SALLY RAG

In my early years my mother and all mothers used a heavy flannel cloth on the children's chest for a chest cold. I am even yet a firm believer that it was a great idea. Mother did not make us wear this to school as did some of the mothers in that day. After the sally rag was worn about a month daily you did not have to guess who was coming. This sally rag spoke much earlier than the child the actual arrival of the one wearing the rag on the chest.

It was pinned to the longhandle underwear next to the skin. It was saturated with cloverine salve if anyone was rich enough to afford this salve. Many times children sold this salve in a small box about the size of a silver dollar. I think it was a dime a box. But no one had a dime so the sale was a hard thing to get. We never did get in on this selling. Then add Vicks Salve, turpentine and a good generous supply or soaking of good strong smelling coal oil, later called kerosine. Then whatever was at home else that would drop, smear or pour was added to the sally rag. Sleep with it on the chest all night. I am firmly convinced that it really helped. The only thing it did not help was the obnoxious odor.

MYRTLE TEA

Aunt Sally, the colored woman nearby was a midwife, practical nurse and a lot of home remedies she recommended was good. But she had one remedy that was a dose. It may have worked well for the colored people for the malaria and mosquito problem in the large creek bottom but for us it was a dose. The idea was to take branches of myrtle bush with the leaves, maybe it was the leaves only. But the idea was to boil this and drink for malaria. You AIN'T never took nothing like this in your whole geet alongs. It was bitter and most untasty I ever tasted. Sister and myself begged to the point that Moma did not make us take this remedy very long. But I never in my life got into anything like that was.

Fishing on Jake Carroll Branch

As a very small child my Dad was good to carry me fishing with him each time he went. He never was ever impatient with me as a child. He would carry me on his strong back across grass bur patches, or any tall weeds or anything that hurt my small bare feet. It was fun indeed. He cut a pole from a willow tree, would toss a worm or grass hopper in any hole and would pull out a fine perch. Before the days of oil and all that every small branch had plenty of nice fish. After oil and salt water this never was any more. But carrying me on his back is so much like I believe Isaiah 63:4 I think it is where the Lord will carry us over, he will bear us over.

As Mama used to bear baby brother over in her arms and as Dad carried me over on his big strong back.

One day while we were fishing I wandered down fishing a little ways from Dad. I can just see it right now as if I just did it just now. I threw my bait in the corner hole of the branch, sorta a little drift from willow blooms. I caught the largest red perch I had ever seen in my life. I started screaming to the top of my voice. Dad run as thinking I had a snake bite. He was really alarmed but I had caught the largest fish I had ever seen. Boy I was telling about it. After Dad saw the fish he was proud of my big fish never once scolding me for scaring him to death.

Sometimes we crossed a tomato patch and he would give me a nice ripe tomato on those trips. It sure did taste good as a child and still a good vine ripened tomato tastes wonderfully good even now.

THE RAT KILLING

Cousin Ambrose Knight and Cousin Mary and Richard, their son and Cousin Myrtle, and her son we called "Son," named Edwin Wilkins, Cousin Liston, Cousin Lucy and their baby Raymond all lived in one house a short ways across a small branch from our house at Simmons near Ashland on Marshall Highway. They had two or three old log cribs, later called a barn. They had a lot of ears of corn in the east crib. Cousin Ambrose invited Dad, Sis, Me and all his family to a rat killing. First move the corn ear by ear. Then as nearing the bottom of the stack those old big rats started running out. You never saw such excitement. "Harve, look there between that log, there is a rat. Son get that one running to the other barn. Ellis get that one. Here comes one." All the screaming and excitement you ever saw is at an old time rat killing. That was before the day of TV and radio. This was fun, where people had nothing to entertain them. Also it saved a lot of valuable corn and feed much needed for the livestock.

Blessing In a Hurry at Mealtime

"Bless the meat, blame the skin (blame was a by-word almost like cursing in later years), back your ears and dive in."

Another table grace: "Done or raw, do to chaw" (to chew).

COUSIN AMBROSE KNIGHT'S SHOVEL HANDLE

When we lived next door to Cousin Ambrose Knight I would play daily with Richard and Son. We would run up and down those little creeks and play. I guess Sister would play with us a lot. But sometime we would make a swimming hole by putting some dirt across the small branch. I guess it to be five feet wide and two feet deep and would back the water up the branch and oh the fun we would have going swimming in the BIG SWIMMING POOL. One day we came up with the idea that we could make the hole much deeper. Son and I went to the cow lot where Cousin Ambrose lived and got his shovel he used to clean up the cow piles in his cow pin and cow stalls. We rushed back to our swimming pool. I can’t remember which one of us got hold of the shovel pushing it down full length into the dirt in the bottom of our pool hole. Then we had the simple idea of pulling back on the handle to get the dirt to turn loose from the bottom of the hole. When we rared back with all our mite, you guessed it, pop went the shovel handle—completely broke into. We slipped back up to the cow pin and sat the shovel exactly where it was with the handle placed neatly into place. Knowing full well in our minds that Cousin Ambrose would never be the more wise. But of course he knew. I don’t know if Son got a spanking or not. After Son and I were way up 55 years old or more we still laughed about the shovel handle every time we were together.

CHEWING TOBACCO

In the olden days chewing tobacco was expensive. One man always had tobacco, another man always asked for a chew of tobacco each time he saw the other man. Finally the first man that had the tobacco decided one day to fix things. Right in front of the second man he hauled out his tobacco and his privacy and just watered it down real well right in front of the second man. The second man said "what are you doing?" to which the first man replied "oh, I am just moistening my tobacco to make it taste good. " I ALWAYS MOISTEN MY TOBACCO TO MAKE IT TASTE GOOD." The second man never again asked for a chew of tobacco. This was a true story of olden days.

Once Uncle Jim Smith that lived at Latch nipped the bottle a little too much, said "hootsy tootsy who likes grapes." I don't think Uncle Jim drank all that much. Probably occasionally a little dram. But this time he got a little topsy terby.

This probably wouldn't be funny to anyone besides me and my little sister, Nell, when we were small children. From time to time one of us would say "hootsy tootsy who likes grapes?" It is still funny to me but unlikely to be funny to any other person.

JESSIE JAMES TREASURE

Back about 1931 at Lone Mountain we were living on the Pounds farm. An old gentleman that lived the other side of the school on the other outer edge from us was somewhat aged and as best I can recall his name was Mr. Holland.

He knew back in the big mountains, way back up Big Cypress Creek, there was a certain cave that had a lot of money hidden there by Jessie James in olden days and never was found. Mr. Holland would come to our house, which was a long walk of almost 5 miles maybe, quite often telling Daddy and all of us about this large amount of money.

He would tell just how you went down so many steps and turned so far to a certain direction and up on a certain place was this stone container with much much money. He would tell us this many times.

Finally the crops was layed by and Dad, Mr. Holland and I got in the wagon to go seek our fortune. We went what seemed forever up into the wilderness of Big Cypress Creek. It had lots of large trees, a beautiful place and good fishing place. Dad and us set out our hooks and had a nice time.

Next morning early Dad asked me to stay there to care for the camp. Probably was such rugged travel he thought it best for me as a small boy to stay there. They took off up the mountain. They were gone a long time but I don’t remember any fear at all for me. But over in the afternoon they returned to the fishing camp. They had found the cave just as described, all exactly as Mr. Holland had explained, but just outside near the entrance was the rock container that held the large amount of money empty. Someone else had gotten the money some time earlier. But the impressive thing was the fact that all was exactly as the old gentleman had described it to us. We had a fine fishing trip.

WATERMELON PATCH & HOME-MADE SLIDE

My cousin, Herman Sanders, was visiting me at Pounds Farm in the early 1930’s and we got the old mule hitched to the homemade slide. This was two runners with a single tree on front for the mule to pull by and planks across to carry things on. Then we put side planks on it to carry round things like melons. Herman and I went down to the melon patch, loaded with lots of fine melons and going back to the house the creek was out of its banks and all flooded out in the bottom. We had to cross water to get home. To this very day Herman and I both say and we think that old slide and watermelons floated in the high water. We still believe this to be the truth. But all was lots of fun riding some and walking some with the old mule and the slide. No fun like the fun of the old-time farm and fun.

One time I fed the hog with the slop in the old triangle trough. A chicken kept getting into the hog feed. I scared the chicken away a bunch of times. I got somewhat concerned, picked up a corn cob the hog had stripped all the grains off of and hit at the chicken. I hit the poor chicken in the wrong place and the old chicken fell over dead—I thought. I was very alarmed. Dad would be getting me for that. But to my glad surprise the old chicken got up after a little while and walked off. I never had before or since heard of knocking a chicken out cold but I did it, the chicken was none the worse for it.

MR. FRANKLIN

At Lone Mountain we lived a half mile or so from an old gentleman named Franklin. I have always wished that I could have talked to him. But it seemed that he was a keep-to-himself, say-nothing sort of fellow. He lived just past Mr. Jim Bishop almost in front of Mrs. Holeyfield's house. Mr. Ward I guess was living there. I don't seem to remember him. I do remember Mrs. Ward. Mrs. Holeyfield and Mrs. Ward were sisters and I believe that Mr. Franklin was their dad. I think Mrs. Holeyfield was a Miss. She had Carl and Pat Moore as sons. Also Royce Holeyfield that went to school with us kids at Lone Mountain School. Mrs. Ward had Douglas in our grade at Lone Mountain and Indian Rock, also Doyle, another boy a little younger, a sister I can't remember her name and a girl Lucile.

Mr. Franklin had a tiny little wagon, maybe made by hand at home. Had some little Jenny donkeys that brought him here from the old states, Georgia or South Carolina or some place far away in those days. He traveled with this little set of Jenny donkeys and no one could make over 8 or maybe 10 miles a day like this, no doubt eating grass as feed for the little Jennys. I don't know how the old fellow lived unless he hunted which he most likely did to live by himself. I would guess it took close to two years to get here the way he had to travel. I WISH I COULD KNOW THE HISTORY OF ALL HIS TRAVELS. Maybe Russell Shumake can fill in some on this.

THE OLD MAID & THE HAM OF MEAT

There was an old maid (never been married) sitting in olden times in the smokehouse where they cured the home-made hams and meat. She was sitting looking upward at a large ham of meat, weeping very noticeably. Enough so that someone near came to see about her and ask what in the world was wrong? She said "what if I was married and what if I had a small child and what if that large ham of meat fell and killed that child?"

At our house many times through the years we would say in all sincerity that old ham of meat is swinging, it may fall. Or that old ham of meat may fall. Each of us have a certain amount of fear of what may happen on down the way. But as one man said we can’t cross all the bridges until we get to them because some of them may be washed out when we get there.

Uncle Odd (O.F. Langford) would say our hinder sight was always better than our foresight. Also it has been said we can see around a curve behind us but we can’t see straight in front of us. The Bible says "sufficient for the day are the troubles of that day." Also by "taking thought we cannot add one cubit to our height." The greatest thing any of us can tell anyone is "I care." My Dad would often say we live in a world of "dog eat dog." My Dad would meet any man more than half way as the old saying goes.

Fishing at Old Railroad Crossing on Big Cypress

In the early years about 1929 Dad carried me fishing with him to Big Cypress Creek. He has since told me of how he went near there one time by himself. In the night the wild cats got in his food box in the old-time wagon. He could hear the cats creeping up the tongue of the old wagon, crawling beyond the spring seat and eating up his food. He had no gun but got some nice chunks of hot ended sticks from the camp fire, about 24 inches long the next time he heard the cat he throwed and missed. He kept throwing (remember it was terribly dark with no lantern or anything). Finally he got a good lick right on the old wild cat with the stick from the fire and really hit him good. After that no more trouble for that night.

But near this place Dad and I was fishing. I was small, about 9 or maybe 10 years old. We went the next morning as we always did after setting out hooks at night, running the lines and then went hand hook fishing up by the old railroad crossing. I can still see it now. The old creosote pilings and timbers was all in the water. All the long posts was still in the same places. We were fishing right at the foot of the piling and poles. As a child the fish did not bite readily. I climbed the extra high bank leaving my pole set out down at the water’s edge and climbing the extra high hill where the railroad once crossed Big Cypress. Dad looked and saw my pole near the water and called.

I answered immediately but the rustling of the swift water kept him from hearing me. He called again and again and each time I answered but he could not hear. By that time I decided to come down the steep hill. When I got there I guess my Dad was the most frightened he was ever at any time I ever saw him in my life. He was fixing to go into that deep alligator, snake infested large creek and go under all those old timbers and find his boy. I tell this with tear filled eyes because my Dad thought of me as someone special. But never a scolding anger of any kind did he say about this event. What love a Dad has for a Son to go to any or all lengths to help or save that child.

Horace Smith

My brother Leon had a nearby neighbor boy that was a friend of his. I was very small but I can remember a few things about Horace. As far as I know he was a good boy, just full of fun and mischief.

In those days they had men coming by like peddlers or sometimes called drummers. They just about did not have a hotel or motel in those days. A few in the larger towns. But usually when a man traveling from place to place came to a house at nightfall he asked to stay all night. People having very little company, no radio, no telephone and very few passer-by people, usually welcomed them to stay the night. Feeding the mules, or horse or horses which may be the case. Mr. Way may have been a peddler. I was too small to remember, but he could take the old time pen, dip in the ink well and make the most beautiful birds and drawings anyone ever saw. Maybe this is where I learned to love birds, him drawing them so skillfully and in such a brief time by hand.

Horace was there to stay the night with Leon. Horace kept picking and picking and picking at Mr. Way. On and on and on he went and never seemed to run out of energy. He wanted attention of course. Finally Mr. Way got down on his knees and hands, I still remember it even tho' I was terribly small, and started growling and barking like a dog and crawling at Horace. Horace got so excited he fell off the high front porch backward into the dark. Of course no electric lights. Only a coal oil light in the house. It was so funny and all our family for many years would often tell of how Mr. Way ran Horace off the porch in the dark and scared the child half to death. But one thing for sure, when Horace got back up on the high porch he did not pick at Mr. Way any more that night.

Another time Horace was helping Leon chop wood. I am sure the two of them was hurrying to get away to go somewhere because Leon was never at home. Anyway, Horace drawed back a double bladed ax right straight over his head and over his back and you might guess little Ellis was right behind Horace. The ax split my head wide open right in the front of my forehead. Of course in those days no thought of carrying a child to the doctor. Also old Dr. Craddock probably never sewed up a place in his life. I still can feel the scar of the ax in the center of my forehead. A little closer with the double bladed ax and I would not be here to tell about it. I don't think Horace did it on purpose. I feel and my people felt it was an accident. We always thought of Horace as a nice boy. I can't remember how Horace died but he died at an early age. Mama Langford or Mom Wade probably can remember why Horace died young. But I feel he was a good boy.

KERKENDALL BOYS & WATER

Back when I was 8 or maybe 9 years old the older boys went in an old water slew swimming, maybe just wading in the water, I don’t remember just all about it. I was very small and waded into the water and before I knew it I was over my head in deep water. One of the Kerkendall boys got me out. I thought of that several times and how easily I could have drowned with just a bunch of boys out swimming. How easily it is to make a mistake. Before we know it we are into the deep water and the troubles of life all about us.

The Kerkendall people lived over near the Stamps community where Frank and V.O. Stamps, the famous gospel singers came from, east of Gilmer not far from the Sand Hill community.

FOLLOW THE LEADER

While living at Sand Hill, Tullis and I would go to the swimming hole with the larger boys like J.T. Wade and other larger boys. They would play a game called follow the leader. Here the large boys would go running and scampering across the pasture where the cows eat, dip and diving all sorts of ways. Jumping small holes and narrow places in the creek. Tullis and I did well but first thing you know they picked a hole the big boys leaped across easily and you can guess Tullis and I fell in the middle of the water because we were too small to make the long jump. Of course the older boys laughed their heads off. But still I don’t remember us kids getting mad. It was all in fun.

SCARY FISHING TRIP

When the crops was all layed by, which is to say all the plowing was done for the cotton and corn and all the other crops and before we started cutting wood for the fire place or the wood heater and wood cook stove, we would usually go fishing. All the family would get into the wagon. Here would go old Tobe and Pete pulling the wagon, seemed they would enjoy it and pull all the faster on this trip. Mom and Dad on the spring seat and Baby Truman in Mom’s arms or on the wagon seat beside her on the spring seat. I can just see them sitting about 3 feet high up in the bed. Sometime the top frames was off leaving the bottom 12 frames. The spring seat about 12 inches high putting them about 24 inches from the floor of the wagon. Mama could never find a resting place for her short legs. Dad would rest his feet on the front of the wagon frame, a slope plank called the dash board, or on the side of the wagon frame and would make it much better than Mama. Sister and me would sit about 4 feet behind the wagon spring seat on a flat plank with a quilt spread across it to cushion it. We made it fine. We arrived at Big Cypress, the most beautiful camping place you ever saw, to camp all day and stay the night. Of course, Sis and I took off running up and down the creek. After Dad fed the mules and gave them water (he always cared well for his mules), then he would cut a willow or burch tree of small size and make a fine fishing pole. Then Dad would find a foot log or drift in the creek and start fishing. Mom would start preparing for cooking supper on the open fire. Sis and I having the time of our lives. In a little while in all the commotion and excitement Mama noticed that toddler Truman was gone. Suddenly the steep banks of the creek looked 50 foot deep. All looked all over for toddler Truman. Sis going here, Ellis going there, Mother frantic with fear.

I can't remember if we called Dad or not. If he was in hearing distance we certainly did call him. All was looking for baby Truman there near the swift deep banks of the large creek with much water. After some very scared minutes seeming to be a very very long time Baby Truman was found safe. And all on this fishing trip had a wonderful time fishing and all the excitement that goes with a fishing trip for the family in the mid-summer must have been about 1930. Truman was born in June 1928 and him being a toddler would make it about 1930. But oh how we loved to go fishing and camping for the night.

MY DOG

When I was 11 or 12 years of age somewhere along the way someone gave us a little tiny dog. I claimed it as my dog. We lived at Lone Mountain and I thought it was the prettiest thing in the world. As I said I called it my dog. For a while it would whine at night and my mother would get up in the night and give it milk to keep the little thing satisfied and it would go back to sleep. I was more attached each day to the dog. Soon the dog was fairly big, maybe half grown. Dad and I suppose Mother decided it took too much to feed the dog. The chickens or pig needed the scraps. They gave it to Mr. George Griggs Sr. I almost could not stand it. One Sunday afternoon I went over to see Ben Griggs supposedly to play with Ben. He was and still is a very likeable boy. I was so sad seeing my little dog there. I don’t think I played but very little. I walked the 1 1/2 miles to the school house and about three miles on over to our house never to see my little dog again.

After I was about grown and in CCC camp sending $22 monthly home each month (I got $8 a month to keep for myself which was a lot in those days) brother Truman got a dog, Old Buck. I was proud for him. I think even Dad liked the dog because he would follow dad to the back field several miles away where he had farm land rented at East Mountain. Dad told me one time what happened to old Buck. Seems that he just disappeared and never did know for sure what happened to him at the time. We had only those two dogs as far as my memory can recall all the days at our home. You rest assured that MY boys had a dog if they so desired. Some of the sweetest ones in the world. I was glad because I knew what it was not to have a dog.

A Funny Thing at School??

Or is it funny? At school one time I had some chuffie nuts in my pocket. I dropped one or two on the floor when I was small. The other children were small also and one little child got on the floor to get the chuffie nuts. Then I dropped one, then more. First thing there was about four or more little kids scrambling on the floor for the chuffie nuts. The teacher, quite alarmed, said "here, here. What's going on?" with excitement all around. I was proud she did not realize that I caused it all. The chuffie nut grows under the ground like a peanut. It tastes a lot like a dried raisin. Back in those days it was about an unheard of thing for children to have dried raisins. They were very tasty. I just don’t seem to remember if we raised some of them. I tried as a small boy to plant them but had no wisdom as how to plant and cultivate, etc. This may not be funny to others but is still funny to me. Anyone had to live in that day and time to get the full fun out of it.