Travel Notes froll'l a Deep South Tourist

By FRANK HOLLOWAY

THE SUNDAY AFTER the mob v iolence seats on the Jeft side. I think this sort in :\10ntgomery, Ala., Harold An­ of shook the bus driver up. He kept drews, an Atlanta college student, and looking at us and then got off the bus I decided to go to Montgomery to and talked to a couple of the police­ join the Freedom Riders. We didn't meo, pointing in our direction. The have the money. and most of the other passengers were mumbling and Southern Christian Leadership Confer­ I co"ld sense they were talking about ence people and the Student Non-Vio­ us. lent Coordinating Committee were al­ "It looks like the Freedom Ride is ready in Montgomery so we couldn't starti ng right here," I said to Harold. get travel funds from them. We ran After about ten minutes the driver all over town afkr money, and finally gO( back on the bus, and we we re on borrowed some from a neighbor. He our way. A police car followed us U [1 ­ told us that his only regret was that he til we reached the city limits. didn't have more to give us. When we pulled into the LaGrange, We bought our tickets at the G rey­ Ga., station, the driver told us we hound Bus Station, and went to the had a IS-minu te rest stop. Harold and station cafeteria which had never I got off the buo;; and went into the so­ served Negroes. We were served wi th­ called "white" waitillg room. We were Oul any trouble, the first l'\egroes to met by a man who called himself Ithe eat there, and we fel t pretty good that manager or something like tha,t. He this was settled. However, there were told us the "colored" waiting room was heavy detachments of plainclothes a,ound in back. We smiled slightly policemen on the scen~~ . I don't know and kept on walking into the white how they got there so fast but there \-I.ailing room. He said, "Get out of they were. After a piece of pie and the -- - white waiting room and go abouc three cups of coffee, we went to where you belong." We still didn't say the loading dock to board the bus. The any thing to him. About this time up plainclothesmen were right behind us, pops a policeman telling us to "get tryi ng to be inconspicuous. We got on your - -- outa here or else." I the bus a nd sat in the first aod second asked the policeman where was the rcst room. He pulled his night stick or blackjack, swung wildly at us. We (Mr. Holloway, a 21 -year-old Atlantan, Is n veteran of sit-ins, kneel-ins and other student demonstrations hacked off, but he did hit us a little. of the lasl IS months, and has served two Jail sen­ tences for vioialion of Georgia's anti-trespass law.) Then the manager and two or three Freedom Riders (us) were arrivi ng Tourist Continued that night, h e nc ~ the mob's welcome other men pushed, hit and ki cke d us party. Anyway, we went into the right OD out of the waiting room . "wh it e" waiting room and tried to People were begi nning to gather on phone for help, whi le the ma rshals the out side. The bus was abo ut to were holding back the crowd on the leave, so we got back on and sat in outside. We could n't con tact the Mont­ front as before. Outside we noticed gomery Negro lea ders . so we decided two of the "agitators," telephoning. We to get some sort of tran sportation to believe they passed the word on th at one of their houses. But the cab driv­ two Freed om Riders were en route to ers refused to tak.e us and the Negroes Monlgomery. were afraid to come anywhere near the bus sta tion . So there we were, One thing {hat made us feel rather good happened at Tuskegee when lhc strand ed, not knowing anyone and with bus picked up some NegJo passengers, no place ·to go, and no way to get there. who went to the rear. A couple of Negroes outsid l,; of the waiting room minutes later a Negro man came up were afraid to help us. They said some and sat by Harold. He told Harold Negro cars had been burned by the mob and they feared it might happen tha t he noticed us sitting to the ironl again. WI,; had no choice but to try when he got on and that he had n~ver seen this before in Alabama. Then he to wa lk away. One Negro told us there was a large mass meeting at the First said it came to him we were Freedom R iders, and that he felt an obliga:ion Baptist Church, where Rev. Ralph to us and himse lf to join us in (h e Abernathy is pastor, and that Dr. King fr ont, although he was afraid to. He and all the Freedom Rid ers were there. also said he didn't exactly go along We Jeft On foot , not knowing what with that non·violence jive the students direction to .take. Before we gOl 50 were practicing. So for th e remainde r feet from the station w (! were stopped of th e trip we talked to him about non­ by the police and federal marshals, violence in opposition to violence. who made us go back into the bu s sta­ We arrtved in Montgomery abou ~ 9 tion for our own protection. We went p,m. The city seemed to be going into the "whj.te" waiting room, and crazy. There we re ma sses of peopl e Montgomery police carne ln and told out on tbe streets with police cars, state us we would have to go lO the "Negro" troopers and federa l marshals, and th e side, because the mob outside was noise of si rens. Our bus was escorted angry and they didn't wa nt to have from th e ci ty limits to the Greyhound "any trouble like We had yesterday." station by two carloads of marshals. In We didn 't say anything, but just con­ the heart of town, mobs of people tinu ed telephoning, trying to reach waved their fists and yeUed at us. A t some Montgomery Negro Jeaders. the station we met a mob es timated Again , they asked us to move, this to be 1,500 strong. We sa t in the bus time more firmly. The federal marshals for a few min utes and the n got off. The came up to us and stood by us silen t­ marshals held the mob off and some 20 ly. The police asked us to move a thi rd of them surrounded us to protect us. time and when we didn't (hey put us One of them told me that the news had under arrest. We were charged with gotten to Montgomery that two more refusing to obey an office r. About an hour after our arrest we About 7 :30 a. m. Wednesday, th e wen.! freed. Two sergeants esconed us first busload of Freedom Riders left back to the bus stalion. '1 hey refused for Jackson, beginning our invasion of to tell LJ S why we were freed or where the Sovl.: reign State of Mississippi and we were going. In fact, they told me to ils rigid segregation. "shut your - ~ - mouth or else we'lI I left on another bus at 11 a.m. take matters into our own hands." So First, we ale integrated in the " white" I shut up. At the bus station we st ill room without any trouble, guarded by had the problem of making contact about 50 NMional Guardsmen. We wi.f.h the Negro community. It seemed were also escorted on au r ride by that everything and everybody was troopers and Guardsmen, abou110 cars working against us , and we didn 't know in fr ont of us and maybe 15 behind us. what to do or wh ere to go. Ahead of the parade were some 20 Finally a brave young Negro cab Montgomery motorcycle potice. who driver came by to help us . Well, we left us at the city limits. were glad to see that cat. For one solid We had several reporters and Na­ hour or mo re we rode through Mont­ tional Guardsmen On our bus. The gomery streets, trying to get to the Guards sat both behind and in front church, but the streets 1O the church of us, with their commanding officer were blocked off by Alabama Guards. standing in front, looking as jf he We ran into sevaal road blocks and would shoot us if we made the slight­ were searched .five times, but we finally est move. So we didn't make the made- it to the church. slightest move. Two or three hundred National The newsmen interviewed us and Guardsmen surrounded the church. In­ other times we looked out of the win­ side were three Or four times as many dow at the pretty scenery and talked people as the church was supposi.!d to about what we would eat at Jackson. hold, and it was very hot and uncom­ Some of us slept and some read. fortable. Some peopl e were trying to The Alabama troopers and !"Jational sleep, but there was hardly room for Guardsmen left us at the state line, anybody to turn around. Dr. King, and mo re hostile Mississippi troopers other leaders and the Freedom Riders and Guardsmen picked us up . The bus were circulating through the church didn 't make any regularly scheduled talking to people and trying to keep stops, but we did stop at a ~ egro cafe their spirits up. on th e road with five minutes for what­ But it was a relief and like a haven ever we had to do. After a five-hour to be among friend s. Anyway, they ride, this was hardly time enough for kept us in the church overnight until all of us, but we were more fortunate about six a.m. wh en everybody left. than the first bus, which didn't stop We Freedom Riders went to Negro any place. We made several requests homes. to the driver for rest stops, but he had We stayed there three days, during (lfders not to stop. At ,the outs kirts which time we had several worhhops of small Mississippi town s, people out· on non-violence . We couldn't move side their houses and stor..;s shook their around the city, being guarded by the fi sts and threw roc ks at us. I thought National Guard. In the meantime, sev­ it was rather amusing, because the trip eral other Freedom Riders joined us. had gotten so dull and tiresome. the Freedom Riders. Then they took Tourist Continued us out to the paddy wagon. At Jackson the city pohce met us We got in and immediately began aud escorted us to the bus station. Be­ to sing our s tu d ~ nt songs. I heard ooe hind all th ese escorts I felt like the white specta tor say to a nother, " What President of the United States touring in the --- those niggers singin g aboutT ' R ussia or something. Outside the bus and -the other one answered. " } don't a sort of tunnel of gua rds led from the kn ow, but they'U cha nge their ~ une bus to the "white" wai,ting rOom . In soon as they get their hea d oc aten in fact, they had blocked the way to the a couple of times." " You're right," the "Negro" waiting room, so that jf :~ome first one said. "l1le police aren't going of us had changed our minds we to take any- - -from those niggers like couldn't have used the "Nl:gIo" rest the other places did. " room anyway. Wt: sang until we reached the jail. We got off the bu s and walked Inside, the captain told us to stop sing­ through the "tunnel" of troopers, ing. They took us to a room to be guardsmen, city poti ce and reporters. b('loked, and here we received unusu­ At the door of the waiting room a ally kind treatment. "What is yOU I' polic~man stood there like the door­ name, sir ?" a policeman wh o was man of the Waldorf Astoria and booking me asked. " My name is Frank opened the door for us. There were Holloway, " I replied. "Excu:s.; me, sir," more police inside. I gu ess the crooks he said, " You mean your name is in thL city had a fi eld da y because all Mister Frank H oUowa y." the Jackson police were at the bus I could tell it was nearly killing them station making tunnels and opening to be kind and poli.te, and that they doors for us. were just following orders they didn 't WI.:, tried to make our way through like and throwing some sarcasm in to the crowded cafeteria but never did get make it easier on them. there. I still wonder what do they serve After din ner th ey took us to our in that cafeteri a, sin ce they guard it as cells whi<;!l were fairly clean ; the beds if it was rort Knox or America's se­ were hard and uncomfortable but curity weapon. Anyway, a policeman sleepable. About 12 of us were in one in blue pants and lots of white, shiny two-room cell. bullons pinned on hi s shirt, by the We s,tayed iu th e ci ty jail for two name of Captain Ray, ca me over and days, singing, discussing the new.'i, tell­ said, " You peopl e mu st leave, keep ing jokes, etc. Time passed pretty fast moving," etc. I kept moving because because we had a lot to ta Ik about and it was so crowded I was pushed ail were becoming better acquainted with over the place. Captain Ray ordered each other The food wasn't tOO hot, but agaio, " You people move on." His boys staying hungry most of the time made then began picking out the black people it taste pretty good. They gave us clean and placing them under arrest. Being linen, soap, toilet articles, which I black, I was arrested. thought was very accommodating. That There was one white fell ow and a day we were all owed to shave, which very fair Negro who had a hard time they told me is very uncommon in getting arrested. The white fellow had Mississippi. to tell a policeman that he was with Then they took us to a room where we met the other Freedom Riders and them up. We talked about the Free­ our lawyer, so we could decide wha.t to dom Rides, the Student Movement in do at the hearing. We decided right general, and our commitment to non­ away to plead not guilty (of breach of violence, Dinner was worse than break­ the peace), and to take any sentence fast o r lunCh, although I hadn't given to us, thought that was possible, We read a There were many reporters and little literature we had smuggled in, few spectators in the courtroom, This and then lay down on those things was the largest crowd they had ever they ca lled beds, and had a ve ry chilly had in this courtroom, I was told , The and unrestful sleep. judge showed little interest in our at­ After breakfast next day, we began torney's and th e city attorney's argu­ to sing Student Movemen.t songs. A ments. As soon as they concluded, the jailer came into ou r ward and told us judge ruled guilty and gave u~ two to "cut out that - -- noise." We kept months suspended sentences and $200 on singing. He told us we were "a fines, or 67 days time to serve. bunch of smart - - - and we got Found guilty of breach of the public ways of taking ca re of black - - - nig­ peace, [or tryin~ to use facilities o[ the gers who get out of their place," WI:, Trailways Bus Station, for which we kept on singing, and we couldn't hear had bought tickets with good Ameri­ all of llle cussing and name-calling. can money, we went back to the city The jailer left and came back with jail to wait for transfer to the county somebody of higher authority, and we jail. We were tak...:n to th e Hinds had two Mississippi experts cuss ing us (,:ounty jail rig ht across the stred from QU i We kept on singing, anu they the city jail. threatened to put us in the swea t box When we went in we were met by Or solit ary, They took three of us and some of the meanest looking, tobacco­ told us they were going to put all of chewing lawmen I have ever seen. They us in th e sweat box if we didn't ordered us a round like " bunch of dogs, sh ut up. We kept on singing, and they and I reall y began to reel like I was in took a few more of us to the sweat box a Mississi ppi jail. Our cell was nasty and threatened to beat the rest of us and the beds were harder than the city over the head with a stick. jail beds, hardly sleep able, but the Later, when they realized we were eight o[ us in our cd! had to lie down not going to slop singing regardless somewhere. It was very cold du ring the of what they did to us, they brought night because the window was broken, those they had locked up in the swea t and we di dn't have enough cover. box back to the cell. One jailer told me We struggled through a horrible they could get rid of a nigger in Mis­ break fast the next morning. I had slip­ sissippi, and nobody could do anything ped in a couple of bars of soa p from about it. The first thing that came into the city jail and decided to take a show­ my mind was the Charlie Parker case. er, but the shower didn 't work prop­ After several days they ordered us ...:riy, and the sink didn't' eilher. We to pack up and get ready to move . didn't have much to do but wait and Later a bunch of armed guards escorted see if lunc h would be as bad as break­ (Chillrlu Parker, a Nellro charged with rape, was abducu:d from the MIMI.ss\ppi jail and murdered by fast. After lunch we wrote letters we a mob In 1959. H is body was found in a river. r n1tlrfn't m:.il h f> r~ l1<:p WP h:.n <.:(':. lpn After inve..'lt1aa,lion, Ihe ,F,B I offere~ ils ex.tcnsive rc:­ I wa sn't beaten myself, but they did Tourist Continued call me all tho; dirty names they seemed a bl e to think of. was about the us to lwO station wagons, which look J us to the Hinds County penal farm. 15th man to go in lhere, and the prison Wh en we gO( therL' we met seve ral doctor must have warned them about men in ten-gallon hats, lookin g like beating us after Reverend \ofe. Vivian's so mething out of an old We stern, with injuries. rifl es in the ir hands, staring at us as if So, aft...:r being guarded by men with guns big I..!no ugh to kill an elephant, we were de spera t ~ killers about tu escape. This ti ckled me, and I had to ca ll ed nasty and unbelievable names, smi le. Here we were, non-violent Free­ beaten until blood ra n down some of dom Riders, who had come to jail our faces, we were ordered to work in to stay there, and th ey led us through the fields in 100-degree weather from a tunnel of men holding rifl es to pre­ sunup until sundown. I didn't get a chance to work too long and get too vent OUf escape They locked us up in the farm jail. Soon they took us o ut hot, because I was soon released. to a room, boys on o ne side and My fri end Harold Andrews and J girls on the other. One by one, th ey got out on a $500 appeal bond to go took us into another room for ques­ back to Montgomery as witnesses in a ti oning before they gave us Qur bla ck case against th e city of Montgomery and white stripes. and it s police department because of There wefe about eight guards with our unlawful arrest in Montgomery. sticks in their hands in the second Guard rushed us back to Jackson, room, and the Freedom Rider being sirens cl earing the way, bein g, I sup­ quc.:stioned wa s su rrounded by these pose, so glad to get rid of a cou ple of mea. Outside we could hear the ques­ Freedom Riders. We laid our lawyer ti ons, and the thumps and whacks, and about the brutality inft.icted on the Free­ sometimes a quick groan or a cry, when dom R iders, and that jf something their questions weren't answered to weren't done, SOJneone might be kjU ed their sati sfaction. They beat sevf'ral at Ihat farm. Our lawyc:rs notified the Riders who didn't say, "Yes sir," but FBI an" the Negro Freedom Riders none of (hem would "Cncie-Tom th>! were transferred back to the Hinds guards. County jail, where they were at least Rev. C. T. Vivian of Chattanooga safe from guards at the isolated penal was beaten preuy bad. When he came farm. out he had blood streaming from hi s This experience of Freedom Riding head. They took him to the penal fa rt" and being locked up in Mississippi js doctor, who a pparently patched him something I will never forgeL But I up so he looked like he had not been wouldn't t r