E.O. Friday Interview

00:00:00

GEORGE STONEY: The, the, the --

JUDITH HELFAND: One second.

GEORGE STONEY: Yeah. Yeah, I'm sorry, Jamie. I should have --

JAMIE STONEY: We got them. We're [rolling?].

GEORGE STONEY: No, OK. Could you talk about, uh, the unions at that time, and its relationship to blacks?

E.O. FRIDAY: Well now, the unions at that time -- well, uh, wasn't no blacks in it, at, at that time. Of course, there is now. But at that time, uh, (laughs) blacks [better not go up?] there. Blacks -- they didn't know what was going on, because they was always down in the -- in the boiler room or in the (inaudible) scrubbing floors. So they didn't -- they never did ask them about joining because the ones that run the machines the ones they was after. They didn't -- they didn't pay no attention to the guy that's doing common labor. Uh, like, such as cutting grass around the mill and keeping it up, like, they didn't bother with that. They were just wanting somebody to -- uh, they wanted to stop the mill. Well, you know, you, you, you could stop cutting 00:01:00grass. That ain't gonna stop the mill. So they, they didn't bother with blacks then.

GEORGE STONEY: [Uh-huh?].

FRIDAY: They didn't... But now, uh, they, uh, they are in the mill and everywhere. So they, they, they joined the union so it's no problem now.

GEORGE STONEY: In fact, we've done a lot of photography around, and there's no question about it, that the blacks have pretty well the, the strongest people in the union.

FRIDAY: Yeah, they can -- they can pull it any way they want to with all of the -- uh, they can do it with all its, you know... They, they got a little power now. They're -- they kind of stick together.

GEORGE STONEY: But did you follow what was happening up at, uh, Kannapolis last year?

FRIDAY: Uh, let me see now. I, I just remember what happened up there now. I read about it, but I can't, uh... They had a strike up there, at that -- what's the name of that mill? Uh, I don't -- I don't remember the name of it. Um, it was a big textile plant, I believe it was. I believe it, uh -- was 00:02:00that the mill where the elevator failed or something? That wasn't on --

GEORGE STONEY: No, that (overlapping dialogue; inaudible).

FRIDAY: That wasn't the mill.

GEORGE STONEY: No, what, what we're talking about is the -- when they had the campaign to try to get the union in, up at C-- at Cannon.

FRIDAY: Oh, yeah, yeah. Now, that's the name of the mill I was trying to (overlapping dialogue; inaudible).

HELFAND: Fieldcrest.

GEORGE STONEY: Yeah, Fieldcrest.

FRIDAY: Yeah. Yeah, there was -- it was blacks, uh, in there.

GEORGE STONEY: Mm-hmm.

FRIDAY: They, they, there's -- uh, there was a lot of blacks joined that, uh, union.

GEORGE STONEY: We were up there photographing when they were having the big, uh, election.

FRIDAY: Yeah? Mm-hmm.

GEORGE STONEY: Yeah. And we found some very powerful black people up there, yeah.

FRIDAY: Yeah? Yeah, uh-huh.

GEORGE STONEY: They did well, very well.

FRIDAY: But now -- I mean, now they can -- they, they go ahead and join the union and nothing's done about it. But back then on -- in the '30s, you know, when I was up here at the Modena Mill, there wasn't no blacks in the mill. And, uh, they wasn't running no machines. So they -- uh, then it wasn't (inaudible) go up there and go and join no union. 'Cause wasn't nobody else gonna do that job but blacks. (laughs)

00:03:00

GEORGE STONEY: Well, now, we found in one place the, uh -- we have a letter from some black men who were protesting the fact that they had been working at a job. And when --

HELFAND: The letter's right there.

GEORGE STONEY: Yeah, let's see, it went -- uh, let's see.

JAMIE STONEY: So --

HELFAND: (inaudible) it's in this one.

GEORGE STONEY: This one?

HELFAND: Yes.

GEORGE STONEY: OK. Uh, hold it just a moment, Jamie. See if I can find the letter. Uh, let's see. That's the eagle.

HELFAND: It's after that.

GEORGE STONEY: What?

HELFAND: It's, it's -- keep on going.

GEORGE STONEY: OK. Um, oh, yeah.

HELFAND: That's it. That's it.

GEORGE STONEY: This is it? Yeah.

HELFAND: Mm-hmm.

GEORGE STONEY: OK, here's -- see -- uh, this is the letter, and then we just typed it out here.

FRIDAY: Mm-hmm.

GEORGE STONEY: Uh, it says, uh -- it's to Hugh Johnson, again -- the fella who ran the NRA. "On Tuesday, January the 2nd, 7 men were fired from the 00:04:00[Mary-Leila?] Cotton Mill in this city." This is Greensboro, Georgia. "On Friday morning, January the 5th, 7 more were fired, making a total of 14. These men had been working the factory from 2 to 14 years, and were fired without any reason. The factory had recently put in new machinery, which, of course, reduced the number of men." I guess you saw a lot of that.

FRIDAY: Mm-hmm.

GEORGE STONEY: "So this number of 14 colored men were working inside, 12 operating machines and 2 cleaned. We feel that this was unfair, as whites were taken from other jobs and put on colored jobs.

FRIDAY: Mm-hmm.

GEORGE STONEY: "We will appreciate it if you would send an NRA, uh -- NRA authorities to investigate." It was signed by 14 colored men.

00:05:00

FRIDAY: Hm, mm-hmm. I wonder if they're still living. (laughs) You know, down in Georgia -- uh-uh, no way. That was a bad place for blacks. M-- Georgia and Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana -- all of them are (inaudible). It was -- uh, it's still rough on blacks down there. Yeah. Yeah, it is. (inaudible) where this man that killed Medgar Evers.

GEORGE STONEY: Medgar Evers, yeah, uh-huh.

FRIDAY: Yeah, they had that on the, uh, television, and they finally, uh, found the guy that killed him.

GEORGE STONEY: Mm-hmm.

FRIDAY: And, uh, they said they're gonna try him. But I don't know. It, it was on television. I don't know whether (inaudible) -- that's been 29 -- 28 or 29 years ago.

GEORGE STONEY: Yeah.

HELFAND: What do think about that letter?

FRIDAY: Uh, I -- that's a good letter there, but, uh, I wonder what happened to them 14 people down in Georgia. I know they lost their jobs, but (laughs) 00:06:00they're liable to have lost more than that, because, see, anytime you try to stick your neck out for your own race, they're gonna get you. Just like, uh, Martin Luther King. See, I mean, it's -- uh, I know -- I know the story. See, I know what the situation is, yeah.

GEORGE STONEY: But you've done so well here in spite of all of that.

FRIDAY: Mm-hmm.

GEORGE STONEY: Do you have any reason -- ex-- could you explain why?

FRIDAY: Well, I'll tell you what. Uh, I believe -- uh, I believe it would be a better day, but number one, I'm a Christian. I go to chu-- I'm a deacon in the church, uh -- I joined the church when I was, uh, around about 12 years old. And I was baptized in a creek. And I been going to Sunday school. We walked four miles to Sunday school and preaching, and I still belong to the same 00:07:00church -- First Baptist Church over in Dallas, North Carolina. And, uh, that's, that's the only -- that's what made me, uh, strong, to endure the hardships of life. If you got, uh, uh, a good Christian, and believe in the lord and savior, Jesus Christ, it's a way. You'll make it, yeah. It's been hard, now, but you'll make it. You can't give up. You got to... I'm, I'm -- I made it, uh, up to 79 years. Never have been locked up for nothing. And, uh -- and let's see. I've got, uh, two parking tickets. (laughter) And, uh, uh I had a banking account, and I don't know why I made that big mistake. Uh, I overdrawed at the bank, and, uh -- and the police 00:08:00(inaudible) come and got me. Said I was -- I, I forged a check. So, uh, I had to go up to, uh -- up to the courthouse for that. They didn't lock me up, but, uh, I told them that, uh, I just made a mistake. I said, uh, I hadn't made my deposits yet. See, I was in business. So they -- that was the only time I -- you know, I had any trouble.

HELFAND: How did the overseers -- how did you -- what is it -- did you watch? Did you see the way the boss men treated the white workers in the mill village, inside the mill? They've been telling us some harsh stories.

FRIDAY: Well now, um, it depends upon the foreman. There were some good foremen and then some bad ones. See, the -- he -- what he -- uh, if he didn't get a certain amount of production out of them, well, see, he would always stay on their back, 'cause see -- 'cause the man over him would want production. He was trying to save his back, and he put the pressure on his labor-- uh, 00:09:00laborers. So you had good employees and you had -- I mean, uh, employees, and, and you had bad ones. So, uh, I don't know why the -- I didn't know too much about it, I heard 'em talking about it. They, their, their superintendent would -- I mean, the, uh, boss man was real rough (inaudible), you know? They would -- uh, I had some good white friends. They'd come out and tell us about their boss man, how they'd treat them and all, and everything. But I never -- we never did -- there wasn't nothing we could do. Wasn't no need to tell us. (laughs) Wasn't nothing we could do about it. But they just wanted to get it off their che sts, I reckon. Yeah, I don't know. It's, uh -- people don't, uh, know how bad, uh, people c-- had to do, to make a living, you know? Some of them had it good, and some of them had it bad. But, uh, I still 00:10:00believe that -- uh, in Christianity. I believe in prayer and all of that. What helped me to come through. And I still believe that.

HELFAND: One other thing. George, maybe you could tell E.O. about your perception of the cotton-mill village, since both of you didn't live nearby (overlapping dialogue; inaudible).

GEORGE STONEY: Well, I grew up in Winston-Salem.

FRIDAY: Mm-hmm.

GEORGE STONEY: And my family, uh, lived in Salem.

FRIDAY: Mm-hmm.

GEORGE STONEY: Which was not part of the, the cotton-mill village. So, you had Hanes and you had Arista Cotton Mills nearby. And for some reason, we always thought we were a little bit better than those people.

FRIDAY: Mm-hmm.

GEORGE STONEY: And I didn't realize until I started working on this job how ingrained that prejudice was. So that I constantly, as I travel around and I meet these people, I have to admit that I'm a little bit surprised (laughter) 00:11:00at the -- that they've done as well as they have.

FRIDAY: Mm-hmm.

GEORGE STONEY: That they were as smart as they were back then, and they had, uh -- their lives were so hard back then.

FRIDAY: That's right.

GEORGE STONEY: But, uh, that's one of the reasons that we want people to know about this history, because --

FRIDAY: That's right, uh-huh.

GEORGE STONEY: -- I'm sure I'm not unique. I'm sure that a lot of other people --

FRIDAY: Mm-hmm.

GEORGE STONEY: -- have that same misconception of what cotton-mill people were like. And so, that's one of the reasons we're trying to make this film.

FRIDAY: Mm-hmm. Well, that's good, uh, you know? I'm glad you came by. I mean, glad that somebody is interested in, in the history and, and letting people know what's happ-- what, what did happen, and some of it's still happening. (laughs) Yeah, uh, I'm telling you.

GEORGE STONEY: Well, the fight goes on.

FRIDAY: Yeah.

GEORGE STONEY: It goes on.

FRIDAY: Yeah.

GEORGE STONEY: OK.

JAMIE STONEY: (inaudible) did you hear the fella down in Hamlet, in front of the judge? 00:12:00He said, "I don't know where the money is."

FRIDAY: Oh, yeah.

JAMIE STONEY: Declared bankruptcy (overlapping dialogue; inaudible).

FRIDAY: Oh, yeah, I saw that. Uh-huh, yeah.

HELFAND: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). Jamie, could you go in tight on your dad, and then go over...? Could you talk about lint-heads?

GEORGE STONEY: Yeah.

HELFAND: But, but one second, (inaudible).

JAMIE STONEY: "I appreciate this, Jamie." (laughter) OK, rolling, (inaudible).

GEORGE STONEY: Well, one of the things that I used to hear as a child was talk about lint-heads.

FRIDAY: Mm-hmm.

GEORGE STONEY: Did you ever hear that phrase?

FRIDAY: Yeah.

GEORGE STONEY: What did it mean?

FRIDAY: It means that they had cotton in their hair. They worked in the cotton mill. I heard that. Yeah. Called them lint-heads and, and, uh, I found out that they -- the ones that worked in the mills, see, they called them -- a lot of them white trash. You know, I've heard, uh, the other people -- other whites who -- that was a little above them would call them white trash. "Oh, he worked there, and he was a, a lint-head at the cotton mill." That's the way [they done?] talk about each other, yeah. Yeah, they, they did do that. 00:13:00They certainly would.

GEORGE STONEY: OK.

HELFAND: OK.

JAMIE STONEY: Just want to get some tone.

GEORGE STONEY: OK.

HELFAND: Sure.

JAMIE STONEY: (inaudible).

GEORGE STONEY: Now we'll just be very quiet for about half a minute.

HELFAND: Yeah, I'm gonna get some tone (inaudible), OK?

JAMIE STONEY: OK, I'm still rolling.

(break in audio)

00:14:00

HELFAND: All right, this is, uh, tone, right here. And now (inaudible) is in channel one.

GEORGE STONEY: Hold it, Jamie. (pause)

JAMIE STONEY: (inaudible).

HELFAND: No, that's OK. (pause)

GEORGE STONEY: OK, good.

(break in audio)

FRIDAY: Well, I, I have, uh, shot -- about the best I can shoot now is, uh, in the 70s.

00:15:00

JAMIE STONEY: (laughs) Well you -- you're about 20 or 30 strokes better than me.

FRIDAY: Yeah.

JAMIE STONEY: I've never broken 100.

FRIDAY: Oh, (inaudible) I got some guy that -- he -- principal -- retired principals I play with. And, and I'm the oldest one. And I can drive. When I'm -- uh, that arthritis not bothering me too bad, I can drive 275 yards. That's right. That -- but, uh, the humidity, uh, uh, if it's, uh, heavy, I think -- and, you know, if it's real hot, I can (inaudible) drive it a lot further. But now, if you take a -- if it's damp, the -- your ball don't go as far when it's damp. But when it's hot and dry, the ball travels a lot further.

GEORGE STONEY: Tell me about this house.

FRIDAY: Well, it took me two years to, to build this house. I, I built the kitchen and a bedroom, then we moved in, in, in the bedroom. And then, we had a 00:16:00place to cook. And then I'd, I'd work every, every, every night till I completed it. Took me two years. But now -- and then it took me, uh, two years to put that stone on, because I did it part time. See, I'd work at, uh -- at my job, and then come here to work at night.

GEORGE STONEY: Why did you choose the stone?

FRIDAY: Well, I just, uh, saw my brother-in-law's, you know, Bruce? And I said I'm gonna make mine just like his, so that's what I did. (laughs) And everybody said it's the prettiest house on the block.

JAMIE STONEY: Where did you get the stone from?

FRIDAY: Up at Bessemer City. You know, there's a place up there, uh, you -- around the mountain, uh, you, you just -- some of them people will give you their stones. You just pick them up. Now, I didn't pay nothing. All it cost me was to go up there and pick them up and haul them home, yeah.

00:17:00

GEORGE STONEY: Well, how much land do you have here?

FRIDAY: I just, uh -- I just got, uh, that vacant lot on the other side. (pause in audio) And then, uh, my (inaudible). The rest, uh, down below there, (inaudible). But I took, uh, that there front lot on account of -- when Mama and Daddy died, they, uh -- I had to have it surveyed and all that, you know, and paid taxes on it -- on all of their property. So I, I was entitled to the front lot because they never did give me my part of the money, because I paid taxes on the whole -- all of it --

GEORGE STONEY: Mm-hmm.

FRIDAY: -- for about two or three years. So -- but my mama, uh, willed that to my older sister, that house there. Their old home place, she willed it to her. (overlapping dialogue; inaudible)

GEORGE STONEY: This is your old home place here?

FRIDAY: Uh-huh, but it was a little old three-room house. You see, uh, my dad built that in 1928. And that house didn't cost but, uh, $800. That house 00:18:00there cost $800.

GEORGE STONEY: Yeah, mm-hmm.

FRIDAY: That's right. Two black carpenters built that house. Yeah. My wife, she traded (inaudible). Yeah, she got -- I've got to get a weed eater out here and, and cut out, and then I take the lawnmower and, you know, cut the [greenery?].

GEORGE STONEY: Mm-hmm.

FRIDAY: I started this morning (inaudible) other side, but she's crazy about them flowers. (laughter) She comes out here every morning and every evening, and then water them, and... Oh, she stands up there and looks at them, you know? And she's just crazy about flowers. My grapes are getting ripe. Yeah, they're getting ripe real good. My grandson gave me those, um, [red tips?]. 00:19:00I want them -- I'm gonna trim them up pretty soon. I want them to grow a little taller, um, about -- probably cut them up that long now. [Then I'm gonna?] spread out, yeah. Now I've got a chimney there, but I, I -- what I did, I -- I've got a small gas... We don't use wood up here. We've got a gas heater up there. (pause) Yeah, we (inaudible). I enjoy it -- laying stone. But it was -- uh, my back gives me a lot of trouble now. I don't lift no big ones. I always get a helper, you know? I'm trying to -- I've been trying to teach some to the younger generations. Most all the stonemasons done died. You don't find -- there's a few but they get them out of Tennessee. They come down here from Tennessee. Now that's where all the stone is, in 00:20:00Tennessee. (laughter) Yes, sir. But that's a pretty color stone there.

GEORGE STONEY: That's a nice color, yeah.

FRIDAY: Yeah.

GEORGE STONEY: Got a nice sitting place here.

FRIDAY: Yeah, we had a, a cookout -- a barbecue, uh, Saturday and, and, uh, Sunday. Uh, my daughter's (inaudible). Now you see that peach tree right there? That's what they call an old-timer -- one of them old-timer pe-- peaches. Now, I set that tree out, you know, uh, uh, come up (inaudible) a while. You know, and I done dug it up and brought it here and set it out. And that was -- my wife set that one out over there. But the frost got them, but they, they -- they're still living. I don't know why -- why the, the peaches on this one. But it -- they -- peaches left that one. Frost caught them. But that, that peach there got the best taste that you'll eat -- that old-timey peach. You know what I'm talking about.

GEORGE STONEY: Yeah.

FRIDAY: That thing to a -- now, here they'll be getting ripe (inaudible). Let's see, this is -- all this is August, the last of the month. They'll be 00:21:00getting ripe.

GEORGE STONEY: That looked like the kind that makes good, uh, sweet pickle peaches.

FRIDAY: Yeah, that's right.

GEORGE STONEY: You remember that (overlapping dialogue; inaudible)?

FRIDAY: That's right.

GEORGE STONEY: We used to make those in the country.

FRIDAY: Uh-huh. Now, my grapevines, I trimmed them back. They're not as -- I mean, (inaudible). That dog won't bother you. He'll just jump up on you. He won't bite you, he won't do nothing like that. Now this here's a new (inaudible). This is not a muscadine. We called it a James grape. It's for black grapes. And it's loaded.

GEORGE STONEY: It looks more like, uh, muscadine, doesn't it?

FRIDAY: It is, but it's black.

GEORGE STONEY: Uh-huh.

FRIDAY: They call it a James grape. Now, this -- see there? I trimmed them back. See, they -- they're getting ripe.

GEORGE STONEY: Oh, boy. Look at...

FRIDAY: Get you some, if you want them.

GEORGE STONEY: Don't you have to bag these, uh, the -- against the birds?

FRIDAY: I should, but, uh, I noticed the birds been eating them.

GEORGE STONEY: Yeah.

FRIDAY: My wife -- she can make grape juice just like -- just tastes like Welch's grape juice.

GEORGE STONEY: Yeah?

FRIDAY: But she said she wasn't gonna make no jelly this year.

GEORGE STONEY: Why not?

00:22:00

FRIDAY: Oh, ain't nobody but me and my wife, so we don't, uh -- she says she's gonna make maybe a gallon of juice. Yeah, they (inaudible) about a gallon of juice.

GEORGE STONEY: You're right, great flavor.

FRIDAY: Mm-hmm.

GEORGE STONEY: Judy, come.

FRIDAY: Now, it's a -- it's a history to that grapevine. Uh, it was a grape, uh, arbor right over there. And they had four, uh, lines of grapes there. And my dad, he, uh -- he worked over there. And there's -- that man raised grapes for the government. And, uh, so, whenever they, uh, sold the place out, the grape arbor went bad. So my dad dug some of them up and brought them over here. Now, them grapevines there -- around 80 years old, maybe older. That's right.

GEORGE STONEY: Hm.

00:23:00

FRIDAY: But you can look down there. So, see, I try to keep them trimmed up so they won't die.

GEORGE STONEY: Look at this stump there.

FRIDAY: Yeah.

GEORGE STONEY: See?

FRIDAY: Yeah, you take -- he, uh -- he brought them, and I, I trim them up and try to keep it going. My dad -- now, there used to be a, a liquor still -- a, a government liquor still right down here on the New Hope Road. You go over here and hit New Hope, and, and turn left. And before you get that Food Lion down there, on the left -- well, on the right there was a government liquor still. My dad worked there. And they would give him a pint of liquor every night, for -- as part of their pay. Yeah. He, he worked at a government liquor still. They made h-- corn liquor. Now we --

GEORGE STONEY: I never heard about that.

FRIDAY: That was way before my time, but he w-- he told me about it, yeah. Now, my lot goes up by those (inaudible) -- those trees there. And then it -- then 00:24:00it (L's?) back, then it goes straight down that way. Then it joins the [Bradley Center?] over there. Now, of course, my sister's down there, and nieces, got some land down there. Because their mother died, so it went to them. I've got a map of their -- all of it. See, my, my corner goes kind of back this way. And then, I got a (inaudible). The reason I did that is because (inaudible). I've got about five or six hundred dollars in taxes I paid for them before I had it surveyed. And it was paid in the (inaudible) property, and then (inaudible). (laughter) So I took the front lot. So, that ain't bad.

GEORGE STONEY: No.

FRIDAY: Yeah.

GEORGE STONEY: You've got a great place.

FRIDAY: Thank you.

GEORGE STONEY: OK, Jamie. I think we've got this now. Why don't you get some static, so (overlapping dialogue; inaudible).

FRIDAY: Look at that cluster of grapes there.

HELFAND: Look at that.

FRIDAY: Isn't that nice?

00:25:00

HELFAND: (inaudible) could just tell you about working in the cotton mill, so that we can have a way in to when you're sitting down.

GEORGE STONEY: Mm-hm. All right. OK.

FRIDAY: That's a nice cluster.

GEORGE STONEY: Yeah. To -- OK, now, as we walk back here --

FRIDAY: Mm-hmm.

GEORGE STONEY: -- I want you just, uh, once again, to tell me about when you started -- first started working in the cotton mill.

FRIDAY: Oh, yeah.

HELFAND: Let us get in front of you.

GEORGE STONEY: OK.

HELFAND: Yeah.

JAMIE STONEY: Gonna cut through here.

HELFAND: Yeah, this is really -- there's a lot of nice space here.

GEORGE STONEY: Yeah. When you see the picture, you'll understand why we keep doing this over and over again, because we cut from different sections.

FRIDAY: Right.

(break in audio)

HELFAND: -- come past us, maybe you could start talking.

JAMIE STONEY: OK.

GEORGE STONEY: OK? When did you start working in the cotton mill?

FRIDAY: Oh, it -- 1926, somewhere along in there. I was 13 years old when I went to work up at the Modena Cotton Mill. And, uh, we rolled coal -- 40 wheelbarrow-fulls in the evening and 40 wheelbarrow-fulls in the -- in the morning, to run this steam engine -- the steam engine that (inaudible) the mill. 00:26:00And my dad -- he, he'd run it on the third shift, and my cousin on the second shift, and my uncle on the first shift. And, uh, we'd roll that coal, and bale waste, and open up cotton. That was our job. We never did get to run no machine though. (laughter) No way, we didn't get to run no machines.

GEORGE STONEY: Did you ever wonder why?

JAMIE STONEY: Yeah, why don't y'all cut around this side and [head on in?]?

GEORGE STONEY: Did you ever wonder why?

FRIDAY: Oh, yeah, I, I knowed that, uh -- you see, uh, you had to be a certain color (laughter) to, uh -- to get in the mill at that time. But now, the time has changed now. If you can do a job in the mill, they let you have it now. But, uh, I can remember -- . The only time -- you couldn't even go up in there to use the restroom or drink water. You had -- we had outhouses, yeah. I 00:27:00know one time that I was at -- a --

GEORGE STONEY: Hold it just a minute -- plane.

FRIDAY: I, I was a --

JAMIE STONEY: Just hold just a minute.

GEORGE STONEY: We want to get the -- wait till the plane gets...

FRIDAY: Oh, yeah, yeah.

GEORGE STONEY: Just get a (inaudible) in the meantime.

JAMIE STONEY: Yeah.

FRIDAY: Mm-hmm.

HELFAND: Hi, doggie.

FRIDAY: Get back.

JAMIE STONEY: Look back over here, Dad, towards the -- towards him.

GEORGE STONEY: OK. We'll just let that drift off, just a moment. No?

HELFAND: Hovering.

FRIDAY: -- fixing to say at -- in the Cocker Machines -- that place where I went and asked them about learning how to run a, a lathe. Well, they sold out up there on Second Street -- on the corner of Second and Franklin. They sold out and moved down to Ranlo. So I was unloading coal. See, I, I was in business 00:28:00for myself. I was unloading that coal and pig iron and all that stuff. So I, I knowed better. I went in the plant and, and -- uh, to get some water. And they had a sign up there -- "White." Didn't have (inaudible) say "Black." So I just drunk out of the white one, and the guy come over there and he said, "I'm gonna kick your butt till your nose bleeds if you drink out of that fountain again." That's what he told me. (laughs) But I -- that, that was -- you know, I didn't say nothing. I just walked on off. Now, I was -- I was unloading all the pig iron and all the coke they used to melt that iron. But now, Old Man Cocker -- the man that owned the plant -- he didn't go for that. But, uh, I doubt whether he knowed that they had a sign up there where it said, "White Only." No, you couldn't drink water out of the fountain where whites (inaudible). No way.

GEORGE STONEY: OK.

JAMIE STONEY: Why don't you head on in, (inaudible)?