Notice of Copyright. Citing Resources from the Western History Collections

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1 Notice of Copyright Published and unpublished materials may be protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code). Any copies of published and unpublished materials provided by the Western History Collections are for research, scholarship, and study purposes only. Use of certain published materials and manuscripts is restricted by law, by reason of their origin, or by donor agreement. For the protection of its holdings, the Western History Collections also reserves the right to restrict the use of unprocessed materials, or books and documents of exceptional value and fragility. Use of any material is subject to the approval of the Curator. Citing Resources from the Western History Collections For citations in published or unpublished papers, this repository should be listed as the Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma. An example of a proper citation: Oklahoma Federation of Labor Collection, M452, Box 5, Folder 2. Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma.

2 * B&ILEY, LISSIE.... INTIiKViM 9799

3 BAILXT, LXSSJE ' 2HTEH7I&W* KEOGRAPHY FORM ' ' Form A-(S-149) WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION li'oneor, History Project for Oklahoma 9W. 65 Field Workers name Zaid«e B, Bland This report made on (date) E5, Name BalX«r! 2. Post Office Address Altm f OkXahoen# 3. Residence addrcsc (or location) 4. DATE OF BIRTH: ' Month 5. Place of birth and Baat of Altug «r Day 15 Year 6. Name' of' Fat her O^orge w«kcap Other informat ion about father Place of birth Illinois 17, Name of Mother ViO Roger* Place of birth Illinois* Other information about mother Rotes or complete narrative by the field worker dealing with the life and Itory of the person interviewed. Refer to Manual for su&rcsted subjocts and questions. Continue on blank sheets if necessary and attach firmly to t](iis form. Number of sheets attached Q

4 BULKT* LISOT7 IHTE^VIEW* 97 * Zaidee B* Bland Journalist January Interview with Mra* Liasie Bailey Altos t Oklahoma* We lived in Denton County, Texas, Ur«Bailey bad a brother-in-law in this country who bad taken up free load and wonted us to cane out far the free JLand* I never did want to come*, but we charter eda? car and loaded all our house* hold goods, feed* seed, farm implements, meat, lard and canned and preserved fruit into it and billed it to Ternon* It was the last of December and there was a good deal of snow and it was very cold* ffe fixed up an old corered wagon and Mr. Bailey, our two sons, Allen and Tnnsol end I started to Greer County, Texas, to nuke a new home, fte planned to stay in wagon yards at night for it was too cold to camp in the open* We were more than a week coning* All streams had to be forded and we had a real- bad time getting across some of them* Re were driving two aiiles* We came to our brother-in-law*s house, > * ' Mr, Piokett's and stayed with him and other relatitta until time to start a crop* Ke decided it too late to try end file or buy aoneone out* I hated to think of having to live in a dugout* A Mr, Higiitower who had moved to tow had on hie claim a half dugout of four rooms* Mr. Bailey told him he would like to rent from him, provided be would fix this dugout up* I bated the thought

5 * * * ' BULSI, LIS5IE. fitbshvibkf*. Vf99 of living in a 'hale in the ground so very much* I cried so much the first year I was out hare to go back that Allan said to his pappy, "Let's send nanny back to the 014. hens t vc * Pappy", as if I would go without them* Mr. Htghtower fixed l t this dugout up real olassy* It already had half windows in it* " He ceiled the walls and ceiling with plank; it already had a shingle roof on it* He floored three rooms for us and we papered the walls* I had brought my rugs fron home with us ard after we hatf the nigs all down and the furniture plftged it did look real cosy and home-like. 1 did not mind so much after we got moved in«a house with the rooms half in the ground tjat way is a lot warmer than one all on the top of the ground and a lot safer, too, but I did not know that ua«til years later when we got everything».«had blown a ay and were nearly killed besides*. That first year we did not make a thing, but Hr* Hightower was a real good landlord and helped us and the second ' year we made a bumper crop, so I was getting more contented if it had not been for the snakes and tarantulas* In the spring and summer you could not go anywhere without running into those great big old hairy spiders* I killed them every 7

6 BAILEY, LISSIE. INTERVIEW* E ^ 9799 r" > time I went out of doors for they were always under foot* I never heard of their biting or doing any harm in the least but was so very "ofeared' of them, I never let one live if I could help it* with snakes I was just the other way* I wouldn't kill a snake at all. I figured if the snakes would let me alone I sure would let them alone* My front room was 16 X 16 aid I did not have to go into i t every day* One day I went into it and there w e a big snaka sticking its head through a knothole in the ceiling, just look* ing around* I tore out to the field after Mr* Bailey, K ut by the tin* we got to the house the snake wes gone, I suppose up into the loft i&ere he lived all the time* e could not get Into the loft very well so had to leave him alone. Another time Mr,, Bailey was at home and about a half dozen little snakes niggled out from under the floor through a' oraek right rut on the floor they came* I was " skeared** but Mr* Bailey started ri^tit in to kill them, but some of them got away back under the floor* 1*11 bound you they had hatched right out o their eggs under-my floor* 1*11 tell you it made you feel awful to think that you lived right in the h«ise with snakes and spiders* Boll snakes just will live in the house or barn with you* They say

7 BAILEY, LISSIE. INTERVIEW that a Ball snake is not poisonous but law 1, they might as well be for they scare a body to death anyway* Fara&ag We raised cotton t corn and maize* Ve alw&yb had several milk cows and always had hogs enough for our own meat* I have sold lots of milk, butter and eg<*s» You didnh,<$et much for such things, though* I have sold butter, a lot of it, for ten cents a pound, eggs for ten and fifteen cents a dozen; butteijf milk was worth about five cents a 1 gallon but I usually gave mine away* Time you put wet rags around your milk in the summer to keep it from spoiling and cared for it in winter when it was so cold to milk you felt that that was mighty little to 'get for your labor* I have had alien to walk three miles and pack eggs end butter to sell when we would want a little money and that was the only way we had of raiding it* 11 oar wood those first years was hauled from the Indian reservation and it was a cold,cold job to go away over there for wood as there were no bridges and the river had to be crossed as well aa Otter Creek* Several of the neighbors would always go together after wood, for they always had to stay" one night, with good luck, and if a head rise cane, or it rained, and the river waa

8 BAILEY, IISSIE. INTERVIEW*. $799 up, they of tea had to stay several days* Times have alleys been hard for us but Mr, Bailey was a good husband and a good farmer and I was contented an 1 happy after I got weaned away from my old friends and made new ones* I brought a sewing machine with no to this country* Bay first machine was an Sldridge, the next, one was Davis and the next one a Singer t I have th-at jet* I have always sewed for the public, I never charged until after the norld War* people just gave me what they wanted to* At first I always cut ay own patterns» but since you can sot patterns, such nice jones for a dime.people usually bring me their pattern* I still have all the sewing for other people that I have tine to do* Sveryone had always heard a grant deal about the cyclones In Oklahoma* I w s inclined to believe that the reports were enlarged* for it was not my disposition to be afraid' of stonrc* One Sunday in the spring it was rather warm and big dark looking thundeiheads were rolling about over the sky but did not look dangerous to us so we got ready and went to Sunday school i and we had company come home with us for dinner* In the after* noon it began to rain end how It did rain* Along about five o'clock it ^uit and cleared off partly but was so very warn and

9 71 BlILffif, LISSIE. INTERVIEW sultry for the spring of the year. Our company wont home and we did tbo night chorea and wont to bed. Along about nine o*clock, without any warning at ail, a big wind struck our ^ All the windows burst out and the south side of the house went* The north aide of the honee was lifted right over our heads scad ' as the floor of the house turned over we were all spilled out on the ground amid all that glass and It now begaa a flood of roiln nd hall. Pappy aid Allen were both hurt but Tunsol and I were not hurt In the least* I^pp/ called to ne sod began to crawl around i s the dark to find me and something struck him In the back* Hie storm came from the northeast; I had a washstand s i t- ting In the northeast corner of the room and I always thought that must have struck Mr. feailey in the back, storm cellar but had not bothered to &> to i t. ^e h?d a good We now tried to hurry to i t end X thought to my soul we would be drowned or that the hall would beat us to death before we could get the door open an d down into the cellar* Allen hac* sn arm and shoulder broken aiid Mr* Bailey could not straighten on account of his back, besides his hand, feet and legs looked eat to pieces from crawling around in that broken glass trying to find m«. Every* thing on earth we had was blown away nd there we ware freesfng to death in our night clothes in that hole In the ground without

10 BAUKS', LI3SIE IHTERVIBW even a light. There was nothing to do bat go to the nearest neighbors,.so In our night clothea we vent* Their house had not been blown off the blocks but had been careened a little* It was night an,: we could not. get a doctor but when daylight came.allen was takes to town to the doctor and a doctor was asked to come out 4 and look Mr* Bailey over, which he did* He said there was nothing ha could do for Mr. Dailey, it would just have to ri^rt itself, but it never did* His back always hurt him lot after that and a kidney trouble developed from the injury* a built us a new house and we went right on living on this place but were careful to go to the cellar when it looked the least bit threatening*.'e lived six miles from town and one moraine Mr. Bailey had to sp> to town* Be was always lively and "jokey"* He came in at noon and ate his dinner, and went to the field and picked cotton all the afternoon. He always brought la the eggs for me* AS he Came into the house to sujper he had his hands behind him* he always called me "Dumpy" for a pet name, and he said to me, "Bumpy, guess how many egga I have for today* If you will guess seven,i trill give you every one of them*" Of oourse. eevex was the number he had in his hands* H ate his supper, but complained thot he could not breathe very well*.<«never fed the hogs until after the ohlckena went to roost, so when It got dark Pappy went to feed the hogs* I

11 BULKY, LIS3IE* - ISTERVIKW. 97W 8 thought he was staying a little too long* you know how It is when a person is ailing, you will be uneasy about them, so I went out and called him. He answered all right said came on into the. house aad sat dovn* He aaid to ins "Dumpy,if I don't breathe better I am afraid you won't have your old man with you much longer". something for bliru That alarmed me and I began to want to do I got him a fresh drink and we went oat and sat on the porch, it was a little sultry in the house; the tin* was September* He sat a few minutes and said, "Dumpy, if you will fix the bed for me I believe I will lie down"* I hurried into the house sad fixed the bed end came back to see if I could help him and I saw he was about gone* I helped him lie down and ran. out into the yard screaming towards a neighbors* They heard me scream a mile away* The neighbor cane and went for a doctor as fast as he could but it was no use* Pappy was dead in twenty minutes. Our oldest son, Allen, had just been married about two months and rappy had just moved them to torn about a week before so they could live by themselves, ^e came right back home and said. "Mother, I haven*t been gone from you long and I will come right home and lire with you always and never leave you again, and he hasn't*

12 v.. 74 BATES Y*.LISSIE. JKTERVIECT* 9799 Mr* B-iiley had bad his life insured for $1,000*00 just sixty days before h died* The doctor came oat to make the examination and to deliver the policy and he said to ae, "Ho* Mrs* Bailey you can kill Mr, Bailey any time you want to%l replied, "Kill him- I would not give sty husband up for all the Insurance in the world* I love him too much*" You can always count on afcranper crop once in «very three years, and all kind of animals and fowls do veil In this country because It is so high and dry* If we did not have such dust storms it would be the paradise of the world to n»* course* water is bad and we people on the farm have to have water the year round nearly for you cannot get good water in a well, it is too hard or salty* I have always lived mostly on or near Stinking Creek and no uater in that vicinity is ever good* I guess if one does his part God always does His*