Eugene Rutherford

Late 1930’s – Post Depression Era

After a week of hard manual labor, African-American men in Newberry, South Carolina frequently engaged in card games. Since all participants started off feeling “lucky,” there were always a lot of coins on the table. The European-American cops felt equally a lucky as they patrolled the wooded areas where the games often took place. As the cops arrived, the players began to scatter. Not everyone was able to escape. The cops would confiscate all money left behind and arrest those not fortunate enough to flee.  All-in-all, those were good weekends for the cops of Newberry, SC.

One particular weekend night, my Great-Uncle John Livingston was participating in one of the card games. The European-American cops were lucky enough to find the card game and my Great-Uncle John was unlucky enough to get arrested and have his money taken by the cops.  

Great-Uncle John was a laborer for the Newberry Lumber Company owned by the Murray family. John had been injured due to a safety violation. John, being of a certain spirit, filed a lawsuit against Newberry Lumber Co.  The lawsuit was pending at the time of John’s arrest.  Newberry, being a place where news traveled effectively by word-of-mouth, Mr. Murray became aware of John’s circumstances. He, immediately, dispensed a messenger to the jail where Great-Uncle John was being detained, with what Mr. Murray deemed an offer that John couldn’t / wouldn’t refuse: “Drop the charges/lawsuit and I’ll get you out of jail.” John instructed the messenger as follows: “Tell Mr. Murray to leave me here!”   

My Great-Uncle John served his sentence, won the lawsuit, was awarded $500 and left Newberry, South Carolina for a new residence in Virginia.

_Eugene Rutherford