“About Charley Griffin’s Café…now C.G. was the man. He was a short, pleasant looking man, with a half-smoked cigar always stuck between his teeth. He was a friendly man, but as sharp as a widow’s peak. During the Second World War the gambling in Junction City was strong, and the man made so much money he kept it in suitcases by denominations. Ten’s and twenties in one suitcase, fifties in another and hundreds—well you get the picture. There was a pump house (whore house) next door to Charley Griffin’s and before the war in 1941, it had lots of women as you would expect. I was a young soldier boy then. In 1941, you had your choice between white girls and black girls. I got me a woman that night in 1941 that I will never forget. She was much older—about 35 or so, and she says to me, “Young soldier, when the last time you had some pussy? You ain’t had none lately cause you wearing me out!” I was surprised–$20.00 for all night–and I had her all night. I got off it and then I’d get right back on it. She was a good looking brown skinned woman, and it makes me laugh now, because I was from Pine Bluff , Arkansas and never had a full grown, older woman before.Next door to Charley’s was L.C.’s which was a pool hall—it was a clean place—a real nice pool hall—three tables to play on and only a nickel a game to shoot.During the weekends, 9th Street would attract 1,000 people and on military paydays, twice that many people or more were on “The Block” as it was often called. The lights were so bright you could see the glow from Main Street ( Washington Street ). Gamblers from Missouri , Nebraska , Texas , and Oklahoma came to town to try their luck.”In the struggle to be your own man there is a heavy price to pay. What and how much you give up is the key. What a man is willing to sacrifice gives him only a chance, there are no guarantees. I suppose if destiny plays a role, choice becomes a moot point. The truth is all men live within a world beyond their control. To triumph requires a unique discipline and character. They had to ask themselves – do you want to be your own man or someone else’s man? This was especially true then and it is true today.“Quiet in the daytime, but come dark, everybody came out. All the whores were making money, and the cafes and clubs were jumping until near daybreak. It was a hell of a place. So many brothers were pimpin’ in them days I couldn’t keep track. Charley Stamps was a first class pimp, and a pretty good second baseman. We soldiered together. He always did well and drove Cadillac convertibles. Fat Jimmy was a pimp and he was funny, but dangerous. Casper and Fast Black were pimps. I didn’t have anything to do with that mess. But when I first got there I was young and wild.”Now you got to know that it wasn’t just about colored follks. White folks who wanted a little action knew where to get it and how. They also knew that Clyde Barber was bellhop at the Lamar Hotel, and all the better class whores came through the Lamar Hotel. Bell hopping in them days was good money. After Clyde made enough money bell hopping he bought his own barbershop.One night I was hopping bells and this white fella sez to me, “Porter, can you go down on 9th Street and get the blond haired girl for me?” I went there and told Rivers, “I need Blondie.” She was black with blond hair and real curvy. Big tits, big ass—just what the men like. Rivers brought her up in his cab with my whiskey and I took her to his room. He had a whole lot of money lying out on the table. He said to me, ”Take what you want, porter.” I wanted to take it all, but I couldn’t do that—so I took two twenties… figured that was worth my while, and slipped the bills deep into my pocket. This was during the early sixties and 9th Street was still going strong. During that time (because whores are such an important part of the hotel business) Bus Lamar (the owner of the Lamar Hotel) came by our house on 704 West 13th Street and said to me, “I need a bell hop tonight, Nolan.” I asked him, “How much money can I make?”“Nolan you know bell-hopping. It’s really up to you.”9th Street was also a source of information. One day Charely Stamps flags me down in the middle of 9th Street and tells me, “Nolan that blond headed boy of yours (Frank my 4th son), got arrested. He and Bubbles (McKinley Patterson) had acted a fool and they took your boy off to jail.” I immediately turned my truck around and headed for the city jail, but when I walked into the police station, Desk Sgt. Dirkee said, “It’s all taken care of Nolan. Take your boy home.”Big John Higgins, a white man and the City Clerk, was a good man to me. When I got that job as Sanitation Supervisor for the city, some of the black folks were jealous and tried to do me in. But John Higgins stood by me. Higgins told them that I worked for him and that they worked for me. He told them in no uncertain terms that I was in charge. I did all the hiring and firing. I loved that town because I finally had earned a measure of respect on several fronts, but I still had to be careful.Mark (my 6th son) shot a man after I moved to California and they took him to jail. His wife, Barbara, was still there (Junction City) and she said the judge told the jury. “I know that boy’s daddy and had his daddy been here he would not be in this trouble. I know his daddy,” he said, which impressed the jury and saved Mark from a stiffer sentence.I’m 84 years old, Bill, (2002) and I’ve never seen the inside of a jail. I’ve always tried to do the right thing, but I really don’t understand some young people today. I don’t understand where I went wrong with two of my boys, (Nolan Self is the father of eight sons) but it don’t change it—because every man has got to carry his own mud in this world.I don’t know why, I’ve always been a loner. I never liked a congregation. I like to do simple things. I like to dress well. I love music, I used to love to dance, but I’m too old for dancing now. I like to build things. I like to fish. I like to plant things in my garden. General Patton said “…when you do your best, what else is there?”I made a lot of friends, but I don’t know why people liked me. To
Posted on: Sun, 25 May 2014 21:23:24 +0000
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