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Week ending February 3, 1939. ALABAMA.
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François Ludgere Diard, Identification No. 0149-5252, Federal Writers' Project,Ds.2 WPA Project No. 4454, Mobile, Ala
Sharon Cousins, Rooming House South Royal St., 3rd North of Conti St., Mobile, Ala.
SHARON COUSINS, KNIGHT OF THE ROAD.
On Friday night, January 20th,1939, at exactly 6:00 o'clock when the Angelus was ringing loudly from the towers of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at Dauphin and Claiborne Streets, after eating supper I took a stroll out Dauphin Street to Hamilton Street to where the New York Bakery is located. This bakery has the reputation of making excellent rye bread and delicious candied moccaroons, which I generally purchase every Friday afternoon if financially able. When I had reached the opposite of the back of the Cathedral, there was standing at the northeast corner of Franklin and Dauphin Streets a young man of five and a half feet in height. He had on a thin, slip on blue-gray sweater, brown trousers,and a brown sport shirt which he wore under the sweater. A pair of unpolished black shoes encased his feet,and he carried under his arm a heavy black overcoat. I was walking with my face cast downward heavily thinking, and when I looked up to step onto the curb of the sidewalk, I saw the young man had a pair of the frankest and sincerest blue-gray eyes I had ever seen in a man's head. He was looking at me for a moment with a stair of suspicion, and I knew then he thought I was a detective of some kind, for he soon hurried away to the opposite side of the street and vanished from sight in the shadow of the automobiles.
I continued a block further to the bakery and purchased the loaf of rye bread and the maccaroons I was going after, All that night I had that young drift-in's face before me and the expression he wore on seeing me, for he was a fairly genteel, nice looking young man with regular features and a
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Week ending February 3, 1939. ALABAMA.
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François Lusgere Diard, Moblie, Ala.
Sharon Cousins,Rooming House, South Royal Street, 3rd N.of Conti Street, Mobile, Ala.
SHARON COUSINS, KNIGHT OF THE ROAD.
head of rich,sandy hair. The next day came and I was still thinking of the young man and the strange way of crossing the street and getting out of my way. At one o'clock when I was returning from lunch and on my way to the post office, I chanced, to pass through Bienville Square. My shoe string at this point became untied,and I stopped at a bench in the center or circle nearest the pathway I had entered by, and on placing my foot upon the bench to tie my shoe,I saw the same young man. He was talking to on old-time transient, who, from his face and appearance,had had many experiences of life on the road. I said to the young man:
"Young fellow, why did you vanish across the street by the Cathedral last night when you saw me? I didn't mean you any harm."
"Well, I'll tell you," he answered, "I was afraid you were a dick and would run me in. Last night the bakery shop and one quarter was my last salvation---buy something to eat,or get a two-bit flop for the night. Kindly excuse my language of the road, please, as I am a knight of the road."
He smiled as he repeated his last sentence.
I sat on the side of the bench with him, as I learned from his talk, he was a prospect for a fairly good story,and showed every sign he had been a high school student.
"You have had a lot of experiences in life, I suppose, "I said, "and I am going to get you to tell me in your own words all about yourself and this knocking about the country."
"Yes I have had a lot of experiences all right," he said. "I saw a moving picture the other day called 'Arkanas Traveler,' and Bob Burns played the character lead to perfection. This picture came right near to my own ex
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Week ending February 3, 1939. ALABAMA.
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François Ludgere Diard, Moblie, Ala.
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Sharon Cousins, Rooming House, So. Royal St. 3rd N. of Conti, Mobile, Ala.
SHARON COUSINS, KNIGHT OF THE ROAD.
periences,that is,the hobo camping ground and the kindness of some of the characters in the picture,for I've stopped at just such hobo camping places In the jungle,and smelt the odor of canned goods cooking over a pine-knot fire. So you really want my life's history? As I expect to stop this road life and locate here in Mobile, yes, good,old Mobile, after one more trip back West. The weather of Mobile is ideal,so I might as well locate here,and in the future I recond you will see lots of me."
"Now for the life story,"I urged.
"You see,I was born at Ellenburg, Washington State,on September 11, 1914. I am the son of Elizabeth McDermott and Bert Cousins. My mother used to sing an Irish song called 'The Rose of Sharon,' and she named me 'Sheron' after the song. So you see I am a baby named for a song. My father was a government engineer,and the last work he worked on was the Grand Coulee Dam in the State of Washington,located on the Columbia Basin. He then tried to get a job on some engineering project in a Southern State,but the length of the job didn't justify him moving down South. Then he went to work for the Washington State Lumber Company,and in cutting timber was killed by a falling Sequoia tree at Cle-Ellum,Washington. This happened in 1928,when I was only fourteen years of age,and both my father and mother are buried in the Ellenburg Cemetery. They were the parents of three children,two boys and one girl. My older brother,whom they called James,is 32 years old,and my sister Hazel, who is Mrs. Harry C. Atwood,is 29 years old,and she resides in Ellenburg,and,of course,I am the baby and am 24 years of age.
"I was first sent to Ellenburg Public School at the age of seven years, and continued at the public schools until I reached the age of 19 to the 8th grade inclusive. I always had good merits at school,as I always
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Week ening February 3,1939 Alabama.
François Ludgere Diard, Mobile, Ala.
Sharon Cousins, Rooming House, So. Royal St.,3rd North of Conti Street,Mobile,Ala.
SHAHON COUSINS, KNIGHT OF THE ROAD.
tried to study hard,and I loved writing, geography, history and reading. In childhood I used to roam the woods with a Yakima Indian boy by the name of Jim. He always greeted me with 'Chickawaloa!' *,which means 'Heap Big Pale Face.* This is the common way of greeting a white man by the Yakima Indian tribe in Washington State. This red-skinned boy friend never liked his Indian name,so he took the plain name of Jim. There was one old Indian named
Old Bill;who came from the Yakima Indian reservation,and he would cross the canon [*canyon] to where I was herding sheep,and I would talk with him for hours and learned much about the Indians and their ways. He often shared my lunch and was tickled to get what was called a mutton stew I made. Ha,however,despis ed cheese very much,as it was not good for his system.
"My first work where I earned any money at all,was during summer vacations as a sawyer,cutting Sequaia timber,a California red wood. You see, when I was fourteen I went in for cutting timber seriously. This was in the northern part of Washington State about 125 miles northwest of Seattle,at Bellingham. I worked at this timber cutting at Bellingham about seven months. I then went into working on a cattle ranch tending stock. I worked for a man named Mr. Richard O'Donaghue. When I first met Mr. O'Donaghue I had already started out to roam on the road over the country. I met him on a fast freight train between Salt Lake City and Ogden,Utah. I thought then that he was just a plain out-and-out tramp,or knight of the road. I was attracted to him by his gentle manner and kindliness,although he was dressed in almost rags like a great many other tramps. We were bound for parts unknown. He told me,however,if I went to Pendleton,Oregon,I could get a job during Rodeo season,at $125.00 a month and board or found,exhibiting fine Jersey
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Week ending February 3,1939. ALABAMA,
François Ludgere Diard, Moblie, Ala. Sharon Cousins, Rooming House So. Royal St..3rd N, of Conti Mobile, Ala.
SHARON COUSINS,KNIGHT OF THE ROAD.
cattle. I had figured to get up into the Idaho country to pick potatoes. I left Mr. O'Donaghue at Pocatello, Idaho, and proceeded by myself on a freight train.
"I next went to Boise, Idaho, where I pioked Irish potatoes about six or eight miles north of Boise. I stayed there near Boise for about eleven weeks during June, July and August of 1935 of the picking season. I left the town of Boise on September 1st headed for Pendleton, Oregon,to get the Rodeo job Mr. O'Donaghue had told me about, when I reached Pendleton, I called at the Rodeo cattle/corral, filled with all spirit of obtaining the job, and when I asked for a ranch hand I told him I was looking for a man named Richard O'Donaghue and asked where he could be found. I was told to wait by the ranch hand and he would call him. He said there was only one Richard O'Donaghue in that section that owned cattle. I had told this ranch hand I had met a man by the name f O'Donaghue on a freight train, who had told me about the Rodeo Job. I was doubtful and leery that it was the right Mr. Richard O'Donaghue I had met on the road; so when I came face to face with the Jersey stock owner, I saw to my great consternation that the Mr. O'Donaghue I thought a tramp was a leading cattleman in that section. He was dressed like a lord, and had on a fine riding outfit, riding hat and other pieces that went with it. He greeted me with a smile of welcome and a handshake. He immediately put me to work for him in charge of displaying his fine Jersey cattle, and at the salary of $150.00 a month, what do you know about that I I asked him the next day why he had taken to the road. He replied that he wanted to see what life was.
"I lived at Mr. O'Donaghue's home, a fine residence of about 14 rooms
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