Chapter 5: Church

Boyd and Loyd were in a room of the Masters Inn in Jackson, Indiana. They were at the desk doing their Bible study. Boyd led them in their morning prayer. It was Sunday. They would get dressed up and go to the First Baptist Church of Jackson. They went by it on Saturday and found Sunday School was at 9:30 and the Worship Service was at 11:00. They saw a home that was for sale across from the church. It was a very impressive three story mansion on what looked like about five acres.

They dressed up in their Sunday 'go to meeting' clothes. They walked into the dinning room of the Inn at 8:00. A black girl met them at the table.

"I could eat a horse!" exclaimed Loyd.

"Don't say that too loud or our horses will run off and we will have to walk to church," Boyd whispered.

The black girl started laughing and said, "Well, maybe a little horse, he is awful big."

"What is your name?" Boyd asked.

"Shelley Waters," she answered.

"Let me change the subject. Why are you working on a Sunday morning and not getting ready for church?" Loyd asked.

Her whole face changed and she got real upset, through tears she said, "My husband was killed six months ago while working at the Smith Lumber Company. I have 3 children to raise, besides if you are referring to the First Baptist Church, you will not be invited. They do not accept black people. There is Faith Baptist Church about a mile north of town. Pastor Dean Jones, the pastor of Faith Baptist Church, was the pastor of First Baptist Church of Jackson. The deacons would not let him go out and invite people to church because there was prejudice against anyone except white people. He left it and started Faith Baptist Church. He welcomes blacks, even Indians and Chinese. Sunday School starts at 9:30 there too."

Loyd suddenly thought of an idea. He looked at Boyd and burst out in Chinese, "Why don't we buy that house across from the church and let her take care of it as a caretaker. She would have to hire and fire a staff of employees. We could leave her enough to run the place for a month or two and have a shipment of a thousand dollars sent to her once a month."

Boyd answered back in French, "That is an excellent idea. Let's see if she knows who owns it."

Shelley looked at both of them like they were absolutely off their rocker. How did they know what each other was saying? It had to be an impossible feat to speak two languages back and forth and keep up! "Do you do this all the time?" she asked.

Boyd laughed and said, "We were just messing with you; but, we have an important question to ask you. Do you know who owns the mansion across from the church?"

Shelley answered, "Why, that's Edgar Smith's house, the owner of Smith Lumber Company. He is a deacon at First Baptist Church of Jackson."

"Do you know what his asking price is?" Loyd asked.

"Yes, he is asking $20,000 lock, stock, and barrel. I don't think anyone will ever have the money to buy it, even though it comes with the lumber company," she answered.

"I don't know. There is always someone who has the money to make investments into a growing country. We better knock off this conference and order so we can make it to church," piped in Boyd.

"Yes, I cannot wait until after church. I will order 3 eggs, 3 strips of bacon, 2 biscuits with gravy on them, and coffee with cream and sugar," said Loyd.

"Give me the same except I want my coffee black. Loyd is like mother and I am like Daddy," Boyd said.

Shelley rushed off to make their breakfast, as she was the only one working. She was a great cook. When she placed their food on the table she was glad to see them say their blessings.

"Where are your children now?" Loyd asked while they ate.

"They are in church with my mother-in-law. I would have to say she is the sharpest woman in Jackson. You had better eat or you will be late for church," She said, and got up to work.

They finished eating as fast as they could. They left her a double eagle tip on the table. They raced out of the restaurant and headed for the livery stable so they would not be late for church.

They unhooked the trailer and hitched the horses to the then two wheel cart and raced out to the church.

They were surprised to find the church fairly big. The attendance was way more than they thought it would be. There was standing room only in the worship service at 11:00. It was refreshing to see people from several nationalities there.

Pastor Jones said, "We are moving right along on the plans to build the new church. It is going to cost around $50,000.00 total, and it will seat around 1,000. That is about three times as many as we have now but I hope to fill it in a couple of years.

We have $10,000.00 saved now. Mr. Smith is giving us a hard time on the price of lumber. Most of us know why. I will just leave it at that. God will provide the way."

Loyd and Boyd looked at each other and just nodded. They dropped in a bundle of $500 bills into the plate with ones on the outside.

When they arrived back at the Inn they saw an older black lady with three young children around ten, eight, and six.

"I take it these are your children, and who is this pretty lady with them?" Boyd asked.

"This is my mother-in-law. Her name is Lucy Waters. Her husband works at the lumber mill. She watches them while I work. She also cleans the mansion you were asking about this morning," Shelley answered.

"Where would we find Mr. Smith, Ms. Lucy? We need to talk to him," Loyd asked.

"He would be back at the mansion abusing his cook. He beats her when she doesn't satisfy his taste buds. Then, he forces himself on her at night!" Lucy said, sadly as if from experience.

Loyd and Boyd looked at each other, nodded, and said in unison, "We'll be back. Don't go anywhere!"

They hurried out the door and literally jumped in their two-wheel cart, and as fast as the horses could run headed to the mansion.

At the door, Boyd stood to the side out of site and Loyd beat on the front door. A very short little elderly black man opened the door. He looked up at Loyd as though he was looking at Goliath. "May I help you?" he stammered.

"Send Edgar out now," Loyd said in a soft voice with wink and a twinkle in his eyes. Boyd looked around the corner so the little man could see him, and then stepped back out of sight.

The little man got a big smile on his face and said, "Yes, sir!" as he closed the door.

A few minutes later Edgar opened the door. He was about six feet five and weighed about three hundred pounds. He looked at Loyd and said, "What do you want, nigger?"

That was the last word he said for about twenty minutes when Boyd poured the bucket of water on his face.

After the open palm blow he received on his chin from Loyd's powerful hand, he did not stop sliding on the hardwood floor until his head hit the first step on the stairway. This rendered him unconscious.

While he was unconscious, they found out he had sold his farm down in South Carolina before the war and had moved up here to start again. He had treated the blacks as close to slaves as he could get by with. They also learned that the neglect of safety standards had caused Shelley's husband's death. They had heard enough.

Boyd said, "Someone bring a big bucket of water." Three people ran to get the water. They were not sure what was going on but were hoping justice was about to prevail.

Boyd dumped the whole bucket on Edgar's face. Edgar sputtered a time or two and started to rise up but Boyd pushed him back down and said, "Listen or I will turn my brother on you again."

Edgar had never had a blow like the one he had gotten from the big black man. He didn't look like this little boy looking at him, but he was not going to push the issue.

"What do you want? I don't have much money. Things with the sawmill have not being going well. I am trying to sell it and this place," he said.

Boyd reached into his pocket and pulled out 2 bundles of $500.00 bills. "These are yours if you sign the sawmill and this place over to me and my brother, witnessed by all the ones standing here. Then, you will get up and pack one trunk full of your clothes and leave this town and not look back," Boyd said.

"I already have the papers drawn up in my desk. I will be out of here faster than you can bat an eye," Edgar answered Boyd, but then demanded, "Otis, go hook up my buggy. Mary,..."

Loyd reached down and grabbed Edgar by the shirt and lifted him up on his feet as though he were a feather. "Otis and Mary are not your slaves anymore. If you understand say yes, sir."

Edgar had never said yes sir to a black man in his life, but he decided now would be as good a time as any to start, "Yes sir," he said meekly.

He led them into the study and signed the bill of sale. Boyd and Loyd signed it and had all the ones in the room to witness it.

"Edgar, you have ten minutes to vacate Jackson. Do you understand?" Boyd asked.

"Just as fast as I can pack my clothes and hook up my buggy," said Edgar.

"What horse do you want? I will have your buggy at the door by the time you get the trunk outside." Loyd asked.

"The red one," said Edgar as he headed upstairs. He was moving as fast as he could before they changed their mind.