Thirty-Five

            Uncle Paul had the main house and a summerhouse they lived in during the summer and one night both of us was sleeping in the summer house. Frank seen the police car stop out front. He woke me and said they were after him. We were up the stairs. He told me to go down and let them in. When I did he went out the upstairs window, out to the road, and took the police car and got away. He left the car up the road a little ways and went on foot. He stayed away about a week, till things quieted down, before he came back.

            Him and Uncle Melvin got a half grown steer one night and somehow forced it into the car and took it down into the back country and sold it for meat. While it was in the car it sure made an awful mess all over the back seat and the floor. It was a long time till they could get the smell out. They were always after chickens, ducks, pigs and young livestock. They would always sell those things cheap. A lot of the people couldn't afford to by meat any other way.

            One time Frank got a ride from a fellow driving a pick up. He was riding in back. The fellow was going about forty miles an hour when Frank saw a police car come in sight about a half mile back. Frank thought they were after him and just jumped right off the truck. He thought he was going to kill himself before he stopped rolling and bouncing. He got pretty well banged up and was lame and for a for a week. H got up somehow and got into the woods and just lay there. The police car went on by. They wasn't even after him that time.

            One time I want along with my Uncle Melvin. He wasn't hauling any whiskey and he wouldn't tell me where he was going, just said he had to take care of some fellows that was mad at him.

            It turned out they were a bunch that kept chasing him when he was delivering whiskey. When I got in the car I seen a bunch of chains in the back of the car. I asked him what they was for. He just said I was going to see a lot of fun.

            It was about two in the morning when we got to where he stopped. He said we had to walk the rest of the way. He had me carry two of the chains. He took the other three. We were deep in the woods. He said we had to sneak up to the backside of the house.

            When we got there I could see five cars parked there. They were all backed in so they could get out fast. Melvin too the chains and chained them all together then hitched the last one to a tree. He said now let's sneak back to the car, I'll show you something.

            He drove the rest of the way, right up to the house, turned around, making all kinds of noises. He had a gun along, he always carried it in the glove compartment. He shot into one of the cars. About then they were coming out of the house and Melvin took off. He only went a little ways and stopped and told me to watch.

            They jumped in their cars and really started out. They wrecked and pulled the rear ends and wheels out from under all the cars. Melvin had hitched the chains to the rear end not the bumpers like I thought he done. When they got out of their cars that's when Melvin yelled and said, "Good-bye fellows! See you on my next trip!" and we went home. All Melvin said now wasn't that fun. I bet they think so. The best part was they never chased him again.