1 night.,
i
I says listen do you think I'm a dopo to sign that 46, will, sheet
1
So lets see the sheet again so this .time he's got the sheeir
fixed thi4 time. He wel-to the
had one fiv7011pu t he could raise it to fi fteen hundred lk
you know he had one in front of ikle five You. always gotta 'be
.4.
careful lar4 you sign I was a dopo once te fo e thati.I went and
At,
signed. I filed anyway I tell what I'll dc with vou Give me
4
t
five bucks and I 11 quit He brought me iri his car right to
he brings it back
1
61St street. So he's got the blank sheet 9ut I didn' sign nothin.
That ended it then.
WAIL +4 "1- 1 t
.0 do you want to use a li ttle humorous one? now all the gentlemen
0
who are hangina- around the muniltal lodginghuse and I am one
of them have very such trouble'getting Ajid of lice understand:?
s.
what I'm always wondering tout is why the /LEP soldier
doesn't show them how to get rild of then. I was with a regitment
If
in France and tle.../wa:y' we get rid of them is 4. Never let a lice beat
If
you, is beat the lic% fhe
trick is how to get rid of them
)L
never get lousy always get rid of them so vou ta/4
oto442 good.44•9
nd 1 ousirMid litt all good and lousy
Nor rom so ewnere
coming in You got the world This guy is lousy hil-7-1f
soMEM-16414The greatest trick in the world4 The simplg
bums can do al,ything.
"V.
ill
t I can give the ritneidy right away cut the pockets out of the
1
poli ticians pan ts
aTript===141;;21ger
waiting for a. ciaarette. They all smoke cigar's. I'm going t o
A c•-.4*- 44444.i
be hack driver from now on and moke cigars. )L we g e ra. the
crabs
4
I 016k
Go to the company cook Give s you a bag of salt. Go down
near the creek You take all your critlithes off right at the
cuek pour salt on the inside. Make that inside on the outside
"f.. le
they fly away on you. lo after you pour this here salt all over
you7 clothes Take them down to the lake just leave t ken close
4-
tur to the water the lice eat li--b this salt
_ 1 v.- very thirsty
'A
ilimat bound to be thirsty now when these 1:c e all Ithem
1*
7
ou can see them any time when they ATI k down here get themselves
u41c/e17g"I" UK 1,isik 1,
drink oft4Iitt. you grab you underwear and you run like hell.
'*-Q1tITs a hell of a way Put that in cab it4MBAC
158 0 0 00 e 1.410..0 elk44,4,414". 0 0 0 g *I
topped me on 25th street the
er all buy himself.
ng house
n was ys bon in noo Yook_ ---I sad "Yessir I live in New York
1 listen he Whe-them two trai went to g er
ubway.ttains h themselves Lexixton ave>I saiJ
friember. He says IN 1 I read. abut it In $crantñn Pm n.
kl-114'
"-4-
W.4 1-1-s- -3-$
1-1_,2.44.4141,1„
ItIts just a hole in the ground They're C. barrelled up.
The; don' t even knot...) whether first avenue is above them or not
4010i.
7. o t t a. 7 et a drin on' t. know which garage to go into to get
i•
a drink. I was asleep in this or:JD when yu corner wasn' t I.
If they use this one I gOl- into the next one. They don't
say anything. They're all good scouts. I hang out wid them.
147+444rt
Ars-t
We brothers We worked together all our lives.
4to•tec gull -A-CtiA4,‘-4 ci-4-c4t *14444 C 4 t-
3.1:4144ti... t
k That' s humorous aint i t?the dopey coming in from Vermont,
50 below comes into to new york 13 •e ow rid gets his hand
/L So use ("ok at his finger your in ju enti
cp glikc.
1141Mi% A44 4
A I,
He co -es into lb a warm climate and freezes his hands.
Way itt•I 3 -6141/. sa• illOw
e umerous proAfsittion. In camp Greene vermont where
president roosevelt sent the ccilli011r guys/ 2210 company
that's the company war veterans
in ---to Mt Pelier five miles
It was fifty-four below zexo
Sc
no t
ortation to get
he drinking bum w'niskey,
and I as leavin that carrT) at
that time. I boarded the train at Mt Pelle r and went through.
•Lhe cold was 40 below vntil we hit North.a.mbton Mass all the
way through put the da t4in there Feb .9 1934 stick the date in there
that mak s it more perfect so they don t fool pu on dates.
14-
I arrived in the city of i'ew York/Pennsylvania, station,
and the taxicabs welt on strike put the date in the It. rose to
.6•4?)
14 below zefTh in 1-''ew York city and I got frozen up badly
Alt and I'm still walking around with fingelo crooked.
4t,
FORE D
Extra Comment
STATE New York
NAME OF muam. Marion Charles Hatch
ADDRESS 862 First Ave.
DATE Oct. 5, '38
SUBJECT Stories of an alcoholic world war veteran.
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
Several weeks ago Huey Davison, who has a
two -block long fame as an inebriate, stopped me on the
corner for a dime. I gave it to him on a verbal
contract that he wouldn't ask me again because of
my own straightened circumstances. To this he readily
agreed. Seeing him a couple of weeks later parching
for liquor, he hummed and hawed but carefully relined
from asking for a new dime. Seeirlg. him again last Sunday
morning it occurred to me I might dig some stories out
of him I told him I might be able to let him have
another dime and that where I worked, a relief job,
I had to turn in ten pages of stories each day Perhaps
he could help me out4 I definitely couldn't go over
a guaTter
"While you've been talking I've already dooed
out a good one. On the docks at Hoboken "Fine "I
said "I have to eat and I ll see you in an hour. Where?*
*Well I just put my buddy to sleep, in a cab.
You know where At the fot of 48th at near -irst Ave.
You know where 'hang outMeet me down thr,re.
1
In an hour I came back and located the cab.
One man was rolled up in the rLar seat and Huey was
seated on the small folding seat in the rLa-!:.
I live jlist around the corner and preferring
to work with a typewriter I thought I might invite them
up but decided I would have per)etual visitors so
decided to get my machine.
Coming back with my typewriter I met Huey
on the corner a block away from the cab.
STATE
NAME OF WORKER
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
FORM
(Extra Comment Continued)
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
"Oh we can't do anything with that bum. He's
baLrelled. he said.
"But I thought I could type in there I can't
type in the street. I said
"We'll get another cab. Ifintwxxxx
ti-teck
I felt Huey was making sure, if there was„‘any money
he would get it without twwilwXN1 having to cut the
melTn with his pal I pressed a little in the direction
of ning to the cab with the occupant /O'er passing
this cab Huey turned gout and said"O.K, we'll try it
This explains his first remarks as he entered the cab, to
the sleepy occupant who turned out to be his brother
Here are a felLther points relative to Huey
.and the interview They insisted at first on my
giving the quarter to start with for cigarettes and a
drin,c so they would be comfortable Knowing I would be
stuck again at the end and knowing I could never get
a dine out of the Works Progress administration on a
legitimate excuse for expenses, I s4Ushed tlem and
asked for a few stories first,as samples/ so they
rolled cigarettes of "Ivanhoe" said to be very strong
pipe tobacco Later I gave Huey a quarter and he went
out and returned with half a pint of red YAMMER whiskey,
to a4 ill his raucaus brother.
I tried to get Huey's address as exblained
earlier. At one time he told me he was on relief so
he probably feared complications4I understand he
has a room on Second Avenue somewhere rear 45th at,
I had difficulty getting his name I said several
tines on 1 aving him "My name is Hatch." This had no
effect 7inally I asked "What is your name". He
decision and finally
changed the subject and talked on maki:ugeju
so
oPell said his name was H :a:::on
ed
with on,
FORM D.
(Extra Comment Continued.)
IV one
txrcet XY.X0X7. X2IX02(g X0 xztznaz f a k 111271/3 gzig nix
Throughout the interview from time to
time th e bro the r vould remark Boy I c ould get ou some
stories if I took you ar-ound he corner Or as
a variant "He would get something around the corner
I had a vague idea in my mind that what I would get would
be either violent or undignified, so evaded further
questioning. Later,my curiosity hroused/I pressed
Hu ey for what he theant. Hu ey thereupon said thet-t..
was a hole at the foot of 47th st, with from 10 to 20
bums sleeping theta,— He said he ivould take me there but
I should it only in the spots he designated/ in order
not to catch lice I agreed to meet him later to go
down the hole figuring I would look the place over and
get out before the lice got into action. go I took
my typewri ter home, Huey figuring the score of burns
mia-ht be too much for me and I would have to pawn it
I met HL2(3T fifteen minutes later following our interview
in the cab. By this time however he was 30 banged up vzith
liquor I decided he would be uselesso• He also said
I would have to buy drinks for the bums so I said
I would pospone the visit to a future date.