Hamp and his family lived in a small four room house and still used a wood cooking stove. The stove was near the back door and they kept the firewood stacked beside the door. If the door was open the firewood was behind it. The closest house to them was only 40 yards or so away and was occupied by the Bickerstaff family. "Son" Bickerstaff had a houseful of girls and one night two of them, Cheryl and Kay, took a big wind up alarm clock, the kind that has two bells on top with a little hammer thing that hits them, wound the alarm, set it to go off at 11 o,clock and put it on the outside window sill of Hamp's kitchen window. Dorothy Jean was spending the night with a cousin so only Hamp and Eljeanie were there, and like most in the community they were in bed by 8 p.m. and sound asleep well before 11.
When the alarm went off it woke Hamp and Eljeanie and scared the bejebus out of them. Those old clocks were really loud and would alarm for three or four minutes, it was still going when they jumped up and Eljeanie told Hamp to go see what it was. He didn't want to go but the alarm ran down and stopped so he got his shotgun and Eljeanie followed him to the back door. She was scared for him to go out and leave her in the house but more afraid of what was out there. Hamp told her to get behind the door, take a piece of the firewood and hit anything that came through the door while he was outside.
Hamp eased out and went around the house looking for what made the noise but didn't see anything and went back inside. When he went through the door Eljeanie hung him right behind the left ear with the piece of firewood. Knocked him cold as a cucumber. Eljeanie didn't know who, or even what, she hit and ran out screaming for Hamp. She ran around the house and couldn't find him so she headed for the Bickerstaffs still screaming. She woke up the whole family. Son ran out to see what the commotion was about, she told him that something or someone had come in the house and she couldn't find Hamp. She was almost hysterical and wasn't making much sense so Son took his gun and a flashlight to see what or who she had hit.
He found Hamp still lying there unconscious and bleeding like a stuck hog. He yelled for his wife and Eljeanie and they got him up, got the bleeding stopped and washed his face with cold water until he came to. We saw him at Roberts Store the next day and the entire left side of his head was one big knot, both eyes were black and he was still having dizzy spells. The rear ends of the two Bickerstaff girls that set the clock were probably blacker from the whupping they got than Hamp's eyes but that event was told, and laughed about, in the area for 20 years afterwards.
When the alarm went off it woke Hamp and Eljeanie and scared the bejebus out of them. Those old clocks were really loud and would alarm for three or four minutes, it was still going when they jumped up and Eljeanie told Hamp to go see what it was. He didn't want to go but the alarm ran down and stopped so he got his shotgun and Eljeanie followed him to the back door. She was scared for him to go out and leave her in the house but more afraid of what was out there. Hamp told her to get behind the door, take a piece of the firewood and hit anything that came through the door while he was outside.
Hamp eased out and went around the house looking for what made the noise but didn't see anything and went back inside. When he went through the door Eljeanie hung him right behind the left ear with the piece of firewood. Knocked him cold as a cucumber. Eljeanie didn't know who, or even what, she hit and ran out screaming for Hamp. She ran around the house and couldn't find him so she headed for the Bickerstaffs still screaming. She woke up the whole family. Son ran out to see what the commotion was about, she told him that something or someone had come in the house and she couldn't find Hamp. She was almost hysterical and wasn't making much sense so Son took his gun and a flashlight to see what or who she had hit.
He found Hamp still lying there unconscious and bleeding like a stuck hog. He yelled for his wife and Eljeanie and they got him up, got the bleeding stopped and washed his face with cold water until he came to. We saw him at Roberts Store the next day and the entire left side of his head was one big knot, both eyes were black and he was still having dizzy spells. The rear ends of the two Bickerstaff girls that set the clock were probably blacker from the whupping they got than Hamp's eyes but that event was told, and laughed about, in the area for 20 years afterwards.
...............Thats when I heard people yelling "Fire!" in the hallway! Sheesh! I opened the door and there is smoke down there!