boogerville

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

2011-01-01T10:32:00.000-08:00

"What I'm trying to tell you is plain and simple. The bastards who own these mills are millionaires. While the doffers and carders and all the people behind the machines who spin and weave the cloth can't hardly make enough to keep their guts quiet. See? So when you walk around the streets and think about it and see hungry, worn-out people and ricket-legged younguns, don't it make you mad? Don't it?

-Jake from The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

2010-07-24T09:54:00.001-07:00

O Queen of the Sheperds!
Take strong liquor to the workers,
So that their strength may be calmed
Until the sea-bathe at noon.
Rimbaud

strike Violence 1934

2010-07-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Paula Griffin paula@infionline.net Registry # 0001610 March 16, 2004, 12:56 pm

The Columbus Enquirer
W. R. Sanders Dies Friday at Hospital Disorder at Georgia Webbing and Tape Company Results in Tragedy Three Under Arrest
Officers Fail to Determine Who Fired Fatal Shot During Disturbance
William Reuben Sanders, 30-year old textile worker, of 1408 Eleventh avenue, died at the city hospital at 5:55 o'clock last night as the result of a bullet
wound which he received during an affray between strikers, strike sympathizers
and employes at the Georgia Webbing and Tape company yesterday afternoon and
three men are being held in the Muscogee county jail without bond pending
further investigation of the shooting.
Those who are being held in jail are: G. D. Beasley, 42, 1426 Fifteenth
avenue, whose pistol was fired twice during the melee; G. E. Clarke, 36, of 711
Tenth avenue, Phenix City, who is alleged to have had a hold on Mr. Beasley's
pistol at the time it was fired; and J. H. Tipper, 30, of 1600 Fifteenth
street, in whose possession a pistol was found and whom witnesses told police
fired one shot.
Beasley Driving Auto
Mr. Beasley, who has been an emmploye of the webbing and tape company for nine
years, was attempting to drive his automobile through the picket line at the
mill when the affray started. He had been at work in the mill and was
attempting to leave to go home. In the car with Mr. Beasley were his wife,
Mrs. Beasley, Mr. Tipper and his wife; Roy Lambert, 25, of 1549 Fifteenth
avenue and Mrs. Louisa Upchurch. The man who was killed had been in the picket
line.
In addition to the fatal pistol wound suffered by Mr. Sanders, Mr. Lambert
suffered a severe laceration of the scalp and Newton Taylor, of 1402 Tenth
avenue, suffered a laceration of the face.
The situation was tense at the scene of the strike following the shooting.
City police, county police and Sheriff C. C. Layfield and deputies went to the
scene. Some of the officers were equipped with teargas, but it was not
necessary to use it to disperse the crowd. Leaders, advised by officers to do
so, advised the crowd to break up, warning them that police would use the tear
gas if necessary.
-Sister-in-Law Struck
Mr. Beasley told an Enquirer reporter last night when he attempted to drive his
car through the picket line, a man whose identity he did not know, jumped on
the side of the auto and struck Mrs. Tipper, who is a sister of Mrs. Beasley.
He said that, with the car moving slowly in low gear, he drove into a field
near the mill. He stated that he had taken his pistol, a .38 calibre Colt,
from the pocket of the car and placed it on the front seat of the car.
After he had driven into the field, he picked up the weapon, Mr. Beasley said.
It was then that a man whose name Mr. Beasley did not know but who officers
said was Mr. Clarke, got into the car on the side opposite the driver and
attempted to take the pistol from him. City Officers C. V. Cooksey and L. H.
Raines, who had attempted to clear a way throught the picket line in order that
the car might pass, were beside the vehicle at the time. Officers H. J. Jambon
and F. L. Griffin approached the car and they attempted to take the weapon away
from Mr. Beasley before he could fire it.
Officer Jambon stated that Mr. Beasley had the pistol in his hand and that Mr.
Clarke was grappling with him, apparently trying to take the weapon away from
him. The officer said that he begged Mr. Beasley not to fire the revolver.
-Pistol Fired
The pistol was then fired once, and a moment later was fired a second time.
Officer Griffin said that he made a determined effort to prevent Mr. Beasley
from firing the weapon and that at the time the second shot was discharged he
had his hand on the barrel of the gun. Officer Jambon said that he finally
succeeded in taking the pistol way from Mr. Beasley and Mr. Clarke. Officer
Raines was also making an effort to prevent the shooting and was standing so
close that he suffered a slight powder burn on the arm when the pistol was
fired.
Mr. Tipper was sitting on the back seat of the automobile which was being
driven by Mr. Beasley. Chief Homer W. Cornett, who with other officers arrived
on the scene a short while after the shooting, took a .44 Colt revolver from
him. The chief said that the weapon was fully loaded with full cartridges.
Mr. Tipper was lodged in jail on a charge of carrying a pistol without a
license.
He was released from jail under bond later in the afternoon, but was rearrested
when witnesses told officers that they were positive that he fired one shot at
or about the same time Mr. Beasley's pistol was discharged. They did not know
whether he fired the same pistol which was taken from him by police and
reloaded it or whether he had a second weapon.
-Witness is Quoted
Mrs. Hattie Anthony, of 1117 Fourteenth street, was one of the witnesses who
told officers that Mr. Tipper fired one shot. She said she saw him discharge
his pistol and that it was that shot which struck Mr. Sanders. Several others
corroborated her statement, including J. R. Helms of 1510 Twelfth avenue, and
Mrs. Susie Whatley, of 908 Ninth street.
Witnesses told officers taht he fired from the back seat of the auto, out the
side and toward the place where Mr. Sanders was standing on the right side of
the car about even with the driver's seat. Mr. Tipper denied that he fired.
During his discussion of the case yesterday, Mr. Beasley denied that he was
touching the trigger of his pistol at the time it was discharged, although he
admitted having his hand on the weapon at the time. He said that at least four
people were scuffling over the pistol, including his wife, Mrs. Beasley, an
officer whose name he did not know, another man whose name he did not know, and
himself.
-Lacerations Suffered
Mr. Lambert having been slashed by an unidentied person in the melee which
accompanied the shooting, he was taken to the hospital by Mr. Beasley, who was
taken to the county jail a few minutes later. Mr. Taylor, who suffered a cut
on the face, was taken to the hospital by John Macon, of Eleventh avenue, and
Mr. Clarke and Mr. Sanders were taken to the hospital by police. All of the
injured were dismissed from the hospital after emergency treatment, with the
exception of Mr. Sanders.
It was found that the bullet had entered Mr. Sanders' face under the left eye
and had ranged downward into his throat. His condition was considered critical
at the time he was taken to the hospital, a few minutes after 2 o'clock
yesterday afternoon, and his death followed at 5:55 o'clock last night.
The strike which led to the tragedy yesterday occurred several weeks ago when a
part fo the employes of the plant walked out, resulting in the closing of the
plant and it was stated that it would probably be closed until early fall.
-Ordered to Work
A small force of non-strikers was ordered to report for work yesterday, the
employers planning to operate on a limited scale. Eight people went to work
yesterday morning and when the information spread among the strikers a picket
line was formed. The affray resulted when Mr. Beasley and the others with him
attempted to pass through the picket line about 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon.
Mr. Sanders, the victim of the shooting, was a member of Textile Union No.
1605. He was an employe (this is all the article I have, it does not say it
was continued)

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a new day

2009-08-15T11:39:00.001-07:00

The Woodstock anniversary made me think of the saying, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life." Perhaps we need to revive the quote.

Death's Supermarket

2007-04-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

Death moves among us, picking and choosing, whoever it may be. The most I can hope for is to challenge myself to live well and strong. To not be a burden or to conflict with anyone else's hapiness. It is fleeting, this life, this time we have here.

More thoughts

2007-04-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

The forever of tommorrow goes through the songs of today to find us here alone on a ship bound only for death. We are all on this ship, this Mother Earth and we must not separate ourselves from each other. It only leads to more alienation.
Accept them even though they do not accept you. My Golden Rule.

Daylight

2007-04-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

I was going through an old journal last night and came across some aphorisms, some I wrote and some from others. At some point I am not sure which are which.

Every day holds a new opportunity to break the chains of normalcy.
When a mark of concern by a stranger is touched by genuine worth it seems to be a miracle.
A meeting of minds can be as intimate and intoxicating as a meeting of bodies.

Ruminations

2007-04-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

The drought and fires continue in south Georgia and gardening seems almost futile.

Continuity as a paradox
Disparity is the norm while there runs a current of perception that continuity is true, in reality disparity is the true order of existence, a notion or perception (lie) by governing organizations tends to accept and portray this, as does mass media by confirming continuity. Only through disasters does the perceived continuity crack and reality is shown to be a disparate world.

Non-governed by rigidity, one can move in and out of and belong to more than one set.
What price freedom? No freedom.
How do we rationalize one moment of waiting, waiting to live.

The War

2007-03-23T05:42:00.000-07:00

I attended a lecture by Robert Fisk last night for the second time. He confirmed my own thoughts and feelings about the USA's foreign policy. "There is no hope." The script from Bush at the start of the war was a rerun of the British invasion in 1917.
This also confirms my own philosophy that we must work where we are. An individual can accomplish much more by working on the local level to make a better world for future generations.

Waking Up

2007-03-22T05:07:00.000-07:00

My first sight when I opened my eyes this morning was the dogwood tree outside my windows. It is in full bloom and brought tears to my eyes.
I walked to the University last night and listened to Robert Fisk talk about war. It was really nothing I didn't already know or feel in my own gut. The world has changed forever.
The one thing that struck a note with me was his inference that the 120.000 mercenaries are there to insure that there will be no peace and the population of Iraq will continue to be decimated.
He also said it is not about oil, it is about power.
But, I will do what I did yesterday and maybe work a little harder today.

World enough and time

2007-03-15T18:18:00.000-07:00

When we were young it seemed we had all the time in the world. There was no need to rush and life was easy and safe (most of the time).
Now that we are old, time is running out. Our chance to leave a legacy is short. How can we correct the ills we have created? How can we right the wrongs we have done?
It is these questions that face us more than any other.