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Introduction to Big Fred Tells a Tall Tale
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If you want to meet the man who used to "chase around with
Paul Bunyon," take a walk to Union Square Park some evening. Standing
over six feet tall in the center of a group of men, you'll spot Big
Fred, old time lumberjack, longshoreman and Wobbly.
Join the group. You're welcomejstranger. Big Fred is talking
now. This is Big Fred talkingsment Hold your hatsvmeni
"Paul wasn't a bad plug," says Fred. "he was all right in
his time." The trouble with Bunyonsaccording to Fredpis that lque
that he was never able to get rid of the crumbs."
"'Tell us abottt ityPred."
"Sure," says Fred in his windy drawl.
The story's a rip -snorter, big -sized, colossal as they say in
Hollywood. Of course you don't exactly believe it, but that's not
important 7E00,000#60WkiaaaliWift/i/A06(01/0/Mi
don't have to believe it. All you have to do is listen. Big
Fred, he tells them. You hold your hatl
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FORM C
Text of Ioterview (UnedjA„ed)
STATE New ork
NAME OF WthIKEft Wayne Walden
51 Bank St.
ADDRESS
DATE
September 16,1938
SUBJECT erltrcirr r17111
FOLKLOBE
NEW YORK
.44.
Big Fred andoesevei'aLothere,Jwere indulging in reminiscences of
by -gone times.The talk was of the northwest logging camps,and
a former lumberjack,was doing most of the talking.ft,11spite his years,
seems still capable of bucking big logeoand,more certain,possesses the
faculty of telling tales the veracity of which may be questioned.
Fred claims that years ago he sometimes "chased around with Paul Bun-
yann+that Paul "wasn't a bad plug,bauttat_modern phases of the lum-
ber industry require more up-to-date methodslgaul Bunyan was alright
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in his time,but he didn't have the big shots of today to deal withr---
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and he never was able to get rid of the crumbs.It was the wobbliesrand
you got to give 'em credit for it.Athat,done anlq.hing about the crumbs.
That was one of their big fighte nZunyan's day,the camps wus crummy,
the bunks wus crummy,and the men wus so used to being crummy that they
wouldn't of knowed what to do without 'em.After the wobs begun to have
some say-so on the jobs they begun to holler for clean bedding,and that
sort of put the skids under the crumbera lot of 'era anyway."
"A crumb is what you'd call a louse"said Big Fred,with a tone of pity,
for one so ignorant as I seemed to be."They was called 'cooties' by
the soldiers during the war,but they're the same thing;we always called
en crumbs. Anyhowoas I was going to say/cone time when one of the big
shots come out to look things over,he stuck his head in one od the
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rid crumb
ZAftwomomefombhe bunk-doors.Before he could duck back again he heard a
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bunch of voices yelling at him. 'Hello Brother'.It kind of puzzled him.
After awhile,when he see that the crumbs were coming to meet him,and
was actually calling him their brother,the boss got mad.He figured
that that was an insult to his dignity,you see.
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4+ "What do you mean by calling me your brother,he sa$d to them.Well,we
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are aint we,they says.We dont need no interpreter,they says.We may be
a little different lookin' on the outsides,but we got the same soulsrow
aint welthey says to him.Te get our livin' from the same sour(e,dont
it
we,they says.It's the blood of the guys you got workin' for you,theyme!
PP tr,
says.You bleed 'em by day,and we bleed 'em by night,they says.That
40 AV
makes you and us blood-brothers,they says to the bossp,yeah?says the
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bossAWell,as you weaken lem,and rob ee of some of their energy,I'm
going to kill you,the boss says to thercrumbs.Alright,says the crumbse.-
got,or 1
hop to lt;but you'll lose the best ally you ever had0 flow so? says the
e
boss.Well,says the crumbs,aint it our goughing into the hides of your
ttt
slaves that keeps 'em so busy scratching they cant do any thinking?
And as long as they can't think,they aays,your slaves wont bother to
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organize,they says.They wont demand any improvements,they Boylston*
well by that time I was kind of tired with their damned propaganda",
llama Fred says.