[Granville-Hough] 29 Dec 2009 - Needham Durr and the Preacher

[Trustees for Granville W. Hough]

Date: Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:50:24 -0800
From: Granville W Hough <gwhough at oakapple.net>
Subject: Needham Durr and the Preacher- 29 Dec 2009

    The Hough farm was between land owned by Mr. Jim Meadows, who had 
six tenant farmer families who did the work.  He did not trust white 
people, so only had black tenant families on his farm.  He allowed no 
one in his yard, and kept vicious looking and acting bulldogs to enforce 
that edict.  Mr Meadows was our closest white neighbor, though it had to 
be a real emergency to call on his help, something like a lost child.  
The Yelvertons on the Mize-Magee highway were our real neighbors.  The 
McAlpins, our other real neighbors were a half-mile to the west, but on 
another road which crossed our property. 
    So our immediate neighbors were black families, two to the north 
about two blocks away and four to the south, just a little more than a 
quarter of mile away.  Mr. Meadows did not want any contact with us by 
any of his tenants.  He imagined we were working with them to do all 
sorts of things.  Actually, we were just as afraid of Mr. Meadows as 
they were. However, we did have a vested interest in knowing every 
member of each black family as we kept nothing locked.  On Sundays, they 
all did a lot of visiting.  If a stranger came through, we were 
immediately alerted and often investigated.
    I suppose Mr. Meadows had some redeeming qualities.  At the nearest 
road crossing over the railroad to old Low, he maintained a black church 
and school.  Other farmers in the community had black tenants, and I 
suppose they helped support the school and church.  The next black 
school and church was about 5 miles west along the railroad in Simpson 
County near the abandoned sawmill town of Coat.  I suppose, but cannot 
verify, that black families had worked there in the sawmills about 
1910.  I believe the area was called Hubbardtown.  We will call it that 
for this story.
    Tenants would stay with Mr. Meadows for several years, then find 
better opportunities.  About 1938, there were two new tenants, one close 
to us named Needham Durr and the other to the south, who was a 
preacher.  I cannot remember his last name, so I will call him the 
"Preacher."  Needham came to me with some items needing repair which I 
could do and did in my father's blacksmith shop.  We talked about 
different things, and he was a good conversationalist. I considered we 
were friends.  We had heard that Needham liked whiskey, but that was not 
unusual.  Then the Preacher observed that I sometimes drove to Magee to 
school when I had some errand or a bale of cotton to gin.  He came one 
day and asked when I would next drive to Magee and I told him.  He said 
he had a debt there he needed to pay and asked if I would do it for 
him.  I said sure, as I knew the merchant was in the next store to Uncle 
Ehrman McAlpin's store.  I paid the debt, got a receipt, and took some 
message from the merchant back to the Preacher.  When I got home, I 
found the Preacher waiting so I gave him the receipt and told him what 
the message was.  Afterwards, we talked several times, so I considered 
the Preacher as a friend, also
    It happened that the next spring, we moved over to join Grandpa Jim 
Richardson.  Then, during Revival Meeting time in July or August, we 
heard the most terrible news.  The Revival was going on at Hubbardtown, 
and the Preacher was at his best as the visiting minister.  It was an 
evening service by lantern light, and Preacher gave a powerful and 
moving sermon.  He had brought nearly all the Low church congregation in 
trucks to support him, including Needham Durr.  Now, as in the white 
revival meetings, just as much went on outside the church as inside it.  
Somehow, Needham got some whiskey, and had too much.  After the service, 
he was stumbling around in the lanternlight, swearing at any obstruction 
or person in his path.  The women set up a clamor and soon the Preacher 
came out to see what was wrong.  He confronted Needham and told him, "No 
one comes to my church or sermon and acts this way.  Get in the truck so 
we can go home."  To which Needham replied with curse words and 
threatening gestures.  The Preacher was infuriated and hit Needham's 
chest with his fist.  Now the Preacher was a powerful man and was fully 
infuriated.  He just struck one blow.  Needham sank to the ground and 
died immediately.  The autopsy showed his heart had been dislodged from 
its rib cage by the blow.  No one was more remorseful than the 
Preacher.  He had killed a member of his own congregation, who left a 
widow and children.  He had ruined his own reputation and career.  As 
soon as he could, he left the community for places unknown.
    In the investigation and trial which followed, several persons who 
were standing nearby gave testimony; however, in the lanternlight, and 
in the clamor of the women and children, each saw and heard something 
different.  The white jury in Mendenhall or Raleigh could not make heads 
or tails of it, so it is my recollection that Preacher was acquitted.  
So in the unforeseen and happenchance events of life, I lost two friends 
in one night.  I can only hope to see them again in the hereafter.  Grandpa.