had to go to Uncle Gary to borrow the money to save the farm
because it was advertised in the paper that it was going to be
sold at the sheriff’s sale. Uncle Gary didn’t keep his money in
the bank, he kept his money in the post office. You could put
money in the post office back in those days, and he figured it
was safer than the banks… and it was.
It was pretty tough times, so Daddy and Fred Bargeron
decided to get into the beer business. Fred had a little money, so
they drove to New York in a truck to see if they could buy some
beer, and they found someone who had 80 cases. Somewhere
in North Carolina, a motorcycle policeman stopped them and
wanted to know what they were hauling. It frightened them a
little bit because it was so close to Prohibition ending. They
said they had beer, and the policeman asked them if they had
any samples. Fred almost broke his leg getting out and over the
back of the truck to give the policeman a case of beer.
They got back home and stored the beer in the pool room
– that was the warehouse. Daddy and Fred’s partnership lasted
until Fred wanted to get into the liquor business, but Daddy did
not, so they split up. Left with the business alone, he didn’t
have any money or credit to go out and buy large amounts of
beer, so he got with Mr. Brice (Tanner-Brice Company), and they
went into partnership. Mr. Brice had credit, and they could buy
the beer. That lasted a couple of years, then Brice wanted out of
the beer business and Daddy was left alone with it again.
The summer after first grade, Orvelle (Aunt Ina’s daughter,
my cousin), Aunt Ina, Mother, Ruth Baker, Dan, and Earl
Kicklighter all went to Florida to the beach. We had a cottage
and drank “home brew” and played the wind-up phonograph.
That was my first sunburn, and it was bad. I had a little onepiece,
wool bathing suit with a sailboat on it. When salt water
ABOVE During May, the Altama Gallery and Toombs
County Magazine hosted an exhibit of some of
Mose’s photography collection. TOP Mose with two
of his many grandsons, Bob Coleman and John
Coleman.
104 Toombs County Magazine