JOHN T. SCOPES

A few years back I found myself piddling around Paducah, Kentucky. As I was on my way to supper one evening, I passed a Kentucky Historical Marker. So, I pulled over to see what tidbit of history I had stumbled on. 

This History on a Stick stood at the entrance to Oak Grove Cemetery which is the final resting place of John. T. Scopes.  So, you know me and cemeteries, I had to go and explore. 

For those of you that don’t know or may have forgotten John Scopes was a football coach and part-time substitute teacher at Rhea County High School in Dayton, Tennessee. During one of his stints as a substitute teacher, Mr. Scopes taught a course that included Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. 

This course was in violation of a Tennessee Law known as the Butler Act, which prevented the teaching the Theory of Evolution in place of the Biblical Account of the creation of man. Scopes was charged and eventually went on trial. The “Scopes Monkey Trial” garnered national attention.

When it began in 1925, Mr. Scopes defense team included the nationally known lawyer Clarence Darrow. The prosecution team countered with equally well-known attorney name William Jennings Bryan. The trial lasted several days, but the most dramatic moment came when Darrow ask the jury to return a verdict of guilty so that the case could be appealed.  Darrow’s dramatic closing argument silenced Bryan and prevented him from delivering the closing argument that he had been working on for weeks. Bryan was humiliated and embarrassed. 

The jury deliberated only 8-minutes before returning a guilty verdict just as Darrow had ask. The Judge fined Mr. Scopes the sum of $100. Five days later William Jennings Bryan, lay down to take an afternoon nap and died quietly in his sleep. True to his word, Darrow appealed the guilty verdict and while the Butler act was found to be legal and constitutional, the Scopes Convictions was overturned because the fine was set by the judge rather than the jury. The State of Tennessee chose not to retry Mr. Scopes.

While visiting his grave that afternoon, I got to thinking, what happened to this man after the trial. Here is what I found out.

After the trial Mr. Scopes was humiliated and harassed by media and tried to retreat from public view.  He attempted to return to college, but his notoriety made furthering his education exceedingly difficult, but he succeeded and specialized in the fields of energy and geology. His notoriety coupled with the great depression made life hard for Mr. Scopes and he chose to step back into the limelight when he ran unsuccessfully for congress in 1932.

Following his political defeat, he again stepped out of public view and moved to Texas where he took a job in the oil and natural gas industry. He continued to further his education and became an expert in his field, working throughout Texas and Louisiana.  His only foray back into the public limelight was a 1960 appearance on the TV Show “To Tell the Truth.” He continued to work in the oil and natural gas industry and moved for the final time to take a job with Pennzoil in Shreveport, Louisiana. 

John T. Scopes, the little-known substitute teacher that gained national attention as the subject of the famous “Monkey Trial” died of cancer at his home in Shreveport on October 21, 1970. He is buried next to his wife and parents here in Paducah. 

THE STORY OF JAMES KEELING

A few weeks back, I took a little social distancing day trip down to Scott County and Bristol. I ended my day in Bristol’s East Hill Cemetery. As I said before, the monuments in some of these old cemeteries tell a story or at least tell enough of a story to make you want to know more about the person. That was the case as I walked around this historic cemetery.

As I was walking through the Civil War Section I came upon the grave with this inscription on the stone “The Southern Horatius – Successfully defend the bridge at Strawberry Plains, Tennessee on the Night of November 8, 1861.” This was enough to make me want to know more about James Keeling.So when I got back home, I did a little research and discovered that prior to the start of the Civil War

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Mr. Keeling was living and working on a farm owned by Frank Butler in the community of Strawberry Plains, northeast of present day Knoxville, Tennessee. The East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad passed through the farm and crossed the Holston River a couple of miles away. The Railroad during the Civil War was a vital supply link for the Confederacy. Because of this the Holston River Bridge was a target of Union Forces hoping to disrupt the Confederate Supply Lines.

In 1861, the railroad hired Mr. Keeling to guard the bridge. He would work on the farm by day and sleep at the east end of the bridge during the night. On the night of November 8, 1861, about 40 Union Volunteers under the direction of Sevier County Sheriff William Pickens approach the bridge. They were going to burn the bridge, however they hadn’t count on encountering Keeling, who immediately shot and killed Pickens, who dropped the lit torch into the river below.

The others Union Volunteers charged Keeling who engaged his attackers in a hand to hand fight in which two more Union Volunteers were killed. During the hand to hand battle one of the Volunteers got a shot off, wounding Keeling. Thinking he was dead and not having any way to torch the bridge they rode away. Seriously wounded, Keeling walked to a nearby home and a doctor amputated his hand, which was buried in the Stringfield Family Cemetery.

After the war Keeling struggled to make a living and later moved to a small farm near Bristol where he was regard by Confederate Veterans as a hero and was a popular figure at Confederate Reunions. Veterans often referred to him as “The Horatius of the South,” after the legendary Roman Figure who had also defended a bridge. James Keeling died on February 12, 1895 and was buried in East Hill Cemetery. His grave was unmarked until about 1909, when local citizens raised the necessary funds to place and dedicated the marker that I visited today.

UPDATE AND RAMBLINGS

What has been going on in my world you ask? Not a lot. I am still staying pretty much close to home and practicing social distancing. While some of the restrictions have been lifted here in the Old Dominion a lot of people in my immediate area are still concerned at bout the virus now that the Radford University Students are moving back to campus. And a larger concentration of Virginia Tech Students will be back in the next few days. 

I fully expect to see a dramatic surge in cases in my immediate area over the next few weeks.  I makes very little sense to me to limit gatherings like church services, outdoor events while bringing thousands of outsiders back into an area that by and large has has a pretty low number of infections so far.  I have very little confidence in the University Administrators, the Local and State Governments ability to manage anything. 

The full time local residents of the area have done a really good job of social distancing and managing the new normal and now you are going to bring back thousands of students from not only all over the United States but all over the world. Not knowing where they have been and who they have been in contact with over the last several month, makes absolutely not sense to me.  These decisions on both a national and state levels further lends credibility to the theory that this entire plandemic is a political stunt.

I have no doubt that COVID-19 is real and it is a serious illness and I really don't want to take a chance on getting sick as I am a really back patient. I will continue to social distance, and when requested by local businesses, wear a mask when shopping. Not necessarily, because I think wearing a mask serves any purpose, but out of respect for the business owner so as not to cause them any problems with the government. 

I am also going back to using home delivery for groceries and restaurant meals now that the students are back in the area.  Again I have little doubt that the infection rate is going to increase significantly and I just don't want to take a chance on getting sick. 

Enough about all that.  One of my friends ask me the other day what were my plans for the rest of the year. Basically, I am just taking it day by day.  From what I am seeing and hearing I probably won't be attending any college football games this year.  All indication are that the games will be played in stadiums completely free of fans or attendance will be limited to only the most significant donors.Plus, like I have said, a college campus is probably the most dangerous place you could be if you are concerned about the virus.

It also doesn't look like the same may be true for the College Basketball season. Like football most of the revenue comes from TV Money so their will probably be a season so the NCAA and the Conferences can reap some benefits from the Media Money.

I know it's a long time off and my chances of attending the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is considerably less than 50%. I have at least started glancing at tournament sites and dates.  If I attend, the two most likely sites will be Raleigh, North Carolina or Dallas Texas.  Wichita, Kansas comes in a distant third right now. 

For now and for the rest of the year, my plans are to continue to take day trips that allows me to get out while still social distancing.  I am considering reviving something that I have been kicking around for a year or two. That is to do a complete video tour of U. S. Route 11 in Virginia.

I can do a large part of it in a series of day trips, while staying at home. While I am in the early planning stages, it looks like I would start at Bristol and work my way north all the way to Winchester. My early plan is to spend some time in the cities and towns along the way, sampling the food at some of the local restaurants and visiting some to the old roadside attractions that still dot the landscape.

Like I said I am still in the early planning stages and probably won't get started on it until later in August and I would hope to finish the project sometime in October.  But like all things, it will depend on the virus and the restrictions that may resurface down the road.

Looking ahead to 2021. Everything that I had planned in 2020 has been pushed back to next year.  If I attend the basketball tournament in either Dallas or Wichita, then I would like to continue on west to California. My previous plan was to get to California and spent a couple of weeks touring National Parks along with the Reagan and Nixon Presidential Libraries. Then slowly making my way back east along Interstates 70 or 80. But again it all depends on the social climate and what reopens in 2021.

I would also like to take the bus trip that I had planned with Sunshine Tours out through New Mexico, Colorado and the National Parks of Utah.  I don't know if that will happen or not, as Sunshine like most of the travel industry has been had hit and are struggling to stay in business. 

Trips to the Presidential Sites in Ohio and to Michigan along with a fall trip through upstate New York,, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are also on the radar. It is never too early to start planning, but it remains to be seen if the plans becomes a reality.

Finally, I have uploaded some new content to my YouTube Channel. I am getting better about editing and uploading new content. My desire is to get a new video uploaded about every 7-10 days.  So if you really get bored, slip on over there and take a look at it. 

For now, I hope everything is well in your world, and that you can stay healthy and active during these ever changing times. 

BILL MACK - 1932-2020

When I first got my drivers license way back when, one of my first jobs was delivering the Bluefield Daily Telegraph newspaper to subscribers around my hometown.  Ever morning for more than a year I would get up at 4 a.m., pickup the 390 papers that I would stuff into newspaper tubes or folded and toss onto a front porch (some made it some didn’t.). 

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During the darkness of those lonely mornings, I would tune in to the tune in to the 50,000 watt – clear channel radio station from such places as Fort Worth, New Orleans, Nashville, and Cincinnati.  The Voice of Charlie Douglas from way down yonder in New Orleans, became a constant companion.  Over the years as I travel through the night, others like Big John Trimble from WRVA in Richmond, and Dale Sommers who was known to the his all night audience as “The Truckin’ Bozo,” from WWL in Cincinnati, rode along and kept me company.   I spent many a night, and early morning driving around this country listening to what was referred to way back then as All Night Trucking Radio. 

Today, we lost another one of those treasured voices. Bill Mack, the Midnight Cowboy from the tiny town of Shamrock, Texas died today at the age of 88. For more than 30-years, Bill Mack broadcast his all-night radio show over Forth Worth’s Clear Channel Station, WBAP-820. 

When the sun went down and the small local stations ended their broadcast day, the clear channel station and old friends like Charlie, Big John, Bozo and of course Bill would show up and keep me company. With his humor and that unmistakable Texas Twang, Bill Mack was that friendly voice in the night that make the dark highway a little brighter and a little less lonely. Thank you old friend for riding along and keeping me company.

Rest in Peace, Bill Mack – The Midnight Cowboy (1932-2020)

THE GREENBRIER GHOST

Sometimes you don’t have to go far to find a good story. This was the case a few years back when I was piddling around in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. I happened upon a roadside historical marker that details the life and death of Zona Hester Shue who is known as the Greenbrier Ghost.

Zona lived with her mother in the Greenbrier County Community of Sam Black Church. In 1896 despite her mother’s objection, Zona married Erasmus Shue, who was basically a drifter that came to the area and found work as a blacksmith. For almost a year the couple seemed to live a peaceful life, but on January 23, 1897 a neighbor found Zona dead in here home.

The coroner examined the body and ruled that she had died of Natural Causes. The next day Zona was buried in a near by church cemetery.

About four weeks after Zona was buried, she appeared to her mother Mary Jane in a dream and claimed that she had been murdered by Erasmus. Zona told her that Erasmus had broken her neck in a fit of rage and to prove it Zona turned her head around until it was facing backward. Mary Jane was so sure of the story that Zona’s Ghost has told her that she contacted the local prosecutor and eventually convinced him to re-examine the case

Mary Jane’s persistence paid off and on February 22, 1897, Zona’s body was exhumed and thoroughly examined. After three day the coroner concluded that Zona’s neck had indeed been broken. The examination also revealed she had been choked and here windpipe Crushed.

As a result, Erasmus was promptly arrested and charged with Zona’s murder. In July 1897 Erasmus went on trial, and the star witness was, Zona who testified through her mother, Mary Jane. As a result, Erasmus was found guilty of the murder of his wife Zona. He was sentenced to life and died three years later in the West Virginia State Prison in Moundville. He is buried in the White Gate Prison Cemetery and remains the only person known to have been convicted on the testimony of a ghost.