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Georgia, and Alabama started having more “sings.” The three states each held periodic
conventions. When the Florida convention was held in Columbia County, C. A. Fulford was

the director and that is how I got to know ihim. He did nearly all of the song leading in north
Florida. I was often asked to play. Most churches were getting pianos around this time. Mr.
Fulford liked my playing style which was playing strictly by the music. I never could1 play
anything by ear or add in a lot of extras. Soon Mr. Fulford wanted only me to play for him
when he was leading the singing. I must admit that I considered it quite a compliment for

Mr. Fulford to choose me to play for him.
Just before Eric and I married, Eric got a better paying job at Young’s Hardware
store. Mr. Fulford and his family moved across the street from us and were our neighbors for

several years. I actually think that I won Eric by playing the piano.

On March 28, 1930, around 4 p.m., a neighbor told me about a bad accident in Mason
involving the school bus and a truck. She said all of my sisters and1 brother were on that bus
and that my youngest sister Fay might be among the dead. My parents had already been

notified that the injured had been transported to' Lake Shore Hospital in Lake City. Lake
Shore was then an old two-story house owned by Dr. Harkness. He had built a new house
across the street. The old hospital and Dr. Harkness’s house were both on East Duval Street.

I called Eric at work at Young’s Hardware and told him about the accident. I jumped
into our Ford to dash to the hospital. When I got there, all the parents of the children on the
bus were beginning to arrive. Both sides of the street were full of parked cars. With no place

to park, parents left their cars in the middle of Duval Street and ran into the hospital. They
didn’t pay any attention to the police in the street who were waving them on.
I knew a short cut back of the hospital down by the lake, and I knew how to enter the

hospital1 by a back door entrance. Much to my relief, I found that Fay hadn’t been killed, but
the doctors said she was having trouble with her heart. The doctors told my parents she
needed to be kept overnight for observation. Fay came home the next day.
Our neighbors and friends, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Pearce, lost their youngest son in the

accident. They had only two sons, Ellis and Arles. Mrs. Nettie and Mr. Paul grieved for so
long. We all felt so sad for them.
Mason Peeler, the bus driver, was also killed. The bus and truck reminded me of

something washed ashore after a bad storm. All of Columbia County and surrounding coun­
ties were saddened by this accident.

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