“Call the police”
Mail carriers all over the country were being robbed especially on check day and we were warned over and over that if we saw a suspicious vehicle, to call the Post Office and report it. I kept seeing the same truck on every street I went to. I was on Jackson St and saw it go by and I cut through to the parallel street to see if it passed. I was going to get the license number. It did but there was no license. This truck had practically followed me for at least three hours. I stopped to call the Post Office and report it but the line was busy so I called Chief Joe Weatherford. I explained what had happened and then called the Post Office again and Ed Latta answered. I told him what was going on and returned to the route.
When I turned off Jackson onto College I saw the pickup coming toward me. Now by this time I was not agitated, I was mad. I stepped in front of him and he had to stop or hit me. He stopped.
Just about the time I found out it was Tax Assessor Billy Latham, taking annual pictures, of properties, for tax purposes. It was then that the police car pulled in front of him and Ed Latta blocked him from behind. Ed jump out with a 45 cal semi-auto and Joe jumped out at the same time with his service revolver drawn. Billy having just purchased the new truck had no plates on it.
Something told me my taxes were going to skyrocket but thankfully they did not.
Someone mentioned my friend Jim Brummel to me today. Made me remember one time when Jim spotted a bottle in a small ditch or creek on the route. I think it was by the railroad depot. Anyway Jim recognized it as old and, like I would, he had to get it. I think he stepped on a nail through a board but memory fails on that point. He was injured though and a report had to be filed upstate. I think the bottle turned out to be a local Lamkin`s Clinton Bottling Plant bottle which I would consider a great find.
In a few days Jim was out on the route and an inspector came from Louisville or from Evansville to check it out. The postmaster told him where to find Jim and he headed out and interviewed Jim and returned to his office to file his report.
A few years after that Jim`s route and my route were being inspected by two inspectors. One told Jim that they had met before and Jim was so sure that they had not. Then the inspector said, “I remember now, you are the carrier who had the Labrador retriever in the car with you when I found you on the route.” He assured the fellow that for sure they really had met before. Jim`s black Lab took every step he did. They were inseparable. I was surprised none of the inspectors said anything about it. Maybe they are human too.
Speaking of mail vehicles, I will never forget the scare I got when I took the driving test for the Post Office. I had to meet an inspector in Mayfield to take it in a mail vehicle. The tester was Mrs Robert Bolin`s brother, but I did not know that at the time. We went behind the Mayfield PO to get a vehicle and the only thing available was a right hand drive. We took off and he had me parallel park. I told him to get out and watch for me as you were always to have someone watch when backing. He was giving me hand signs and I backed right into a telephone pole that was leaning out a bit. I knew that had failed me for sure but when he got back in he informed me that he failed but I had passed the test. The Post Office insists you have some watch when you back up but they know you are going to be alone. That is probably so they can always charge you for any backing accident.
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