I worked as a policeman in a small southern town called Denton, North Carolina. There was a population of 1,000 friendly citizens in this town that was much like the one in the Andy Griffith Series "Mayberry". Everyone knew each other and news spread through the town like a fast wind. I remember once standing in a small mini mart and having a coughing spell. There were 3 or 4 folks there and I made the comment that I felt the flu ache coming on. That all happened about nine am and I continued working and making my rounds. 2 hours later I got a call to go by the sheriff's satellite dispatcher office in town to pick up an article. I arrived about 11 am and the dispatcher handed me a bowl of homemade chicken soup from one of our local residents. This little old lady had gotten a call from her sister that I was deathly ill and since I was a single man I was probably not eating enough.
Like I say Denton was a close knit community and you would think everything would be normal all the time. Well, not so fast there bubba. One evening I was working the night shift. It was around 2 am and I was taking my lunch break with our dispatcher and watching some movie on their office TV. The window was open cause it was a hot summer night. I had a good relationship with the local kids and they knew they could come to me for any help any time. One kid pulled up and stuck his head in the window. He said "Stan, there's a black man walking barefoot down W. Salisbury Street eatin something out of a can." I looked at him and said "Don't bother me with your foolishness can't you see I am on break?"
Now the reason this sounded foolish was the Denton had at the time a zero population of any black folk. It had a reputation of being still one of those places that haven't quite come to terms with General Lee's decision at Appomattox. Therefore the news of a black man walking through Denton at 2 in the morning was a little more than unbelievable. The young man persisted and told me to come look. I stepped out the front door and look down the street and sure enough there was a black man walking barefooted eatin out of a can in front of the post office. I got in my car and pulled up and told our new friend to get in the car. He got in and his hair was all a mess, his clothes were wrinkled up pretty bad. I asked him where he was going and he told me he was going home to Charlotte.
I then told him to tell me his story. Come to found out that he had just that day been released from The state mental hospital Dorothea Dix. He had no one that could come get him so he decided to walk home. He then asked me what town was he in. I told him Denton and you could watch the blood leave his face. He started yelling that I had to get him out of there and they were gonna hang him. I tried to calm him down. I asked who was gonna hang him and he said that the clan was everywhere in Denton and they would hang him. I told him to calm down. I asked him to trust me and that I would not let anything happen to him. He then told me that the clan would not stop and would hang me also for helping him out. I said, "Now you know the clan won't do anything unless their big dog told em to" He said I was right and then I said "Well, son you are safe then cause you are sittin with the high potentate of the local chapter." He almost had an out of body experience just then. I told him I was just kidding and he was safe with me. I told him those were old war stories about our town and we were not like we use to be. Of course I wasn't so sure about that but I didn't want to scare him any more.
I called the sheriff's deputy working in the area and told him our friend needed a ride to the county line. Deputy Chip Peacock just happened to have a friend working in the next county and we were able to get our friend a ride to the Charlotte area that night. Before he left Denton I had him calmed down and he finished his can of peaches. Just another night in the big town of Denton. Until next time keep your shoes on and be aware of where you are.
Stan The Ramblin Man
Like I say Denton was a close knit community and you would think everything would be normal all the time. Well, not so fast there bubba. One evening I was working the night shift. It was around 2 am and I was taking my lunch break with our dispatcher and watching some movie on their office TV. The window was open cause it was a hot summer night. I had a good relationship with the local kids and they knew they could come to me for any help any time. One kid pulled up and stuck his head in the window. He said "Stan, there's a black man walking barefoot down W. Salisbury Street eatin something out of a can." I looked at him and said "Don't bother me with your foolishness can't you see I am on break?"
Now the reason this sounded foolish was the Denton had at the time a zero population of any black folk. It had a reputation of being still one of those places that haven't quite come to terms with General Lee's decision at Appomattox. Therefore the news of a black man walking through Denton at 2 in the morning was a little more than unbelievable. The young man persisted and told me to come look. I stepped out the front door and look down the street and sure enough there was a black man walking barefooted eatin out of a can in front of the post office. I got in my car and pulled up and told our new friend to get in the car. He got in and his hair was all a mess, his clothes were wrinkled up pretty bad. I asked him where he was going and he told me he was going home to Charlotte.
I then told him to tell me his story. Come to found out that he had just that day been released from The state mental hospital Dorothea Dix. He had no one that could come get him so he decided to walk home. He then asked me what town was he in. I told him Denton and you could watch the blood leave his face. He started yelling that I had to get him out of there and they were gonna hang him. I tried to calm him down. I asked who was gonna hang him and he said that the clan was everywhere in Denton and they would hang him. I told him to calm down. I asked him to trust me and that I would not let anything happen to him. He then told me that the clan would not stop and would hang me also for helping him out. I said, "Now you know the clan won't do anything unless their big dog told em to" He said I was right and then I said "Well, son you are safe then cause you are sittin with the high potentate of the local chapter." He almost had an out of body experience just then. I told him I was just kidding and he was safe with me. I told him those were old war stories about our town and we were not like we use to be. Of course I wasn't so sure about that but I didn't want to scare him any more.
I called the sheriff's deputy working in the area and told him our friend needed a ride to the county line. Deputy Chip Peacock just happened to have a friend working in the next county and we were able to get our friend a ride to the Charlotte area that night. Before he left Denton I had him calmed down and he finished his can of peaches. Just another night in the big town of Denton. Until next time keep your shoes on and be aware of where you are.
Stan The Ramblin Man
