Joseph Chapman II - as told by son, Joe Chapman III

Joseph Chapman inherited the family saw mill. This was probably back in the late thirties, as Joe Jr. was in his late teens. He has a black sawyer on his payroll one time when they were cutting a tract of land in South Alabama. Joe Jr. had been told that folks in that county didn't want that colored man staying on in that county. Joe Jr. didn't really count on it causing much trouble, but late one night the Klan paid a visit to the camp. Joe Jr. got his shotgun and faced the Klan down. He said he couldn't let them have the man, as he was the best sawyer he had - and after all, they were only going to be in town long enough to get the wood cut and then they'd move on. Well, needless to say, the Klan didn't much think that was still to good an idea. Words were passed - the Klan with their torches and Joe Jr. with his shotgun - over a black man. As the "discussion" went on, Joe Jr. noticed one of the Klan men's dunce caps had tilted off his head and he could see in the eyehole. It was a man he knew from the local bar. "Come on Charlie. Get these boys to calm down and realize that this doesn't need to be a big deal." Well - Charlie must have calmed the other sheet wearers down, because the mill continued to operate as usual - with the black sawyer.