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A LIAALL AiLICHANT
Original Names Changed Names
Cola P. %ihite Jacob Stilley
Date of first writing:
Name of person interviewed:
Address:
Occupation:
viriter:
Aeviser:
Number of words:
July 5, 1939
Cola P. White (white)
Wilson, N. C.
Merchant
Stanley Combs
Edwin Massengill
About 2,700
A SMALL MERCHANT
Jacob Stilley was busy dusting the shelves in his store.
He operates a small retail store near the outer edge of the
business section of town. His stock consists of a line of
candies, cigars, cigarettes, cold drinks, a few pies, cakes,
and canned goods. He also has a few punchboards, a slot machine,
and a small pool table. In this he has worked and lived for the
past several years.
"There ain't much ever happened to me," he said. "I was
born on a farm twenty-eight years ago last October. my mother
died while I wits quite young. Let's see, I think I was a little
less than three years old --somewhere between two and three years
of age The Old Man sent me to live with my grandparents, and
I lived with them until he got him another wife. Then I went
to live with him and his new wife. I was only about nine years
old, and I attended school in the country off and on ueeording
to the weather. If the weather was bad I stayed at home.
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"Being young like I was, I got along with my stepmother
good. She was good to me and I reckon I thought as much of
her as I would my own mother. About sixteen or seventeen years
ago we all moved here. I didn't go to school much more for I
had to work to help make a living. It wasn't long after we come
to town before the Old Man got work as a carpenter. He makes
right good wages when he works, but it seems like they have less
work each year. Yet, at seasons they are rushed al have to
hire extra help.
"I worked here and there over town first at one thing then
another like kids do until I finally got a steady job with one
of the small grocery stores. The man that owned the store worked
his family as much as possible. I was about the only outsider
except for delivery boys that ride the bicycle. He and the
family seemed to take a liking to me, and I stayed with him until
he sold out.
"During this time the Old Ian was bringing his second
family into the world. I have two half brothers and two half
sisters. .6e all got along fine together. I reckon I feel
towards my half brothers and half sisters the same as I would if
we all had the same mother. My stepmother told me more about
my mother than anyone else. The Old Man never told me anything,
and my grandparents never told me much.
"The Old an and my Allother never did get along together.
He was cross and irritable and always finding fault with her.
They were never happy like folks ought to be. I guess it was
good thing one of them could die. After I grew up and could
understand, my stepmother told me how bad they got along to-
gether. Of course, I guess there was a reason, for they never
Lid love each other. They dot married because they had to,
and they were only married a few months before a child was born
and uieu. They kept living to,:/ether and then I came on in
regular time.
"I was pretty near grown before my stepmother uied. he
trusted me a lot, and I guess maybe it was because I helped
out on the living expenses so much. I always spent a few dollars
of my weekly salary for something to eat. I usually dot such
staple foods as flour, lard, meal, and potatoes.
"After the grocery store was sold I had to look for other
work. I was fortunate. I got in with the A P store here in
town. Ay salary was more, but the work was a lot harder. For
awhile I thought I would not be able to stand it; my back trouuled
me. I've never been able to do hard work like others do. i can
go right along with light work that i can handle, but, the heavy
work gets me.
"It was a.,out this time that I began going with the girls.
h person in my physical conuition don't have any business with
a wife, but I always enjoyed going with the girls. I went with
a lot of them. I did not go long with anyone but always had
several on the string. The Old Ilan got scared, for he didn't
think much of some of them I went with. He tried to get ma to
let them alone, telling me I would get into trouble, but I had a
head of my own and kept right on going with them and having a
good time. He kept after me and complained frequently and final4
told me if I got into trouble not to bother him about it. This
made me mad and I told him I would go with who I pleased and when
I went to jail I would willingly stay there rather than call on
him for help.
umy stepmother had brought four children into the family.
The doctor told her not to have any more as it would be dangerous.
Her health was bad, and work was not so plentiful. She had her
life insured for $500and was going to lose it; she wanted to
hold onto it so she would be pt away respectable. One day she
talked with me and told me about her insurance, her health, what
the doctor had told her, and she said she was that way again and
she just felt like it was going to take her away from here. She
asked me to take over the policy and keep up the insurance. I
took it over for her and paid an it every week. I kept that life
insurance policy up for my stepmother until her death which
wa.; during/childbirth. Her hospital and doctor bill run close to
$100. After the bills were all paid there was better than $300
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left out of the insurance money. Of course, the policy was made
out in favor of the Old Man and he collected it. He never even
thanked me for keeping the policy paid up and all in the world
I ever ..tpt out of it was .;;2. He loaned one of the men that
worked wi,h hta $3 and he handed $2 of it back to me to give to
the Old .Ian, out I told him about it and kept the money.
'This left us all without a housekeeper. Ny half sister was
too small to do the housework. I told the Old Man we could hire
a colored woman to do the cleaning and we could bach and make
out. A3 would all stay together and wewould soon learn to get
by, but he set about looking for another wife --a number three.
Before I knew anything about it, that ,,3010 was all gone. The
Old ;an had run through with it all after another red-haired
woman. This is where I protested. I didn't see where he had
any business with a widow woman with three kids that average a
little older than his oy his second wife. It looked very much
to me like he was preparing to add to his trouble. I talked and
tried to reason with him every way I could. Finally I saw it
didn't do no good. He was determined to go ahead and m_trry her.
I had been helping along with the family expense right much and
when I found out nothing else would do any good I told him that
when he married he, if he did, I would leave home and withdraw
al, my support.
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"He is an older man than me; he is 146, father and I realize
that; he has been active in the dork of the Holiness Church and
tries to do right; and he is regarded by many in the Church as a
sort of a preacher, but I could not see where such a marriage and
the mixing of two groups of children could result in any good. He
went on and married again. I took py clothes and found a boarding
house nearby. She moved in and took charge. Everything seemingly
went along 0. K. summer came and work began to slacken and I
was laid off, so I opened a small business of py own over in the
colored section of town. I did not have much and could not make
much. There was a boy that wanted to drive a car for hire, so I
oought an old one and put it out with him. He tried it out for
awhile and didn't make much for himself or me either. Before I
realized it he was handling bootleg whiskey. I began thinking
about that and the more I thought it over the more trouble I could
see in it. I decided it wouldn't do at all, so I took the car
away from him and used it myself. I was not making much and
couldn't drive much. That fall I added a woodyard to my business
and the car came in handy to deliver with.
"I kept busy with my little business and visiting among py
friends and paid very little atLention to the home family.
Frequently I saw the Old Man or some of the children in passing
and I thought everything was going on pretty well at home. Then
one day someone came running after ma and said the Old Man
was in the well. I went over home as quickly as possible and
when I got there the police was there bringing him out of a
sixty -foot well with the chain used for drawing water. They got
him out and carried him to jail without a change of clothes. He
sent for me. Mind you, he had told me that whenever I got into
trouble not to call on him, but I was the first one he called
for.
"I learned that he and his beloved red-ileaded wife had had
some trouble. In the fuss there was a scramble. He had sliced
at her throat with a safety razor and then run out in the back
yard and jumped into the well. He went down feet first and when
he came up the well was small enough so he could put his feet on
one side, and his hips against the other and stay on top. They
say he did some hollering for help. Most all the neighbors heard
him. As he told me all about it there in jail he declared he
was through and 3uld have nothing more to do with her. I went
to the house and asked his wife for a change of clothes so as to
make him a little more comfortable. She ordered me away and said
I would not ,.-:;et anything. I soon told her I came at his request
for a change of clothes and I intended to get them. I didn't
told her
mind going in after them,and/if she interfered the trouble she
had already had wouldn't begin to be a start. She went in after
the clothes her While she was gone I went in after his
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pocketbook snd money. He told me where he had it hid, but it
was all gone. I took his clothes back to jail and arranged for
his bond so he could get out. When I got him out I walked home
with hip. When she saw us coming :n the front yard he went out
the back way and left. I considered that a piece of good luck.
She stayed away and I moved back home and again helped with the
living expenses.
"The Old Man was kept pretty busy for a few months and
apparently got along fine. I sold my small business and moved
over here where I gm now. I have pretty long hours and I let
some of the family stay here while I get off to go to a show, a
ball game, or to see my girl. When I would leave him I noticed
she would stop in and visit with him. I Objected to this, but
it didn't do no good* The Old Man got to running about some, too.
After awhile, he got one of them dirty social diseases and was
lad up in the hospital. I helped him through and paid as much
of his hospital expense as I could, and when he got out it wasn't
long before he and the redhead went back together again. I picked
up my clothes and left* He has never paid any more of that hospital
bill and I don't feel like I Should pay it. The Old Man told
them he was going to kill them all and then shoot himself here
awhile back, but he won't do that.
"I am working here and doing well enough, I guess.
like I ought to make some money, but I manage to spend it all.
I spend more for whiskey than I should. Eating at the cafe is
expensive boarding, but I can run down the street and get some-
thing to eat anytime I want. Some of my friends tell me I ought
to get married. I have a girl that I have been going with for a
long time, and I could merry her tomorrow if I wanted to. I
reckon we both could live as cheaply as I do now, but there are
other things to consider. My back is not normal and there is a
place in my hip that bothers me. I went to the clinic and the
doctor there wanted to break my back and straighten it. He said
I would be out of work from four to six months. I don't think I
will ever agree to that.
"The sore in my hip don't heal. I have had it lanced a
couple of times and I don't dare let it heal over now. It drains
constantly. The doctors here don't know, or maybe just don't tell
mel what is my trouble. I want to go to the hospital just as
soon as I can save enough money and arrange the time. I want a
thorough examination* I went to one of the doctors here and
wanted him to open that place so it would drain out completely and
heal, out he said he wouldn't stick a knife in there for 4500.
made up my mind he didn't know what the trouble was and con-
sidered it bad practice to use the knife unless he knew what it
was for.
"I thought a great deal about marrying. Sometimes I lay
here all alone without a living soul in the building but me. It's
lonesome, and the nights are long. It seems like they will
never end, even when I am up until twelve and one o'clock at
night. someone to talk to would be a lot of comfort and the mere
fact that you are not all alone would be a lot of relief. The
girl is willing to marry any time, but I can't make up my mind
it's the best thing to do. I have always heard it said that when you
Flre
/in doubt over a thing don't do it. There is another saying that
'anticipation is better than realization sometimea.' While I am
feeling like I do now it's best not to do anything, so I will con-
tinue on and endure it all alone awhile longer.
"Living alone as I do now is a handicap in several ways.
find it extremely hard to get the proper things to eat.
neces6arily must keep my expenses down, and it's almost impossible
to get the fresh vegetables I like in my meals. I never get out
to anything that is going on. If I was married to the right kind
of a woman she would drag WR Out to church and other places once
in awhile. Like it is, I have not darkened a church door in I
don't know when. I get away from here two or three times each
week long enough to go to a picture show and occasionally get
away to see a ball game. Last week I ,pt to see my grandmother.
It's the first time I have been to see her in over a year. If I
married I feel like some of this would be changed. One would
feel more like he was living and a part of the world.
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"Politics never interested me. I see people that devote
all their time to it, but as a rule they never amount to much.
I don't even do to the trouble to keep my name on the register
so I can vote. At the last election several came around and
asked me to vote for them. _3ome even made some big promises. I
presume they promised others like they did met but I have never
seen where any of these promises ever got anyone anything.
filly home life is different from most other men of my age. I
am right hee on the job all the time. It eliminates the possibility
of someone breaking in at night. Before I moved in here someone
would break in every now and then. I have my own bed and mattress
and coveys. Everything in the room is mine; it's all paid for
and I run things y way. I have a colored woman that does my
washing and if I want my bed changed I can get her to do it for
me. ..41e cleans out the roams often as I want. Taken all in alit
I think I am doing about as well as can be expected."