Document text
May 1, 1939
Jim Mitchum (Negro)
Chauffeur -mechanic
906 Holmes Street
Hendersonville, N.C.
Frank Massimino
AN IRASCIBLE NEGRO
Original Names
Jim Mitchum
Wellford, S. C.
Inman, S. C.
Lad (Buck Davis)
Josephine Mitchum
Florence Mitchum
Drake
Mr. Rice
Illinois
Flora Mitchum
Charles Mitchum
Georgia Mitchum
Clarence Mitchum
Alfred Monroe Mitchum
Changed Names
Buck Davis
Leaford, S. C.
Outman, S. C.
Bub (Buck Davis)
Madie Davis
Caroline Davis
Crane
Mr. Polk
Illinois
Larrabie Davis
James Davis
Nancy Davis
Lawrence Davis
George Boyd Davis
The entire plain hid ruMmAcien appearenseo The houses
elapboard aback of els roil's, held no sueetrotten of ever
having beet painted* The septeekeelored slay of the front
yard eta strewn with gravel aid broke& Opp sheep toyss
tnt ed reds crotheat now into nearly wareeollambl* 1.
of tine The tense thot frJated the littere4,rard seenthillY
oculdn't dead* whether to fall in or outs sagged eaum117
in both directions ene, tha-efore remained erect. A wire
gate on the fano* hung ajar on one rested Usage. &aging
beyond it gate of the folding variety barred entry to
the porch. Matinees the gates, leading to the waoden ste,ls
or the front ?arch aui circling the h4uses ren a narrow
eindered petho
I walked along this paths round the hones, the eindsro
gr nding unpleasantly under ay heels, and found Buck Davis
at thy bra wetering hie oulso I notieed that Buck had re.
menhered our t'pointmento Two choirs, equipped A.th lumpy
pillows* were proppel in the ounlight at the side of the barns
jug of wetter and two tin ou's )144 been placed between this.
Moreover, there was another bottle containing something that
looked like avter but wasn't, sod I wondered if our appoint..
MOM had rtad Ltd I vim
a little at that thought and looked up to see Davis slow
promehttg with a grin that matabed lar Os*
47 sire h10 be laid.
Smak•*
"Man, you is early."
'1"ft sorry,* I said,
Busk was all aftabilltr r sell right
ho keit, and motioned ma to taka NW of the chairs.
On bete seated Sua* turned to no with fraaklY In
tive but not =Aeolian% ayes a. jebbod a bleak foram.
floor et the book in q pocket *ad asked bluntly, *You test
*ow tram church?'
Meow
*Lofty. I bettlr mind my step,*
*Whet dflou soon?'
*Why, I mean I is too bad a nigger to be talktag lbomt
my oiaja au with folk at goes to shurakew
Draft 1ct that bother y;fa, Duet.*
Davis, evidantl =mood over my burst of mild profanity,
ran hit fingers thrtnwh his wrinkly mops of olomelykoaropped
shit* hair sad said, wfas, sir,. If you say so. I unmet lot
it bother as name theme aut travail, sin% so awful mean.
lot Like I lot on. now**, I don't go to oborSho at pram,
there
IfIl be will14„; to j7 that/tout:4 to a dollar VIA I is
no worse then s)ec ctilored folk whet do. You see
U. broke ()ft, t000ped up handful of &revel, and
suddenly pelted 11.3ac &tokens which *ere =Manga foray
i7itl hie tiny gurden.
"Oiti4 ho yelled, leaping to MI, rust, it you ornery
devils, giti"
It was several alnutem before he finsily succeeded in
;luttug tae troublesome birds to rant. ceuwt1e, I'an»
obtrusively studied hia 3zI elted for !az to resume his
saate IWAt lithe In his sovenents, 1tkt sek black
?linther, and 4esooptively yJung..looking; bu he mot hbve
been ;›pet pig*, end the stubble oa cottonr
elAtLI, He Aare au old ‘,reiv shirt, o?an ,t the throat, out
for a ?erson sevarti pounds achter. It fitted 4IA so tightly
that his auscies showed tarough tna ()loth. J3:4-41,7 hi, wore an
salable self.effesiac grin, -hien :iaoloLed rticase of food
clinging to thd surface of hie big, yellow tbeth. 3ut right
AJW the gr1n vAnislas, Imostnk: skin to cold fury lit
..is 4yes. I cJuldn't help but be surprised et trudh 'aprons
ftn.-.TA: over such Little voiseaSlool,
"The:c 7L1.1 is aalln he explained half crossly* when he
returned. "It te t21111:,a like tht what 11.14:411 al* amen.
Wsths Goo7otog—oso. Tee, sir, Its If I told thee
moo bet Z told then a hundred tines to kee tbat gate
*lased. And sway they goo* of e ausdey and never pey* se no
never glad. ay rights Xoseltsmsd to popped then abidrissik
Maw, air. Ireally aboelde =mode& up then younguome and
popped the. in the heed.*
at. sager evidently subsided as he talked, for after
awhile he turned to as with ely voile.
47. he said. Mow loohy bow foollehnent I ,telk..
wnell, Busk, qt any rate you daft stay angry for long.*
name sir. I is abort tempered, but I cool at right
nog gut*. That is, soot time* I do. at two or throe
times I really stayed mad. Qms tine it was when I had
roamimwith a white man. abtAle that, Oh„ Yet. Yell
the trosble that the boom way beak reader, with a promise
I lade my daddy.
"Tom see, I was born on a ootton plan ties' tames Len.
ford and Outman in south Oaroline. My tether was a tenant
farmer thro, end he had done rataed ten a as kids, that,.
le and my brother end eight girls. I 364t4 he bed nearly
raised us, rot we was just kids whoa be died. last was beek
in alseteeemeis or alsetemamsevea. Anyway*, he was just
fortywefour when be died. Iwas the oldest obild. I was
thirteen. I wee beardlike out
at Outman.
*Veil
the Daddy had been ta the be
test table I asked what wa the letter with hiss
seen to 4140w to tire JOBS said be had been doing
poorly and had to take to the bed. when I finisheit *Maw
ieut in to s ft big. 'What is the wetter, Daddy,' I asked
his. *I is powerful 'tisk, Dub,* be said, his vole* eo
that Ibed to ,;-tr, my ear to biz lip, to hoar the words. "And
look)' hoe,BUN" be said Bob that', what they used to *all
A4 40 113. iV *leo worried.'
Thetis all he said :tt then yoi oms w hard it
be for a dying mon to tolk• 'Comrse, I didn't know ha was
dytng, but I oculd see th14 be wee aural slok• Them he
looked ap at ma &gels and said, 'nob, you is got to look
arter the mien olk *An 1 is goon, yin hetr?* I wall
tree, Paw,* and he closed his eyes. Then he suddenly via
up La the bed like he was sang to say saiethine else, but
he couldn't as it, end when be fell back on the pillow, he
Ives dead•
*Sat box di as your
rather?
At
eotton sill
Oa
Ay questi'Jn stirred old Aims
real. ned the reeinircent
e luldk
roast= in his
w%en I told y ta4y r d ts e ogre f the 'talon
oIk it 1t1n't Ymly mean r.:Anding tiloa, sow,"
"cif e. re
°I -.avant 1:a see
"Testi but
a
Tenit fa
A P,Ianee at 5erist face warnsi
be
en onlaneitc view it 11A:ore tat'
N;erteia y,
wni
"What dtyou noes%
el,)att
a
Ated rilrht, too.
t evan ir I held
iti t, 7*no*
th;,tt."
Ha tv related, tr Gzudely descriptive nen 24no-
tuatud with profsaity, a tale thnt we me Pae the revolting
pentacle drec tt can annayinr: a y.;ung eolored
girl AAA drwtnC 6 tato on, her black
*render,
man. the partiality of the ;olio* i.ai- >nratne and arrerts.
Lug ttas eambetante, the barbarous behavior the vilitt,
onlookers trirstlaz farblooJ Jf thu black ar the wolf
pack thirstn for t! bloodoz6 lane victim, the stg1t of
t1 sIeTyUarU. ritwmonntoln.renrt town in tiha rammer
of 124 aroused to lynching piteh•
"I ime driving buekho5rd lt the tile,* he said, rfor
a 7 -mikes 7aan wt war visitint7 there tills. I'd droned
hi off Where he we, r,ointr, and Aoked u2 -17 sisters to carry
thee t.1 town to do tht-Ar trading. I ulled u2 at the court-
house, where there was a hitching Nutt, nñ.1*.,itduedie,
th,2t we one or the girlie, stt in tht rig while ,:roline„
thrA was my othnr rioter, went into t!rle stores. .1.%die and
lo leughin- ,n1 joking when the 1:hlt,-.! nen can along.
ge use druat end be thouiltt we vp.o laughine -it 41A, '0 he ,7at
mad. 111441, she just leashed tt bin ti%en. be cussed her xat.
aut vhsu he nailed her a goddsoos4 bleak bitch, I Jun *4 out
of th,1 ric ';:nocked .1.4,4 down.
'Me W62 biggeron an, but I '4,18 aaeizi rod Bod I aever
A3 Itentim to size. I just beat in to tbm ,As.,und
with uy fit.. Men colas white folk case up to see at
tLci tr,:;uble wr,:s ea.! when they see colored man flting
wtt n whitu Inns L'403, told bia o kill thatebleok u)nofebtich.
I reckon that's jwit votiet he figured t3 los for con be c_Aar
at le aejslas 114 tis41 drived his tattoo I forgot *bout ay
own ;mite just tWien, I just gok14 ma up a rock ,flid let it
fl7. It slit n rash across hie t ad fr= :mat to beck nod
s-)un !";lm r.und like d top.
immtaup, she'd done game for the policeman, when that
white 'manta Tnilled his knife. But when they sale, the
didn't sake a WW1 to 'rest hima *ewe sir: They ouseed
ma out like/was to blame and than the crowd whtt had ease
ta began to talk stout gitting ne. I Ailed my own knife
then, cause I xaosed it wasn't n3 bit of use t3 try to
reson with then, .;.bout a half a dozen white %en eni the
flur policenens =ot in a ring around es. Not jaing very
big, I figured I'd at Lunt!, ligeinst them, but I told
then re. kill one of them before they go: to 34.
"Jne of the policemens said. This'll fix yi;41, fOU
,;oddanivid nigger,' an.:t he started to drew his jiatold, aut
wer, too fast for his as- I 6ave hiA th‘,:t knife snack aerass
his wrist* He juved btek like he vaz smote end the blood
squirted out ol* his arm liku it was plev',ede ;44au they seed
thi3t, the others ,toed cold in their tracks. Then I grabbed
th3 hurted polioemens sad held nta rrAmt o: me and backed
off down the stroet• ahon I .7ot in ;r:nt of a doct,Jr4s °Moe,
I shoved hiz inside Jail;! veat in myself.
"&ell, ir, In a alnut Via chief -lice came in there
with aro or six white :VA& mv! thib ,,ther ;)olicenans. rfou
ni,xer battik:nip he 8id, twelltx7-x440 .Aataide, z4lebodly
was yelling, 11.1ve us tht 1114erI 3iv o up that a1,7;74161 1110v11
striag him upill I run to the fr:-nt daor and locked it,
Men I stid to the chief: trioe4 X aint done nothlag but
'fond -zy'o,f. I'll gs to jail with you, tor I eau prove
to the judge that's all done. 3ut if onybody oleo lay,
a tend '.)11 me„ thsr-rla goinc to be a killIns 41' the apotot
"The Ghia, he as thet Ileant whet I said, so he
tqld )me of Ilia e nomgood fellow flamed Crane,
to take me to Ut !ail. I E. -id, IPTou 70t to promise me
aint about to be hurted.' :;rune, he laughed vt _ae, but
thu Waist, he rtid eat and I went @long.
Crane didn't !(1) the arowd bother moo but when we got
to tat jail hou-e„ he alt c o. the beak af the head with
tho butt af his tete; anl t;tid, 'You'll git yours ziow, yau
rioddamned nizer., Man he shoved aa ti e *all and went
avey.
*-17ht next mornlae it wrt≥e whet br,)v,ht ms my break.
f-st. "Iowits ths tough nigger feelitv this mornin10 he
snid whon hs rliA th; owree thral3h s elot in the rrsnt
of tha 0466. rietteryn y)ur ta reel you sonotabltelist
I said. tad I bashed him smack in ti s facie vitt th-t ooffee,
Cil2 and U. IToirswe4 hit ?.un aia•! etaid he wt -1.: going to
Xiil me, but ho didn't do notalne but else so Att. .nyways„
didn't oar*. I 80 -Ind that I didn't etr, what hallooed
to as.
Theme turning to se,evim explained, as if it 'ere
mleeastary to do ems
*ThU i one nigg r what aLAt goiag to be traned unos
And whet hey:sened to you ofterwerd70
The Tonkel" nen what *played ma payed my bell and 1 was
let out of the jell. Then th ths M4 *mart, he get a lawyer
to plead my ease, That lawyer get people to testify that the
white nen wea drunk and that heieaseed out ay sister, And
they told bow the pollee didn't do nothing to stop %hoes people
he said they wanted to git At. My lawyersuma then &sod that
4ury aad told them that I meted is Ar ewe 'bonne. HO said the
00.471set =ins I was guilty of ens o4tting that ›olisomans4
MA maid I did that leausi: has waa I to lows that the polies..
mans Imo to kill 40, and en mat having started the
trouble in the at plea', Tee, sirS Then was the feet*
he gull 'my And deyou know abet they did? 44,11, sirs vbiss
the jury ease bulk Into the eourt,..room„ the big foreman stood
up.
you 'rived at the vo the *lark asked hie,'
La,? he said,
t diyon gononans r 4,
be
0/11.14 and when he weld it ay lawyer put hie band
om ay arm to holt xe book fraa bedlamg his heed open right in
*bet aotwt. 961t
*let Ms imfte boa to se .9 I est dowe. 1zt figured
that if I was -u% on the si.in g,s, 14 tit as that fovea*
nen *fors they *mat a* ewer,
*But the judge, he let as oft. 1 assne, he lot no off
with a 9spendis4 sentesee end MN* The judge, be told the
jury that be bus 'speeding sentient* 'muse it /peered like
wee being 9sorimimeted against. Ea sold he ate Amine
as 416 tier the oosts of the eourt, I wouldn't pey that risk
9oeuseI didn't do nothing; but later on my folks, amiss my
wire many latemr, oeld the fine Car as ea I ease on bsee.
1 told Us* they done wrong when they pail that fins, end
that I mean bout to pay them beak. And I atoll°
Sus* shook bls hoed and snorted in diocust, expressing
that snort his derision of the humbleness of his roes.
*But Suok, you surely didn't want to serve time?*
'maw, sir t tbre was nJ teems* f4r as to be 9slared
guilty in the rtet'lees0 Iknowed thut. aybe it I use
just till old country nieor I ouldet know no better.
But I *int. I been fround even bees a boss nen of the
solorsd boys at the eottio 114 Than shim the automobile
tame in, I worked all over the Nortl; as e sheufteur end
amehesio. You see, BWIS, 4i Tankmeomens treats*" as good
up there."
stswago that you left Desk.
Wan %I** *tart %Imes WW
*Cho tht,t Ttn,! recently T tots itr
*Sim tr• I *1st ehoutteursd 21,ns for sight
0 r th*
gollt tooth
I Oboe*
I asta.,
h14,
are.
NoloP. 6,111* ceuect wo with sly VAN% bosernsh Is slA4
Ilbs ftemot taws sad riming sono ever sines.
ft Ur, ?oft, whet WOO* JR h• told
not es his test sesta he valid gilw so
ys, t a
hts Astro the sea 4iIfttI* I his prenisset
Davis grIssal en4 sol4 eibroptkr, To drink?*
04, oat los asked se to excuse kle whit* he
to lee of the sups. US drank t% *sets ***10,41,
and reserked le the Int* *wing me Awe hefts.*
on% ssother drint4
It's% hla lam ?watt **11 Oct he sot
ararti a*rwi*4 is sineteemoothatrt•es, while
he was sorktag ott ths altess mills. Like sort Iwo**, hos and
his wjamtAls4 kits that** silo No, they Matt Unit
or sts teeny. *Why for es he ,At tte *Os slway*
te rips4 ow ear*,
*Moo Aetay are thJsret
wale /*WS, bits t Mi00
ii•c•-43.•
the two oldest girls, Then thwaholgetay4, Rhea eightocna
Shots la kWhai. And Laureesa, be*, eiztembp Timm
aids" hays any nor* babies for quit* a spell. °aort. Boyd",
be eons alonclbout four yaars ago, Bile that young...ma mut
theme*
a. tesead &va bin drink. Arad hia south on his sleeve,
tatad to a pot -shoaled littla shop who was shyly peeking
tuA the kitchen soreeaa
1 lookad at the boy, than at his fathers The drinks semead
to Wen an oppoeita atfatet on boot to thgt whlob 1 hod expeetada
a. was now Inclined to very evasive fa# or ivory maddled.,,.. I couldn't
shifted
tall whisho 211. big arm rolliag in their waterreoeketsAirniN,
troll my gases sucitostias diffidonsir 1 ts manaer which had
not *slatted befora sad whioh Z oould aot roconolls vita, the eon.
non ballot of what whisky usually does to a mama
aakad his abtout his early years, an4, after mauento
stile be .vtd.t1y triad to uoilact his th,:Aahts be caws me
a rather saddled amount*
it appeared thitt after his ova father died, he ess
taken up with a Y takee.san" who was hie boss at the niU.
be said the nua vie Ilk. a sorooad father to Ulm, so ha works4
on at the mill eves after ha found the work unpleasant
rather, broauee there sa too aaah of it at a dollar a day.,
just ta be moat the man. Be workod la the aill.eyard, a.
worked et the las; he le-arned to lastall i1 iebt*ry,
thereby b000nia4 4:$4.3et1i.t or a secLanio; 11Q fired the bollstro7this
under ...natant fear, for, he said, several of his preCiew
*more bed been burned to a °Asp by the fetal beekablasts
of the trioky _urnaoes; sad he sonsidered life, for tbs
most part, in those doe, me hell, but thilt he'd ;Ad up
with it as long it the "Tankeedose wee around.
The% apparently, the °Tankereimmen.got in some sort of
trouble and !Art. A hint of young girl being involved
seeped into this oart of his tele. Anyway, with no atteshm.
mints at the mill any longer, audt left '30uth Olovolima
with his family to Gams to North Ceroliaa, Later on, his
mother end her laughtere followed his. Suo¼ went to work
in a loeol tvirsee. His wife *worked in the servieelps That
is, Cle got a job 43 hired girl in a private hole. ?hen there
was, as I remember his telling it, 4 palod when he bought his
present hone, helped his moth9r settle down in the place next
door, sew that his sisters moved into nearby honeft, end fiaal4
landed Li job hima it an a obaulleurs.minehenis at a good wogs.
"So Watts bout the long and short o: it, *as."
"And am', 'Jauld you aall yourself a farmer?*
"With this ;Addling oe gr4en? Lord?, nor'
MA Looked at me with an 01:ro,,alIn tr, t seemed to say that
he thlurht my ob erwations to be of a v4ry inferior sort,
"I tint no t if still a ehouffeur„ whether I is
06010.1,
Or whether I slot 4'at of a Job. MIN Po/16a thou", thistle
the lest elan Agit hired nes he say hell hire be bask some
#147."
This ha said with a simple assurance tht bespoke the
**oust of faith he had kept in a promise whiehs after alls
appeared to be worn thin after a lapse of eight years.
men I noted hi -1 another question or twos his wfression
denoted that he had nothing further tp soy or wouldn't say
it if he did. Moreover, ha looked at hig magas a dollar
models linked to his belt with a *balm that appeared to
capable of restraining an eiredales,en4 stood up rather
abruptly. rheas dropping his eyes to the ground he said,
with a kick t a 411*0. of artt
*gook= that old elayill make env?*
I looked down at the &oil' Its pales hard surfaees as
unresisting and unfertile looking as a sunwbaked pies* of
pottery, spoke for itsolf• vie moved to the front of the
house without spoeving• Than Beek said goodbye to ne
abstractly, end threw his lege over the poreh gets. I
heard the door open and shut; and when I turned, the house
had swallowed up the trawl/blot IlegrOis