The Lubbock avalanche. (Lubbock, Tex.) 1909-1922, 1922-07-04

looked for work The poor
negroes were starving The boil
weevils had devastated the country,
leaving IL barren To obtain work
of any description was impossible
Repeatedly / went 20 Jackson and
returned with nothing. Day after
day | walked twenty-five or thirty
miles, attempting 10 sell linment
20 the penniless negroes. Some
times ! returned with twenty-five or
fifty cents-many times with moth
ing.
Our suffering increased Day by
day / saw the pale face of my wife
become paler and the hollow cheeks
of my children become more ema-
ciated, as their bodies were attacked
by the ravages Of hunger.
We entered the old house in Dec
ember of the fall Of 1911. Here
we existed three months on twelve
dollars outside Of the pittance from
the linimcnt business. Mr.. Leggctt
gave me twelve days work at one
dollar per day.
Our situation was growing hourly
moro perilOus To remain here
/ doomed as certain starvation. To
think Of leaving my family with
such surroundings seemed impos-
sibe. To take them with me was
[ impossible AT last. in desperation
/ / left them. not knowing whether
| would ever see them alive again
or not. rode freight trains 20
/ Birmingham. Ala. Here | obtained
/ money from Jim Blankinship, my
cousin, TO get back to Jackson and
/ 10 get my wife and children back 20
/ Texas. While in Mississippi / went
under the assumed name Of r. j.
! LangstOn.
A, the Years Passed By
| rode freight trains Jumped
/ from city TO city, trying always TO
grasp something tangible. Every at
titude of life became a false one.
! All my experience and education
counted for nothing, for ] could get
no opportunity TO apply il. Every
mans hand seemed 70 be against
me, for the minute ! sought 10
make known TO him my qualifica-
J tions for decent employment he ask.
ed me questions that ! could not
answer.
While they looked for me in the
high places and fashionable hotels.
! worked in the low ones No won
der they did not find me. for most
Of the time | had 10 clean up before
| could recognize myself in mir
ror
No one can realize the value Of
\ human ties until they are severed.
/ To be thrust into an unknown cX-
\ istence, robbed Of the last vestigc
Of human relationship-home, loved
| ones, friends, name reputation, lib
I ertv-all that life possesses. with
your mouth closed by Fate--is "a
[ disaster in human life beyond the
Imagination No man can conceive
Of It's wretChedness who has not
been face TO face with the reality
After two years of everlasting
struggle 30 get things adjusted to-
thc eternal order of things, ] landed
n the city OF Billings Montana,
with six dollars in money During
this time, sent every dollar not
necessary to my existence to my
wife and children.
ln Billings ] applied to Mr. IT, =.
Perkins. manager of the Chase Luu-
Der Company, to drive team
told him nothing Of uy lumber exc
nericnce. bad learned better For
one year ! drove the team unload
ga cars, figured lumber bi'ls-did
everything on the yard.
In ,hc spring of 1913 / cave up
this position and entered The real
estate business had no office. !
did business in the streets. was
dubbed by my competitors as the
"curbstOne real estate man. In
few months was broke.
Time went on managed 90
exist in the real estate business. One
thing about &C., ! did not have 20
give anybody any references 20 fol-
low &c. ! had now heen in exile
four years. Life had been one cv-
orlastiug struggle 20 grasp some
thing with which % RISE Every ef-
fort had been in vain. IN all these
years my mind had dwelt constantly
upon the complex circumstances
with which DO was eneompassed. on
the injustice of the charges against
me; the stigma on my name; the
long. weary, lonesome hours; the
longing for familiar faces; the tor.
ture Of everlasting suspense; the
desire for freedom and liberty; but
above all the privilege 20 be with
my wife and children and 10 con-
tribute to their support and happi-
ness.
There came a time when my NOR
hid mind chung to nothing but the
thing it abhorred. The one desire
OF life became TO cherish the intol-
cradle peace, where there was no
peace; to be alone to revel in the
strangely fascinating torture which
my thoughts presented-every one
Of which brought a siill greater
pang; yet TO be away from them I
was more intolerablel
Discovered.
I was standing on Broadway IN /
the city Of Billings. in melancholy /
thought. From the passing throng /
20 my back ! heard a voice say /
"Hell0, oxford, thought that you I
were In South America A con-
fusion Of emotions swept over me. /
knew that ! was discovered did /
not wish 10 turn 20 face the man.
AZ last ! turned and looked. / did /
moi ra4nrnirn the face before me