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One of the doctors got up and said, its quite evident that if we build a hospital you are the one that's going to make all the money out of this. I protested no, it'd be for all of us, all of us could practice there. We can't get any hospital facility. We can't get any other hospital out there, it's time for us to get up off our butts and do something by ourselves. One of the good brothers said, No, you're the one who's gonna make the money out of us so you build the damn hospital. Other doctors agreed with the good brother. It certainly me mad I said, well, okay. If you think that I'm going to make all the money, I'll build a dam hospital just give me time. You know, comma, I didn't know it but then I found that there must have been little jealousy among the good brothers. Jealousy toward me. And all I was trying to do was do good job, trying to help the community. I passed it off in the back of my mind and had the idea that one of the days I would build that damn hospital. Paragraph here. I had been rooming with the leave a dash there to put the name for

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almost a year period. I was approached by one of the real estate men in town period, period. He said, Doc, I have a good house for you to buy.

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I know you need a place, you need a place don't you? I said yes. I have just the place for you, a nice two story house in a good neighborhood. I think you would like it. He took me back took me around to see the house was a nice two story house just across the street from the AME Zion Church. It was in a friend's neighborhood. That is there were some blacks in the neighborhood. And some whites live there. For many, many years together period, the price for the house was just $2000. That sounded pretty good to me. However, I was interested in knowing how, why the house was up for sale, who lived in, et cetera. I turned to [Inaudible] find out story about this house. And at this era, it was an interesting story period. The house had been built that it was built by a barber who had a very good business in town. The barber was also a very devout church man period. So proud of the church that he built a house right across the street from it. In the early 20s, it was to say the church membership wanted to buy a [Inaudible], of course the guy went all the time and said you know, made down payment and had make monthly payments on it. In order to get it paid for however the trustees had decided to note guaranteed payments period. Now here we come along about 1931, the trustees found themselves in arrears on the notes every month period. The owner of the company came back on the trustees who had signed the mortgage. They found later that there there's only one or two trustees have anything. This particular man was the only one who had money in the bank period. The trustees appealed to him to pull them out of this difficulty. And in order to do that, this man bought is his home for $900 period. Things got so tough however, he could not keep up with payments to the mortgage to the bank. And it was decided the bank advised him that they were going to take foreclosure. The barber didn't have the money but he had some friends who had money enough to get him out of this difficulty and the more he would advertise it was the mortgage to the house was supposed to be sold at the court house deal with [Inaudible] on such and such date. His friends were were there on that particular day at 12 o'clock ready to bid on the house built for the man however, they stood around the courthouse door until 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Nobody came up to auction off the house. Finally, the real estate dealer came out. And saw the man's son in law he said to him, you haven't bet on Mr. Williams house have you? Yes, that's what we're here for. He said well I'll tell you what they have already bid it in, you can buy it for $2,000. He said wait what the hell's going on here? It was supposedly sold at the courthouse door. The real estate agency no said well, it was sold after the court room door that was upstairs. And I bought it up there but you can get it $2,000 and him got mad he told us the realtor got mad at him. He turned around to the realtor and said you can keep the damn house for as far as I'm concerned I wasn't buying it for myself anyway. I just wanted to help this man out but if you're going to do like that, to hell with you and take the damn house and stick it someplace as far as I'm concerned. Then the real estate dealer was stuck with this particular house at a friendly uh in a friendly neighborhood. No black man would buy it as much as it was built to be occupied by a black family, no white man would buy it period. So the real estate dealer was stuck with it for three or four years until I came to town he found somebody who would be willing to pay $2000. Boy it was a bargain at $2000 and I went on and bought the house period. That's just shows [Inaudible] in this area if they'd been on time. Then instead of selling the house, advertising the mortgage at the court house door, both advertised sold and bought at the court room door upstairs, where nobody would ever get their bid, only the real estate man. When I bought a house and I moved in, my sister came out to keep out for me temporarily period. I guess I had been in Tarboro just about two and a half years when we had a very severe winter period. There were record snows in the the Midwest and then the East period. And naturally when the spring came along and the snow began to melt. The papers in the airways were filled with detailed stories of severe flooding in the tributaries to the Ohio River and the Mississippi River period. I became particularly interested in accounts of the floods in the Ohio River Valley, especially in Ohio. I remembered that Wethers had gone to Portsmouth, Ohio. I followed the details of flooding from day to day, I noticed that flooding was very severe in at about Portsmouth, Ohio period. The news media had it that the city was inundated completely and that people were advised to either leave their homes to high ground and I immediately begin to worry about Wethers I tried to contact him by phone, all the phone services were out. So I was able to contact him through the Red Cross period. When he got to a place where he could call me on the phone, he told me that he had to abandon the first floor and go take his wife and baby up to second floor that's where they were living, waiting up there you know just trying to ride out the flood period. [Inaudible] quite a bit of gratitude. During that year, I was assisting Dr. Ross at Meharry, my sister had died of thyroid toxicosis period. I don't know how I missed it before but she was down in Mississippi and nobody she became ill, a good doctor down there misdiagnosed her case stating that she had quote bad kidneys, failed heart, swollen liver. Unquote. I was able to get her Chicago where she was given the proper care however the illness had done its dirty workk and she died. At the time of her death I didn't have enough money to go to Mississippi to the funeral. It was well too long for me to make the trip to Mississippi period. So you see why I felt a bit of gratitude to this man period. Just before that, comma I remember what had happened to be when I first got to Tarboro. I was let down. I was expecting to get help from the drugstore here. And he turned me down I appealed to my classmate in a neighboring town and he side stepped me, turned me down. He said quote you know Quig I would help you but I haven't been here so long myself and I have some varying expenses and as much as you're going to be in Tarboro you should be able to find somebody who's able to

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loan you the money to get you started. I said but you know bruh you know me and those people over there they don't know me at all. Would you just sign a notecard and buy some money and you know I'd be able to pay it off right you know how it is for Quig. Quote. How much crazy it is in this town. Quote. He said but what do you why don't you try to go to back and see whether you can arrange to for me to get some money. Unquote. Quote. I don't see the need of that. I tell you what you do you go back to Tarboro and see if you can find somebody to help you out. Right now. I'm not in position to do any help, to give you any help. I thought about my classmates refusing to help me. On the day before Wethers arrived to Tarboro I happened to go, I made it a point to go to his town and go to his office and inform him. You know quote Wethers will be here tomorrow. What's happened. Unquote. Quote what's happened Quig unquote, quote me just me saying well you know the flood has wiped out everything his everything he had in Portsmouth, Ohio I told him to come down here I'm gonna see if he has a place to practice. Unquote. Quote. Well, where the hell is he going to get the money? I know he doesn't have a chain of plugs, gotta hold about them and then drop everything he has. I replied you know, I had a pretty tough one. I guess nobody would help me but I'll be damned to see when Wethers gets in and have to go through all the hell and high waters that I had to go through in order to get started. Don't worry about who's going to help them I'm going to help him. On the next day, my good friend Wethers arrived with his wife and little child with their belongings in a Chevrolet coupe. His petite wife, Georgia, E W E L got out of the car along with this overweight little boy period. I was great to see them. However my sister had gone out of town and I was eating at a restaurant. I told them when they came in to come on in and we're gonna go to a restaurant get some dinner. Oh no you're not I'm going to fix dinner. And she went in the kitchen and proceeded to cook some steaks just in that inimitable amount of it takes up gas to cook period. For a few days riding around with me, I encouraged Wilson to look at some of the other towns in the vicinity, like the place to begin practice, the practice of medicine period. We looked at one small town comma Enfield, North Carolina. I reckon this town was too small for Wethers, he decided he'd rather go to larger place. After looking over several towns he decided to settle in Goldsboro, North Carolina period. I saw to it that he had enough capital to set up an office and had him along until his practice picked up to the extent that he could look out for himself. Period. He paid me back every penny that I laid him here. Within three months period. His practice grew by leaps and bounds period. There was another black physician in Goldsboro however, he had, he was satisfied with the type of practice that he had. There was plenty for Wethers to do period. Within six months he had paid me back every penny that I advanced to his to him. When I got to Tarboro, the Edgecombe County Health Department was conducting some clinic, maternity and infant welfare clinics. Period. The main clinic was held in the county courthouse, the county health officer Dr. Parks was in charge of the clinic. In addition, there were three other clinics here in different portions of the county period. Clinics were held in the black schools, one clinic was held at a midwives house period. [Inaudible] filing fees were carried out at these clinics period. The pregnant women came in at monthly intervals to have their blood pressure and urine checked and were given examinations by the physician in charge. I came along with midwives who was going to deliver them and the midwives were given instructions as to what should be done in the event that an emergency occurred period. Now comma

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both white and black pregnant women were taken care of at these clinics period. These clinics had been conducted conducted by Dr. Parks

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however, he very much overweight and he would breathe heavy come in especially when I volunteered to take some of the pressure off of him period. Two of the clients were held. in in the black schools period county schools. One clinic was held at the midwives home period. The women would come in and the nurse in charge would check their blood pressure and take down all of their complaints period. They'd bring the infants in the cups was the Well Baby Clinic every week now whenever the physician in charge found some ailments that could be handled, couldn't be handled the clinic the patient would refer to a physician, he then Tarboro was a neighboring town period. They'd listent to Dr. Parks and the physician in charge pretty nicely while employed period. Two nurses white, one black the white nurses were referred to Mrs. So and So Miss so and so. The black nurses was referred to quote Nurse Carter unquote. It was considered good etiquette in this area to call a black nurse miss or missus she was always referred to as a Nurse Carter, not Mrs. Carter. Although she was about 55 years of age, done public health nursing in several states and even done a stint of public health nations in Italy period. She was still referred to as Nurse Carter and that not Mrs. Carter period. I asked through the clinic that was held at the midwives home hyphen midwife Mrs. They called her [Inaudible] and Sue lived out about 8 miles from Tarboro, a very well known midwife, and she stated that she had delivered over 2000 babies. True or false I don't I don't know which. But anyway, that was her count. That was the patients came and was checked on by the nurse and when I got there everything was in order. I might add that paraphernalia needed by the nurses were compactly housed in three or four big suitcases period. The urine test had been done, blood pressures had been taken. As stated above, both white and black patients attended these clinics and nurse, Mrs. Carter was I started calling her nurse again. Mrs. Carter was quick to instruct the white nurses,

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the white patients in this manner now Miss Jones, the doctor is a colored doctor who's coming out here.

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Of course you're white and he's colored now if you don't want him to attend you it'd be alright with me. We'll just give you a note so you can go to the clinic in Tarboro. Shegave them the option of staying and being checked by me remaining. They had me checked by me or go into Tarboro to the main clinic. Now the white patients elected to leave, I was able to see all who came along period. For them to do things a lot of folk medicine at these clinics. Then they came in with a necklace of needles around her nec. There were about seven needles around the neck strung on string around her neck and the [Inaudible] in case [Inaudible]. I said quote Miss Jones, what in the devil are you doing with those needles around your neck and Sue kind of just spoke right with her. Well them those needles there you don't know doctor but those needles help to cut the pain that's why we put them around the neck to slowly cut the pain when she gives labor. Another lady came along and with a child and she says doctor this child don't seem to be able to talk. I don't know what the matter was. I checked on the child and the child had what we call P O N G U E T I E there was a fold of tissue on the underside of the childs tongue that kept that was very tight and kept the child, prevented the child from protruding his tongue T O N G U E of course he couldn't enunciate words very well. I tend to have a remedy for that. Said all you got to do with that child there is to put a walnut under his tongue and you stretch that thing he'd be able to talk next week. I turned I said well how in the hell are you gonna put a walnut under that baby's tongue. She said that's all you need to do for them to take care of us as you do them. The lady came in and said the child was slowly learning to speak and she didn't know what to do I told her to just take time the child will speak after awhile. She says No, you don't know what to do for that. Now you know if a child come in and slow speaking, all you got to do is write that child's name on an egg and put the egg up over the door and carry that child in and out that door about 10 times every day about two weeks that child gets to talking just like a grown up. I hate to put it but also stuff like that. Well, you see, you couldn't just laugh go on while they'd get very angry, you know there was a time on a remedy. So we just had to put up with that and go on by and go back to business period. One of the clinics were held at a school near a little town we call Old Sparta O L D S P A R T A. Now in order to get to this clinic, we had to cross the river, a bridge across this river and the school was located on the other side of the river period. About 30 women at that clinic at that particular day I finished my work and helped a nurse pack up the sofa in the clinic. When I started back I started back by a half an hour after the last women had left site of the clinic in a wagon period. When I got to the bridge I noticed the wagon was stopped midway the bridge and the driver seemed to have some trouble with controlling his [Inaudible]. There were about 6 pregnant women in the wagon and they were all frightened. I drove up behind the wagon, got out and said just what is the trouble here. The driver said doctor that white man over there along the bridge he said he ain't going to get off when I'm on my mules they are getting scared I'm scared for these women they're actually going to [Inaudible] things around here. So I went around the wagon to the car in which the white man was in it. He was inebriated, he was drunk. I said Mr. what's the trouble can't you back off and let these people go across this bridge? You see the mules are afraid I said not to panic, they are going to hurt these women. He said quote I don't give damn what goes on I ain't backing off I was on this bridge first. I said but you understand sir, that these women they somebodies going to get hurt if this thing goes on like this. He said let him back the damn mules off I ain't going to back off nothing. I say well I'm sorry sir but if you don't back this car off here we'll have to report you to the sheriff when we get back to Tarboro. He said well who in the hell are you. I said well I'm Dr. Quigless. He said you're a what you're a doctor. You're what you're a doctor? I said yes I'm Dr. Quigless. He said well I'll do it this time but damn it to hell I don't want to do it. He backed his car off and went and went across without anymore trouble. That was the attitude that a lot of the natives in and about Tarboro I found when it came to people in black, black people generally but pregnant black women particularly. I'm reminded of another incident that happened when I was shortly after I got to Tarboro you know, big farmers did not go to the farm didn't look after their farms all of them had what they called quote overseers unquote. Overseer was the manager of the farm usually a white man period. One morning I got a call about two o'clock to go out on a man's farm a woman was in labor but she's having some trouble and needed somebody to look after. And it was the overseer we call him that he's the farm manager and I told him I didn't know about this man who owned the farm I didn't hadn't had any contact with him, he said well you don't worry about it. I see you get your money just going out to see about this woman period. I got up and went out two o'clock in the morning. And I found a woman in labor. But the baby was in the wrong position and scared of the he had a foot protruding, one arm was protruding from the vagina period. I had to rush back and get my my receptionist whom I talked to give ether. I'd go back out to the country we gave the woman ether I was able to replace the arm within the uterus, turn the baby around and deliver the baby. About two weeks later after the woman had recovered and the baby was doing all right. I took the bill to the owner of farm. The owner of this farm had a livery stable in Tarboro. So I went around to his place of business that day to collect my bill. It was only just $35 for all that doing, see. So, I saw the owner standing in the door of his livery stable. I came up and he said what do you want boy. He said quote what do you want boy, unquote. I said Mr. I'll call him Mr. Jones, I call him that. I'm Dr. Quigless I've been out on your farm and I delivered to patient about two weeks ago, and I'm bringing you he said you what? He cut me off.

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Who are you? I said I'm Dr. Quigless. Doctor? Doctor? I didn't say anything more. He said you call yourself a doctor but you look like a goddamn yellow bastard to me.

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Goddamnit no [Inaudible] you calling yourself a damn doctor. I will take my stick and knock the damn brains out. That's what I'll do get out of my say