Practical jokes bring an end to Joe Buck's youthful frolics

George Buster Singleton

(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere in Time.” The column below, which was titled “A youthful frolic is cut short: Chocolate Ex-lax and dirty underwear end Joe Buck’s whim,” was originally published in the May 31, 1990 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

Joe Buck was an old man who thought he had become young again. His wife had passed away several years earlier, and this old gentleman took it upon himself to try with all his might to hang around with the younger generation and court the young girls. He was never seen around people his age. He tried all the angles, such as trying to tell what he thought were funny jokes and bragging about his 1931 Model A Ford.

My generation didn’t have any kind of automobile to ride around in. Our methods of transportation consisted of our two feet or, if one was lucky, there was a horse or mule on the farm that would suffice for the Saturday or Sunday afternoon get-together with the other young people of the community.

Joe Buck took great pleasure showing up at gatherings like BYPU (Baptist Young Peoples Union) meetings, and he was always there for the Christmas parties. He was always present when the community held its semi-monthly square dance at the old school house auditorium. The school had been moved to a larger building at Sweet Water, and this allowed all the community activities to be held at the small, vacant school building.

Village blacksmith

The village blacksmith was none other than Joe Buck. He did all the sharpening of tools and plows for local farmers. So, being alone with no family to support, he always had money to spend. This was far more than one could say about the teenage boys around the community who had no way to make spending money other than what their parents gave them, and that wasn’t much.

Joe Buck would attempt to hire a teenage boy to help him be a part of the group. He would tell this kid who he wanted to walk with when the young folks were playing such games as post office. This boy would then request that Joe Buck and the young lady he mentioned walk down the road or participate together in whatever game was being played by the group at that time.

But this was never allowed to take place; everyone would request that the old man run alongside a very large girl who was an outstanding athlete down the road and back for a hundred yards or so. After a couple of trips up and down, the old man’s tongue would be hanging out from exhaustion.

The blacksmith shop that belonged to the old man was located under a giant oak tree at least 60 or 70 feet tall. Under the shade of the giant branches, the old man had placed his shop vice and blacksmith anvil. He never carried his hammers inside his shop at night; these were always left hanging on the large block of wood to which this anvil was fastened.

Hardly a weekend passed that one of the boys in the group didn’t take Joe Buck’s blacksmith hammers and climb to the top of the large oak tree and tie them to the highest branches. On the following Monday morning, the blacksmith would have to hire someone to climb up the tree and get his hammers down so that he could begin his chores.

Quarter for a climb

We made sure that one of us was always nearby when the hammers had to be retrieved. The old man would give the climber 25 cents to make the climb. Once the hammers were down, the climber would run across the street to the store and buy candy with the money. Then he would join the rest of the group in a nearby ravine where the candy was eaten while listening to Joe Buck use foul words, and lots of them, toward whoever carried his blacksmith tools up the large oak tree.

This went on for almost three years before the prank on the old man was finally discontinued. He never knew who was responsible for his blacksmith tools being tied up in the tall oak.

Christmas time was fast approaching, and Joe Buck continued to annoy the youth of the community. An emergency session was called to cure once and for all Joe Buck’s unwanted attendance at all of the get-togethers. A couple of weeks before the Christmas party, all the names were placed in a hat and each drew a name for the purpose of giving some kind of present. A pair of ragged, very dirty long-handle underwear was brought forth and wrapped nicely, with Joe Buck’s name put on it. This was placed under the Christmas tree.

The prank didn’t stop here; a couple of packages of Ex-lax chocolate candy was also gotten by one of the girls, whose father owned the local grocery store. Just prior to the Christmas party, the laxative candy was unwrapped and placed on a saucer.

Prank candy, gift

As the party began, the strong laxative candy was passed around among the group; each took one or two pieces. The next time it was passed around, everyone put their laxative candy back on the saucer, with the exception of Joe Buck; he was eating the Ex-lax candy as fast as it was passed around. Everyone knew that it was just a matter of time before things would be picking up at the Christmas party. Joe Buck had eaten almost two handfuls of the strong laxative candy.

The presents were passed out; everyone was opening boxes and packages, holding up their gifts so that everyone could see what they had received. Joe Buck tore open the wrapping on his package and raised his arm to show off his present. There he stood, holding up the dirtiest, most ragged pair of long-john underwear anyone had ever seen.

His face turned all the colors of the rainbow. He just stood there, his jaw frozen open. Suddenly his faced turned a very chalky white. Something was about to take place; Joe Buck dropped his present and made a mad dash toward the door. He hit the door, almost knocking it off its hinges.

The men’s outhouse was about 70 yards down the hill. Everyone dashed to the door and windows to see Joe Buck racing toward the privy at breakneck speed. No one knew whether he made it in time or not. As the evening shadows gathered across the old school yard, Joe Buck’s Model A Ford roadster was heard cranking up. Very quietly (as quietly as a Model A Ford could), it eased out of the yard and into the old country road.

That evening ended, for all time, Joe Buck’s habit of trying to frolic with the young folks and be one of the boys.

(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born to Vincent William Singleton and Frances Cornelia Faile Singleton, during a late-night thunderstorm, on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served as a U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand, lived for a time among Apache Indians, was bitten at least twice by venomous snakes, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964 and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks to warrant officer in May 1972. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled “Monroe County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column appeared in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He also helped organize the Monroe County Museum and Historical Society and was also a past president of that organization. He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)