When I was almost nine years old, in March of 1952, my dad bought a house directly south across the road from Mr Carpenter. Mr Carpenter was a World War I vet who was mentally challenged, a result, or so it was said, of being shell shocked during the war. He didn't do much of anything every day except wander around in his yard muttering to himself. There was a store across the road, it was a three way intersection, to the east of his house and some of the older boys in the community would meet there two or three times a week. They would yell at him and throw rocks on his tin roof, and he would begin cursing and threatening them. The more he cursed and threatened the more the boys would aggravate him until his wife came out and took him inside. That went on until Halloween.
Back then there was no "trick or treating", soaping windows and cars or "rolling" peoples trees and bushes with toilet paper out in the country back then. Actually, back then there was very little toilet paper used for any purpose outside of towns. Groups of young folks would walk the roads and "serenade" folks. Serenading consisted of throwing fireworks on porches and in the yards, singing and basically just yelling.
Just before dark on Halloween that year some of the older boys, including two or three that were among those who yelled and threw rocks on his roof, came down the road throwing fireworks. When I heard the fireworks going off I went outside to watch. The boys were milling around in the road, laughing and throwing T-bombs on Mr Carpenters porch, but only for a minute. Mr Carpenter came running out with his old army pistol and started shooting. One bullet hit our house, two hit windows in the store. Some of the boys ran, some dove in the ditch and a couple tried to hide behind bushes. Mr Carpenter emptied his pistol, reloaded and started shooting again. My mom ran out and dragged me inside, but I could hear the boys running and yelling and the gunshots. Fortunately the only things he hit besides our house and the store were a couple of trees and the stop sign at the intersection, but it had lasting results. No one ever aggravated Mr Carpenter again. Today is 59 years since that happened, and while I don't remember anything that happened at any Halloween before or since then I remember that one like it happened yesterday.
Back then there was no "trick or treating", soaping windows and cars or "rolling" peoples trees and bushes with toilet paper out in the country back then. Actually, back then there was very little toilet paper used for any purpose outside of towns. Groups of young folks would walk the roads and "serenade" folks. Serenading consisted of throwing fireworks on porches and in the yards, singing and basically just yelling.
Just before dark on Halloween that year some of the older boys, including two or three that were among those who yelled and threw rocks on his roof, came down the road throwing fireworks. When I heard the fireworks going off I went outside to watch. The boys were milling around in the road, laughing and throwing T-bombs on Mr Carpenters porch, but only for a minute. Mr Carpenter came running out with his old army pistol and started shooting. One bullet hit our house, two hit windows in the store. Some of the boys ran, some dove in the ditch and a couple tried to hide behind bushes. Mr Carpenter emptied his pistol, reloaded and started shooting again. My mom ran out and dragged me inside, but I could hear the boys running and yelling and the gunshots. Fortunately the only things he hit besides our house and the store were a couple of trees and the stop sign at the intersection, but it had lasting results. No one ever aggravated Mr Carpenter again. Today is 59 years since that happened, and while I don't remember anything that happened at any Halloween before or since then I remember that one like it happened yesterday.
