Chickens!

Murder Most Fowl? Did Fred Murder Grandma’s Chickens? -by Anne Frye Maxey-

Lula May Thomas was Anne and Fred’s grandmother on their mothers side. She married Carlos James Craft October 11, 1900. Carlos Craft was the accountant for the New River Coal Company, at Scarbo, West Virginia.  Due to southern West Virginia drawl his name was sometimes pronounced “Carless” or “Carlus”, which may explain some of the misspelling on old census records. They had five children, Edna was the oldest and the youngest died very young in a sledding accident, when he was about four years old. The three boys were Carl James, Wallace Hamilton, and William Thomas. William was always called “Beans” I don’t know why, but perhaps because his older brother was “Ham”?

Carlos was in an automobile accident and died when Edna was twelve years’ old, leaving her mother, Lula Thomas Craft, alone to raise Edna and her brothers.

What was a young widow to do in those tough days??  She opened a “Boarding House”!  

I have no idea how many lunches she made, and boxed every day, or how many dinners she cooked or, how many bed sheets and pillow covers that she “hand washed”.   Lula Craft had a younger brother, John Thomas, he came to help her raise the boys.  I think he came to live with her right after he came home from the First World War. He had his right thumb cut off at the knuckle, I am not sure if that was from a coal mine accident or from the War, but he used to wave it as us to scare us.  He helped her raise the boys and spoiled my mother, Edna.
John Thomas was big and strong. So, he took a job working in the mine and was well known for shoveling more coal into the coal car than any other miner. He spoiled my mom and when I came along, he spoiled me also.

One time, when I was about two, a curtain fell on me when I was setting on the couch (it was called a davenport and they have informed me that I was no lady)—apparently I was not hurt but, my dignity was -so, as the men often did, I also said some choice words “Dam-Dam-Dam Dagnammit” — And I didn’t get in trouble for using bad words.  Uncle John also spoiled me by saving pennies in a big jar, when it got almost full, he gave it to me. When I was real young he would take me along with the “boys” to the “Beer Joint”. They had me tap dance on the bar. (That stopped when I was about ten years old.)

My younger brother, Fred, (our dad’s middle name). It was always my job to watch after him.  He was always in trouble and once when he was about six, somehow got into the car and ‘drove’ it through the back of the garage!   But that is another story.   

One day we were visiting with Grandma.  As usual, I was supposed to be watching Fred, a big job, as you might guess.  However, I was reading a book instead.

WHEN I WENT TO LOOK FOR HIM, I  WAS TERRIFIED BY WHAT I SAW…….

There were all of grandma’s chickens lying on the ground in a row!

From one side fence to the other side fence, there was not a peep or any movement of any kind.  He could see how upset I was, so he was very quick to say: “Don’t worry! Don’t worry!  I can fix it!” 

He picked them up, one at a time, and pulled its head out from under Its wing, smoothed its feathers.  Then he would gently put it back into the pen. They just walked away as if nothing had happened. After a big breath of air, as he “fixed the last one” he asks if I wanted to know how he had done his dastardly deed. And, indeed, I did want to know. 

He picked up one, put its head under its wing and gently made big round and round circles while holding on to the chicken between both hands. So that one was asleep, and he put it carefully on the ground!  

DID YOU ALREADY KNOW THIS TRICK?

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These dishes belonged to Edna Elizabeth Craft Frye.