Mr. Quattlebaum Interview

 MR. QUATTLEBAUM: Now what is it that you want to know about now?

GEORGE STONEY: Show me – - Tell me about the people on the photos.

QUATTLEBAUM: That's my - - that's my mother's Sunday school class. That's my mother there and that's her Sunday school class. This is RQ and his wife in these pictures and that's my brother and that's my wife there of course. Oops. (coughing) That was Ang - - you got it? That's Angela there, that there and that's James and that's Gloria-Jean again. Now a lot of these pictures just keep repeating its self. This is uh, [inaudible] Brookshire and his baby. And uh, eh there's Angela again believe it or not. She's about to 00:01:00shoot ya. And that's the three of them together Angela, James and Gloria-Jean together.

GEORGE STONEY: Do that again.

QUATTLEBAUM: Angela, Gloria-Jean, and James. That's one that had the three. And uh, 'course that was me when I was in the Navy. Yea, me, you can tell that though.

GEORGE STONEY: Do that again.

QUATTLEBAUM: That one there was when I was in the Navy back in '43 I reckon that was. And that's my sister and her son and their daughter. And uh…

GEORGE STONEY: And the older lady there?

QUATTLEBAUM: That's my wife's mother. Mrs. Shavers. Now she worked in the cotton mill for, well I reckon till she retired. This is my mother and my baby here.

GEORGE STONEY: So that's the - - that lady down there is the sister of the woman we talked with this morning? Did we get a picture of that Jamie? Yea.

JUDITH HELFAND: Doris Shavers.

GEORGE STONEY: Yea.

QUATTLEBAUM: Pardon?

GEORGE STONEY AND HELFAND: Doris Shavers

HELFAND: Doris Shavers sister.

QUATTLEBAUM: No, that's not her sister.

GEORGE STONEY: Ah, I see.

QUATTLEBAUM: Doris Shavers didn't have a sister.

GEORGE STONEY: Mmmhmm.

QUATTLEBAUM: She only had a brother. You're talking about kinda elder lady aren't ya about my age or a little bit older?

GEORGE STONEY: Yea.

QUATTLEBAUM: That's Doris but she doesn't have a brot - - sister. She has a brother. (coughing)

GEORGE STONEY AND HELFAND TALKING (INAUDIBLE)

QUATTLEBAUM: Now this is Edna's mother uh…

GEORGE STONEY: Yea. I want another where his face is looking down.

HELFAND: Ok.

GEORGE STONEY: Sorry.

JAMIE STONEY: Rolling.

QUATTLEBAUM: I can take that out of there.

JAMIE STONEY: Take a half step back?

QUATTLEBAUM: That's me, uh, me - - that's me and my mother. She's holding me. That's my older brother, that's my daddy, and that's my other brother next to me, Shelby.

GEORGE STONEY: Do - - do it again.

QUATTLEBAUM: Buddy, Mama, me, Papa, and Shelby. Did ya get it? Or did I cover it up?

JAMIE STONEY: No, you got it. That's fine.

GEORGE STONEY: Ok, good. Now Jamie we just need [inaudible] right now. Go Jamie.

JAMIE STONEY: Rolling

GEORGE STONEY: Ok, now just turn the pages please. Uh, that's, slowly. Now start pointing out pictures. Where's Angie?

QUATTLEBAUM: This is her right here. Going up the ladder. And uh, and this is her and James sitting on the bunk bed and I was mopping the floor. (laughs) I put them up there to get them out of my way. And my brother and his wife right here. And that's my sister you cant get a picture of her fac - - you cant see her face but…

GEORGE STONEY: Ok, that's fine Jamie.

JAMIE STONEY: You ever try and go fishing with this cast iron pole.

GEORGE STONEY: Ok.

QUATTLEBAUM: (laughing) No.

GEORGE STONEY: First thing I want you to me about is the strike of '34 what do you remember about it?

QUATTLEBAUM: Not too much like I told you before is just uh…

GEORGE STONEY: No, don't ever say like I told you before.

QUATTLEBAUM: Oh, ok.

GEORGE STONEY: Already assume this is our first time? Just about the strike of '34 I don't remember much.

QUATTLEBAUM: Well, I don't remember much, except the soup line think and they had that down Second Ave…

GEORGE: GEORGE STONEY: Hold it, hold it. (loud traffic passes by) Go on to say you where how old, and uh,

QUATTLEBAUM: (STONEY still talking in the background, inaudible) Well, I was only uh…

GEORGE STONEY: Wait a minute, wait a minute.

QUATTLEBAUM: Oh, the camera maybe we better get it, is the camera going now?

JAMIE STONEY: Yea. (Loud traffic in the background)

QUATTLEBAUM: Well, I was eight year – - uh, eight-years-old. And I remember the soup lines and I remember the militia. Or did they call it the militia? That's about all I remember about it and yea, you know people being out of work and everything.

GEORGE STONEY: What do you did remember about the soup lines?

QUATTLEBAUM: It's some dipped up soup outta a big bowl there. (laughing) Now, I didn't go through the soup line but I seen the people going through it. Like I said I was only eight-years-old so I – - that's hard for me to remember anything like that.

GEORGE STONEY: Uh, where were you living at the time?

QUATTLEBAUM: Umm, River Road and uh, right there where the Krystal is now, right across from where the Krystal is now.

GEORGE STONEY: You were telling me before about uh, going up to the soup lines, couldn't get any soup so you and your brothers, your brothers uh, uh, went into the bakery.

QUATTLEBAUM: No, that wasn't the soup line. My brothers did go in the bakery but they weren't supposed to do that. (laughs)

GEORGE STONEY: What we're trying to do it is to get some picture of what it was like during the Depression.

QUATTLEBAUM: Two words. Rough as a cob. Does that answer your question? Rough as a cob. That was a time when the echo was over there they was giving out uh, chicken broth where they cooked chickens. And my brother he went fishing with a safety pin and that tells a picture of how rough it was. It was rough and there 00:07:00was a lot of people out of work. Other than that I mean - - I don't know any other way to explain it to you. It's just rough as a cob.

GEORGE STONEY: Uh, what did your folks do?

QUATTLEBAUM: Well, my father had died at that time. And my mother was working - - in the mill till - - she got laid - - till they - - they - - till they got laid off at Americus Mill and uh, then we (laughs) done the best we could. Now, that's the whole thing in a nutshell.

GEORGE STONEY: What did you eat?

QUATTLEBAUM: Boiled fish, uh, chicken broth, we got from the uh, the echo and once in a while when mama get hold of some beans someway or another I don't know. Like I said I'm only about eight or nine-years-old. I don't remember really, but I do know was that a lot of time you go to bed hungry and wonder where breakfast was coming from. Now if anyone don't believe that come ask me 00:08:00I'll tell them.

GEORGE STONEY: Tell me about thee National Guard being around.

QUATTLEABUM: Oh, they were up on – - up there around the mill.

GEORGE STONEY: Just start with say the National Guard was.

QUATTLEBAUM: National Guard was around the mill just keeping people from going in there.

GEORGE STONEY: Keeping the people from going in I meant?

QUATTLEBAUM: Yea, they was keeping the people from going into the mills and I reckon they were expecting trouble I don't think they ever had any, not really. (Inaudible)

GEORGE STONEY: Did you ever see the National Guard?

QUATTLEBAUM: Oh yea, I seen them like one of - - one - - at the time mama took up there to buy - - get a pair of shoes. Now, where she got the money to get shoes I don't know. But uh, then I see the National Guard.

GEORGE STONEY: What were they doing?

QUATTLEBAUM: Just walking around with their guns on their shoulders. You know that strap up on there. And she told me lets go home. (laughs)

GEORGE STONEY: What did she think about unions?

QUATTLEBAUM: I don't know. I never heard her say one-way or the other. She just - - well at that particular time they were just trying to get a union started in this part of the country and as - - well that didn't go over too well. They shut the Americus-Americus Mill down. Said they would close the doors before they'd let a union organize in there and they did. They closed the doors. They clo - - closed about two o'clock. Or, when the shifts changed. And they was going to strike and the man clo - - closed the doors, shut off the machinery and closed the doors.

GEORGE STONEY: And then what happened?

QUATTLEBAUM: Well everybody was outta work. Some people had a garden and some people didn't. And ones that didn't have a garden but - - were in a terrible 00:10:00place. (laughs) I don't know I say - - I don't know of any trouble with the National Guard I mean, you know, any shootings or anything like that, not personally. I wont say - - I wont say it didn't happen either.

GEORGE STONEY: What about your own education?

QUATTLEBAUM: I didn't have none. Sixth grade. (laughs) And that's it. Sixth grade formal education. I ain't quit learning yet. I'm thirty-nine-years-old believe it or not. No I - - you don't ever stop learning. Uh. Least I didn't. I'm still learning today. But…

GEORGE STONEY: What do you think uh, have you ever been a member of a union?

QUATTLEBAUM: No.

GEORGE STONEY: What do you think of - - uh, why don't you talk about what you think about Angie's doing in all of this?

QUATTLEBAUM: That's her business. If she's alright with - - if that's what she wants then its alright with me. That's the way I've always been with my children. Whatever they wanted to do. As long as they wasn't robbing banks or something now that was alright with me -- long as it was legal. If that's what she wants then so be it. I'll back her up every step of the way, and she'll tell you that. I'll back her just like I backed her when she was going to school. I'll let her tell that one now she can tell it better than I can. (laughing)

GEORGE STONEY: Um, how long did you live in Columbus?

QUATTLEBAUM: All my life you might say. I was - - I was raised there and I went to - - went in the Navy in '43. Well I come back in '46 and uh,(pauses) and we left again I reckon it must been about '60 or '61. I didn't come back again la - - '70s. Just wasn't no money to be made. I'll tell you like my 00:12:00wife told a friend of hers. We come back to Columbus to see her mother and we was uh, over on Second Avenue there that uh, oh I forgot the name of that store but anyways it was a clothing store over there. We was getting the kids up something from school and this girl asked my wife, says, "do you like it up there?" She says, "I like the money a whole lot better." See I made more money when I was in North Georgia or up around Atlanta. And uh, that's what she was going by, was the money I was making. And I think if people should get paid a decent wage and anybody tell ya that Columbus, Georgia the cheapest darn town there is in the Southeast bar none -- they even cheaper than Macon.

GEORGE STONEY: Why do you think that's true?

QUATTLEBAUM: You don't want me to say that on film.

GEORGE STONEY: (laughs) Why not?

QUATTLEBAUM: (chuckling) I think - - People are too darn sorry to pay anybody enough to live on cause they're afraid if they gonna get a little bit ahead and then they can't get them to work for nothing. Now that's my opinion. They afraid if they ever get a few dollars ahead they gonna - - like a man told me up North Georgia, "keep a man hungry and he'll work." That's the truth. Bird Hobbs told me that he said, "keep a man hungry and he'll work." I don't like my family to be hungry. I don't guess anybody else does.

GEORGE STONEY: Well when did you - - why did you move out to the country from um, Columbus?

QUATTLEBAUM: Oh, well this was when I retired. So I wouldn't have to - - well you see I've got my garden and uh, and uh, social security just don't pay enough to live on. I didn't - - I got a bunch of stuff I've canned up 00:14:00(inaudible) - - since I've been here. And with my little ole garden so I do alright. But uh, that's the reason I come here. And it was getttin' too crowded and too darn much - - wife had her nervous breakdown. And, down there in that - - anyone knows about 47th Street and that was were we was living. Everybody knows about that place, matter of fact, there's been a couple of killings up there lately.

GEORGE STONEY: Now did your wife work in the mills?

QUATTLEBAUM: No, she worked at Tom Huston's. Oh, wait a minute she worked two weeks in the mill that's all she worked rest of her time she worked at Tom Huston's.

GEORGE STONEY: Ah, you never worked in the mills?

QUATTLEBAUM: Just before I went in the Navy I worked about a year in the mill. When I come back outta the Navy I wasn't going back in that cotton mill if I could help it. So I picked up a hammer. (laughs)

GEORGE STONEY: Why not?

QUATTLEBAUM: Umm, well, I'm going back to the time when I was--too much like a damn concentration camp if you want to know. They didn't pay nothing, they worked you all kinds of hours and they was always threaten you to fire you to go and go hire somebody else. Who wants that kind of a deal? That's the way it was in '43 - - '46 when I first come back. I told them to take that job and uh - - how would Johnny - - pay Johnny Paycheck say that now take this job and shove it. And I went into construction work and been in there ever since.

GEORGE STONEY: I was wondering about uh, health problems of people who were in the mills if you knew anything about that.

QUATTLEBAUM: Not really uh, I know a lot of them come out--Sam Turner he come outta the mill--a lot of them come out--but I don't know of any health problems, except alcohol. And I think mill con - - contributed to that driving a man crazy. Them cotton mills back in the '40s was nothing - - it was nothing to sneeze at. They'd tell you quick if you wouldn't work as a - - if you give them any back talk they'd tell you quick there's a barefooted boy standing at the door waiting for your job.

GEORGE STONEY: Now can you say that, just say back that and not just say 47--40's Ok?

QUATTLEBAUM: Well back then you could uh--they'd tell you quick if wa--there's a barefooted man waiting for you at the door--waiting for your job. Ah,--when they told me that I just, well goodbye. I think they told me I couldn't leave. I told them watch me.

GEORGE STONEY: Now, did uh, when you were in the, in the mills was there any talk about a union?

QUATTLEBAUM: Mmm, that was during the war.

GEORGE STONEY: Now, we've got - - we've had a number of people who have been scared to talk with us about all of this. Why do you think that is?

QUATTLEBAUM: When I was in the mill, I was only 16 years-old. Uh, wait a minute I'll take that back. One time a union was mentioned (loud traffic in the background) and bunch of us got together to go to the office we was gonna demand higher pay, everybody walked out but me. Then I walked out later (laughter) but - - before the man got there from the office, everybody got up and walked out but me. Ain't nobody to stand behind it that was the problem. If you get enough people to stand behind it, it would be just like it was up in North - - up in Detroit and back up in there. You get better pay, but you got to get the people to back you up. I understand in Michigan and back up in there they had 00:18:00what they called closed shops where you cant uh, - - if your a non-union you don't work and I reckon that's the best way. I don't know. Like I said when - - when I left the cotton mill 1946 I went in construction work, and I stayed there. Well, I worked at other jobs you know, but I would always go back to construction wo rk, and when I went back to Atlanta in '60 I never held nothing but a construction job, from than on.

GEORGE STONEY: I want you to - - could you think about that story about that you told about your brothers and the bakery. It just illustrates uh, the depression so well. I wonder if you could think about that. Tell me…

QUATTLEBAUM: They went in there - - broke in the bakery and stole some ca…

GEORGE STONEY: Uh, start it with my brothers.

QUATTLEBAUM: My brothers went into the bakery - - broke in the bakery and stole 00:19:00some pi - - uh, cakes and pies so we could eat, that's it - - that was it. 'Course they had to hide the pies in the sewer but that beside the point, they was wrapped up good for - - good in uh, cellophane (laughs). They did, they hid the pies in the sewer. I hope they don't come out here and arrest me. Oh, that's been 50 years ago. I don't reckon they will. I think the statute of limitations run out on that one. I don't know whether I'm doing you any good or not.

GEORGE STONEY: You - - that's fine. Uh, two or three other things, uh, has there been a big change in uh, in the relationships between the blacks and the whites. We were at the community hall yesterday and about half blacks and so forth could you talk about that change what you saw when you were a child and now?

QUATTLEBAUM: Well, down my, my – - when I was a child, I can only speak for myself. When I was a child my mother taught me to call all the old - - older black people I mean the grown - - what we would call a grown person. Mind you I'm back eight, nine, years-old, and I was told to call the men uncle and the women aunt. And as far as I was personally concerned I didn't have any prejudice against them. But I been - - I'm only speaking for myself. And when I went in the service I still didn't have no problem with them. 'Course when I went into the service it was mostly white it wasn't - - we didn't have but one black man aboard ship. It was mostly white. But as far as prejudice is concerned I didn't have it back than because my mother taught me that they was humans beings too.

GEORGE STONEY: What about the, uh, in the, in the, mill?

QUATTLEBAUM: I don't know about the mills. I know they didn't run those spinning jobs, and the weave jobs, or nothing like that. They was - - they was 00:21:00mostly janitorial help I'd call it. They swept the floors and did the heavy work. Working on the docks, moving them bales of cotton around such as that. At least that's what I was told now I really don't know except the floor I was working on they was sweepers then.

GEORGE STONEY: Did you know any of them?

QUATTLEBAUM: Not personally, no. I was told, not to mistreat them and right on the other hand to keep my distance. And uh, is uh, as far as associating with them I reckon we associated about as much as anyone after I got in the construction work you going to associate with them then, believe me. (laughs)

GEORGE STONEY: Where did they live in Bibbs city?

QUATTLEBAUM: The black people? They lived between uh, 23rd and 24th Street right on the railroad and crossed over – - across the railroad over there, there was a place they called The Bottoms that they lived over there. That's over on lower 10th Avenue, but they was some that lived over on 18th and and lets see I believe it was between 18th and 20th Street it was a big place of them over there. And most of them - - some of them lived up in Balewood but they was separated from the whites.

GEORGE STONEY: Ok, finally, uh, Bill Winn from the newspaper was talking to us about the Ku Klux Klan I wonder if you had any experience with them?

QUATTLEBAUM: I did not. Uh, there was one time that they uh, (pauses) got on a 00:23:00man, but he had it coming.

GEORGE STONEY: Could you say I didn't have any association with the Ku Klux Klan.

QUATTLEBAUM: I didn't.

GEORGE STONEY: Ok, I just need you to say the Ku Klux Klan.

QUATTLEBAUM: I didn't have Klu - - (laughs) I didn't have any assoc - - anything to do with the Ku Klux Klan. That…

GEORGE STONEY: You know any uh, - - so no nowhere around did you see them in action.

QUATTLEBAUM: Mmmm, no I didn't, no. Id heard of it but I didn't see it.

GEORGE STONEY: That's fine. Did you uh, ever see uh, any of the big Labor Day parades?

QUATTLEBAUM: Not here, no.

GEORGE STONEY: We read about in the papers and I just wonder if--as a child if you remember?

QUATTLEBAUM: No.

GEORGE STONEY: Uh, in the early '30s it was a lot of country music around uh, Columbus. Do you remember any of it? Could you talk about it?

QUATTLEBAUM: Not, in the early '30s, no. You talking about now I was nothing but uh, - - I was born in '26s in the '40s there was a good bit of it. Johnny Barfield for one and uh, god I don't remember their names but there was a couple of bands that would play at dances and things like that. The one they had down at Textile Hall that was in the early '40s and uh, I left in the mid '40s and I didn't come back till the late '40s. I left in '43.

GEORGE STONEY: What about the baseball teams at the factories? Mills?

QUATTLEBAUM: No, I didn't know anything about them. Was someone talking about - - was someone talking about a baseball team? Well, there might have been I wouldn't say - - I couldn't say yea or nay of that.

GEORGE STONEY: What's the big difference between Columbus now and Columbus when you were a kid?

QUATTLEBAUM: Not a whole heck of a lot. (sighs) The only is - - the only is it got bigger and fatter. It's still uh, its still who's got the money. Now a man with money in Columbus can really get along, a man ain't got no money he's S.O.L., and I hope you know what I'm talking about. (laughs) If you don't have nothing down there, you outta luck. Cause they gonna keep you down as long as they can, you go right back and it ain't a whole lotta difference because right now if you ain't got nothing you don't have the money and you working for cheap wages, they gonna keep you on cheap wages just as long as they can and like I said a while ago, its to keep the man from getting a little bit ahead to where he could really make something outta of himself or do something. 00:26:00If you got a man hungry he is gonna work. And that's what Bird Hobbs told me and I believe it and I believe its all over Columbus the same way. And uh, I didn't personally hear him say it - - but they had said it was told Gene Talmadge said it, "a man in pair of overalls isn't worth a dollar a day." Well, Herman can get mad about it if he wants to but it's the truth.

JAMIE STONEY: Can you say it one more time about old Gene?

QUATTLEBAUM: He said, "a man" - - "a man in a pair of overalls wasn't worth a dollar a day."

GEORGE STONEY: Can you start with saying Gene Talmadge said?

QUATTLEBAUM: Oh, Gene Talmadge said "a working" - - "a working man wasn't worth a dollar a day." That was back in the '30s, see he, he, uh, he run for governor in '46 and got - - he died then I believe it was.

GEORGE STONEY: Did you ever see Gene in action?

QUATTLEBAUM: No. No, when he was so active I was too little and um, uh, then I 00:27:00was - - like I said when I went into the service then I come back he died in '46. But I don't doubt what the people said about him.

GEORGE STONEY: He was uh - - he made a lot of big speeches here and uh, in Columbus in '33 and '34.

QUATTLEBAUM: He was running for governor. And he was - - he was running on a bloody shirt.

GEORGE STONEY: What do you mean by that?

QUATTLEBAUM: (laughs) I don't know exactly unless he's talking about killing somebody, but back in the '30s they were really down on the blacks. He would you'd holler, "nigger," and wave a bloody shirt and - - a lot of these people right here voted for him cause of that. I hope I don't have to leave. (laughs)

JAMIE STONEY: Herman's in Washington. He's a long way from here.

QUATTLEBAUM: No Herman ain't either. He's is in Lovejoy. He ain't a Senator no more.

JAMIE STONEY: That's right I forgot about that. I forgot about that, he isn't a Senator anymore.

QUATTLEBAUM: He's in Lovejoy.

JAMIE STONEY: That's right. I do remember reading about that when they tried to have Herman succeed Gene.

QUATTLEBAUM: (laughs) Yea, we were the only state that had three governors at one time.

JAMIE STONEY: The king is dead, long live the king.

QUATTLEBAUM: Yep. That went all happened in '46. And lets see there was uh, Herman Talmadge, Ellis Arnall, and who was that other feller now? Anyway, he was elected to Lieutenant Governor and he was going to take over the governorship and Herman wasn't going to have that. Course the legislature was the one that put Herman in office. 'Course that all come out in court later. And he had to 00:29:00- - he had to wait another term. That was a mess, only state with three governors at one time. (laughs) Ellis Arnall wouldn't give it up to Herman Talmadge. Talmadge - - Talmadge went and moved him out you heard about them takin' the state patrol out there and moving Ellis Arnall out the capital.

JAMIE STONEY: I heard a locksmith in the capital got some real quick work that night too. (laughs)

QUATTLEBAUM:(laughs) I just don't know.

GEORGE STONEY: How's your worm business?

QUATTLEBAUM: Well I just got started in it. I just sold maybe one or two packs but I just got started in it. It'll pick up.

GEORGE STONEY: Okay Jamie.