THE COX FAMILY OF LOUISIANA

Written for the Cox Family Reunion, June 9, 2012

UPDATED, MARCH 8, 2021

Dear Cox Cousins:

I planned for almost a year to be with you in Mansfield for the 2012 family reunion.  However, I find I will be unable to attend.  This post is written for all of you as penance for my inability to be with you.  I hope to hear from you, and someday we will meet.  I have worked too fast, and have not taken time to carefully check this post, so without doubt there will be errors which I will need to correct later.  I am only covering the COX LINE, and have not included information on the wives and their ancestors in this report.  That information, and more details on which this story is based, can be found in FRANCES' FAMILY HISTORY on ANCESTRY.COM.  I have to travel now, and will have to complete the post later.  Hope it is worth your patience.

Frances Jackson Freeman (GGG Granddaughter of Susan Jane Cox 1834-1900)

WILLIAM COX -- Quaker Immigrant (1658-1742)

ANCESTORS OF WILLIAM COX -- 

The oldest Cox immigrant to the American Colonies was William Cox, who was probably born on Feb. 17, 1658 in Cambridge, England; and who died in 1742 in New Castle, Delaware.)  The records agree that William married Naomi Amy Cantrell (1657-1742) in 1685 in New Castle, Delaware. As a Quaker, William sought and received passage to the new Colony being founded by William Penn for Quakers.  William came with two brothers, Thomas (1674-1711) and John (1674-1711).  All three Cox boys (sons of Thomas Cox and his wife Christian Matthews) established families, and have numerous descendants across North America.

The British records, as currently interpreted give the following linage for William:

Parents -- Thomas Cox (1641-1711) and Christian Matthews (1649-1679)

Grandparents -- Thomas Cox (1626-1711) and Ann Hind (1625-1667)

G Grandparents -- Robert Cocke (1608- ?) and Elizabeth Clifford (1600-?)

GG Grandparents -- Robert Cooke (1561-1596) and Elizabeth Cufley (1570-?)

3 Grandparents -- John Cooke (1535-?) 

4 Grandparents -- Thomas Cooke (1509 - ?)

5 Grandparents -- Thomas W. Cooke (1480- ?) and Anne Salman (1486-1512)

6 Grandparents -- William Cooke (1456-1500) and Elizabeth Webb (1460-1496)

7 Grandparents -- Thomas Cooke (1422-1478) and Elizabeth Malpas (1426-1484)

8 Grandparents -- Robert Coocke (1392-1423) and Katherine Unknown (abt 1392)

9 Grandparents -- Norman Cocke (1375 - ?) and Myrtle Unknown (1372 - ?)

10  Grandparents -- Harold Cocke (1345 - ?) and Ena Ross (1345 -?)

11 Grandparents -- Harold Cocke (1300 - ?)

I am only beginning to research the English roots of the Cox Family, and cannot prove this line from my own research.  These connections are based on the work of others.  However, to give some perspective, the l300 Harold Cocke would be my 20th great grandfather.  William (1658-1742 Immigrant) is my 7th great grandfather. 

The parents of William Cox ( 1658, American Immigrant) and his ancestors through Thomas W. Cooke (1480) lived in London.  Thomas W. Cooke, his parents and grandparents lived in Essex, according to these records at Giddy Hall.  The earlier generations lived in Suffolk, specifically in Laverham.

WILLIAM COX (1658-1742) was a Quaker, who sought freedom to practice his religion through immigrating to the colony granted to William Penn.  His residence in New Castle, Delaware should not confuse the connection to Penn's Quaker Colony.  The boundaries between what are now the states of  Pennsylvania and Delaware were moved and adjusted a number times, leading to some misconceptions.  The remainder of this report centers on THE DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM COX.                      

CHILDREN OF WILLIAM COX AND NAOMI CANTRELL -- William and Naomi had three sons, William (b.1692, in New Castle, DE--1767 in Orange, North Carolina); Joseph (b. 1693 in New Castle, DE- 1750); and Thomas.

THOMAS COX -- (Born 1694, New Castle, DE - Died 1784, Craven, South Carolina)

Thomas Cox married Elizabeth Fincher (1700, London Grove, Chester, PA - 1756, London Grove, Chester, PA). Thomas and Elizabeth had three daughters (Rebecca, Ann, and Elizabeth) and two sons Isaac (1724, Warrington, York, PA - 1797, Randolph, NC) and RICHARD.

RICHARD COX -- (Born 1750, York, Pa - Died April 1, 1821, Prairieton, Vigo, IN) Revolutionary Era Ancestor 

Richard Cox (1750-1821) was born and died in the Quaker Faith, although it cost him greatly.  As a young man, he was involved in the Regulator Movement and forced to leave the Carolinas and move with other Quakers to Georgia where they founded the Quaker town of Wrightsboro in what is now McDuffie County.  In Wrightsboro (or Wrightsborough) Richard married Ann Hodgin (1756, York, PA - Dec. 25 1797) on June 4, 1774.   The Quakers of Wrightsboro suffered greatly during the Revolution.  The Indian allies of the British attacked, considering them rebels.  Supporters of the Revolution raided the Quaker farms because the Quakers would not join the rebel forces against the British.  Some of the Quakers, including Richard held to the pacifist teachings of the Quakers, while others abandoned peace and joined the rebel forces. 

Children of Richard and Ann -- Richard Cox (1750-1821) and Ann Hodgin (1756-1797) had seven children, four daughters and three sons.  The sons were THOMAS J. (MAY 13, 1775-FEB. 1820), Matthew (1780-1853), David (1781-1841), and John James (1789-1842).  While Thomas is the direct ancestor of my branch of the  Cox Family,  the descendants of Matthew and John James also immigrated to Louisiana, and form the related COX FAMILIES OF LOUISIANA. 

EFFECTS OF THE REVOLUTION AND AFTERMATH -- The Revolution and the turbulent years that followed marked the end of the Southern Quakers.  Families split as some chose to remain true to the tenants of their faith (especially opposition to war and slavery).  After the death of Ann Hodgin Cox on Christmas day, 1797, her family split.  Richard and their middle son, David remained true to their Quaker faith, and moved with other faithful Quakers to a new home in Prairieton, Vigo, Indiana.  Thomas, Matthew and John James gave up their Quaker faith and remained in the South.  They first moved westward into Georgia, settling briefly in Franklin County, GA.  However, shortly after the War of 1812 and before 1816, they settled in Clarke County, Alabama near the existing town of Grove Hill.

The COX SONS and the VAUGHN (VAUGHAN) DAUGHTERS  -- Three of the sons of Richard Cox married VAUGHN (or VAUGHAN) girls.  Two of these are believed to be daughters of George Vaughn (1753-1817) and his wife Dorcas Wofford (? - 1867) while the third was younger and probably a niece.  Thomas Cox, Sr. (1775-1820) married Mary Polly Vaughn (1776-1820)  daughter of George Vaughn and Dorcus Wofford.  His brothers John James and Matthew each married a Nancy Vaughn.  One of these Nancy's may have been a sister of Mary Polly, the other was almost certainly a cousin.  However, the marriages of two Nancy Vaughn's to these Cox brothers has created great confusion in the family genealogy.  I am not certain that anyone has made a clear and accurate distinction.  The only clear conclusion is that Our Cox Family in Louisiana are also descendants of the Vaughn/Vaughan Family.

Thomas Cox, Sr. died in Grove Hill, Clarke County, Alabama, before his children moved to Louisiana.  However, his brother Matthew made the move to Louisiana before his death.  Records are not clear as to whether the younger brother John James died in Alabama or in Louisiana, but Alabama seems most likely.

Most of the Cox's of North Louisiana are descended from these brothers.  My family is descended from Thomas Cox, Jr. (1810-1868) and his wife Elizabeth "Betsy" Susan Hicks (1807-1870) through their daughter Susan Jane Cox, who married Stephen Pugh Jackson in Winn Parish, LA.

EAST TEXAS COUNTY DROWNING IN LOUISIANA FRAC WASTE WATER

AN ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER  is developing before our eyes, and no one is looking or caring.  Louisiana has laws regulating the pumping of waste water from gas fracturing operations back into the substructure of Louisiana.  Texas has no such laws.  Therefore, the contaminated waste waters from thousands of Louisiana deep gas wells is being pumped into the soil of East Texas counties, especially Shelby County.  This process has gone on for  over two years, and last week, a 3.7 earthquake occurred in Shelby County, near the town of Timpson.

HERE'S THE STORY -- There is a bridge located at the point where the Sabine River becomes Toledo Bend Lake.  The bridge connects the Louisiana town of Logansport in DeSoto Parish with the Texas town of Joaquin, located in Shelby County, Texas.  Each day huge tanker trucks transport hundreds to thousands of gallons of waste water from Louisiana deep gas wells into Texas, and pump that water into Shelby County soil.  Because the cost of transport is high, the pumping stations are located as close to the border as possible.  Some of the largest pumping stations are located within a half mile of the Sabine River/Toledo Bend Reservoir, which provides water for thousands of people all the way to the Gulf.

I have been told, that in addition to the tanker trucks transporting the waste water that new pipelines are moving even greater quantities of water across the river into East Texas.  These operations are far less obvious to observers than the tanker truck pumping stations.  Exact data on how many thousands of gallons are pumped daily, or as to the millions of gallons dumped over the past two years is not available to the public.

WAKE-UP CALL -- The 3.7 earthquake in Shelby County last week is the first wake-up call for the pending environmental disaster.  The Mount Enterprise fault line runs through Shelby and adjoining counties.  Waste water injected along this fault line can alter pressures and lead to movements of the opposing plates. It remains unclear whether the water used in individual gas wells is sufficient to cause earthquakes, butv most experts agree that the key variable is the absolute quantity of water being pumped into the geological substructure.  In NO OTHER AREA have such huge quantities of waste water from hundreds of wells been pumped into a limited geographical substructure.  Shelby County is A MINI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY into how much waste water can be absorbed in a given geological sub-structure before  a major disaster occurs.  Someday, we may read in  text books about what is learned from this potentially disastrous experiment.  But that will be, as they say, too little and too late.

WHY IS TEXAS ALLOWING THIS POTENTIAL DANGER TO ITS CITIZENS?  -- If LOUISIANA recognizes the dangers of allowing this water to be pumped into its geological substructure, there must be a reason.  Louisiana must recognize the dangers, including the danger of contaminating ground water or creating earthquake conditions.  WHY IS TEXAS IGNORING THESE WARNINGS, AND ALLOWING CONTAMINATION BY LOUISIANA'S WASTE?  The only answer I see is MONEY.  Shelby County is one of the poorest counties in the state of Texas, and there are enormous economic benefits flowing to the county from the energy companies who are dumping their waste there.   However, the fallout from this dumping, goes far beyond the boundaries of Shelby County. 

TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR provides water for thousands of citizens of Louisiana and Texas.  A pipeline to take water from Toledo Bend to the city of Houston is projected.  There are indications that hazardous chemicals from waste fracturing water have already contaminated this critical water supply.  NO TESTING OF THE SABINE OR TOLEDO BEND WATER FOR FRACTURING CHEMICALS is currently being publically reported. Indeed, chemicals used in fracturing are considered "trade secrets" by the drilling companies. Texas is currently attempting to legally require drilling companies to reveal the chemicals they are using. Without this information, we don't even know for certain what chemicals may be contaminating our water supply.

DOES ANYONE CARE?  WILL ANYONE INVESTIGATE?  PLEASE HELP!!!!

ROYAL CONNECTIONS FOR JACKSON, COX, HEARD, HICKS, LINDSEY, HEWELL, FAMILIES: The Descendants of the Rev. Haute Wyatt

For better or worse, I have just learned that I am my own 8th cousin, once removed.  My Father. Wilmer H. Jackson, Sr. and my Mother, Myrtis Lee Heard  are both descended from the Rev. Haute Wyatt (at least to according to current genealogical research).  My Father, and all of our JACKSON, COX, and HICKS cousins are descended from the Rev. Haute Wyatt (1594-1638) through his son George Wyatt (1622-1671); while my Mother and all of our HEARD, LINDSEY, and HEWELL cousins are descended through his son Edward Wyatt (1619-1670).  If you are interested in the details of this genealogy, you can explore it in Frances' Family History at http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/24623198/family. 

The Heard Family descent from Edward Wyatt was posited a number of years ago by a cousin, John Kent, who worked with Elizabeth Heard in tracing our Heard, Lindsey, and Hewell Families.    I've only recently discovered the Jackson-Cox-Hicks connection through the work of a Cox relation Glenn Davies.

Why is the connection to REV. HAUTE WYATT of particular interest.  Well, if the connections established by these genealogists are valid, the Rev. Wyatt links these families to WILLIAM THE CONQUER, and the PLANTAGENET dynasty of England. The Rev. Haute Wyatt is the great-grandson of Thomas Wyatt, (the Elder 1503-1542) famed poet and statesman and friend of Henry VIII; and the grandson of Thomas Wyatt (the Younger 1521-1554) who led a rebellion against Queen Mary in an attempt to put Elizabeth I on the English throne.  For his efforts, he was beheaded in the Tower of London on April 11, 1554. Read about the Rev. Wyatt at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=41897239, and about Thomas the Elder at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Wyatt_%28poet%29; and Thomas the Younger at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Wyatt_the_younger.

A ROYAL CONNECTION -- While no one does genealogy primarily to establish a Royal Connection, it is great fun when such a relationship is found.  Since most histories and biographies center on the rich and famous, having family connections to the "actors" in history's dramas makes their stories come alive in a personal fashion.  Since the nobles of Britain intermarried, we have multiple connections to the Royals through the wives of the Wyatt men.  The wives with royal connections, include Jane Conquest (wife of Edward Wyatt) Barbara Mitford (wife of Rev. Haute Wyatt), Jane Finch (Rev. Haute's mother), Catherine Moyle, (Jane Finch's mother), Jane Hawte (Thomas Wyatt, Jr.'s wife), Elizabeth Brooke (Thomas Wyatt Sr.'s wife).

The Elizabeth Brooke connection is one of the most interesting.  Elizabeth (1503-1560) on her father's side (Thomas Brooke) is the granddaughter of Margaret DeNeville.  On her mother's side (Dorothy Heydon), she is the grand daughter of Ann Boleyn (Aunt of the more famous Ann Boleyn who married King Henry VIII).  Margaret De Neville is the granddaughter of Joan DeBeaufort (daughter of John of Gaunt of the PLANTAGENET line and his wife Katherine DeRoet read about Joan at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Beaufort,_Countess_of_Westmorland).

    
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster had four wives, and has the distinction of having the most descendents to ascend to the throne of England (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Gaunt,_1st_Duke_of_Lancaster) .  His father was King Edward III and his grandfather was Edward II, son of Edward I. John of Gaunt's son, Joan's half-brother, was Henry IV.  John of Gaunt was the 7th great grandson of William, the Conquer, King of England, and Duke of Normandy.  That makes William the Conqueror my 27th great grandfather.  If you are really compulsive, you can connect this line to the royal familes of most of Europe, including France, Germany, Belgium, and Scotland.

       

IS OUR ROYAL CONNECTION REAL OR IMAGINED?  WHO KNOWS!! -- DNA is the only proof positive available, and we are descended through maternal lines, so Y DNA testing is not feasible.  The question in the genealogical records are the links of our Wyatt ancestors to Edward and George Wyatt, the sons of Rev. Haute Wyatt.  Each link is based on documents, but there are always some questions.   As they  say genealogy is a work in progress, but until the connection is disproved we can enjoy the distinction.  We are in interesting company.

KIPLING"S POEM -- "IF"

IF.....

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

WHEN YOU TURN THE ASYLUM OVER TO THE INMATES

Don’t Complain When They Burn It Down.

UPDATE -- JUNE, 2014 -- THE PEW CENTER FOR RESEARCH FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE PRESS has issued a REPORT entitled:

"Political Polarization in the American Public
How Increasing Ideological Uniformity and Partisan Antipathy Affect Politics, Compromise and Everyday Life" 

After intensive study, they arrive at the same conclusions expressed in this 2011 Blog.  To Read, Visit -- http://www.people-press.org/2014/06/12/political-polarization-in-the-american-public/

In recent weeks a lot of people are acknowledging that the American political system is failing –  our government is broken and nonfunctional.  The explanation is relatively simple, and can best be understood by the reference to a simple bell curve.

Essentially, the bell curve illustrates the Left, the Right, and the moderate political orientation of Americans.  

On the far Left, and on the far Right are the Conservatives and the Liberals.  Combined, these groups constitute approximately 30%  (Red) of the electorate, with approximately 5% (Orange) split between extreme conservative and extreme liberal.  The rest of the electorate, approximately 70% (Blue) fall between the extremes. 

For decades, both political parties (Republican and Democratic) consisted of members spread across this political spectrum.  However, progressively, Conservatives have gained control of the Republican Party while Liberals now control the Democratic Party.  The minority 30% of the electorate have become the “BASE” for both parties.  In both major political parties, nominations are controlled by the BASE.  In order to be a nominee of either party, a politician must gain the support of their BASE.  This has created cadres of radical politicians with few moderates.

Why have such a limited number of voters gained such power?  Very simply, because the majority (that 70% of us in the middle) have given it to them by our lack of political activism.  Whether you consider the fringe 15% in each party “true believers” or “radical extremists,” they are passionate about their cause.  Because of their passion, they constitute the party workers, who make the phone calls, raise the money, lick the stamps, carry the placards, distribute the literature, go house-to-house, attend the rallies and the meetings, and turn out the vote.  They know what they believe, and they are willing to work to achieve their goals.

The 70% in the middle are ambivalent and inactive.  Their see complex problems, without simple solutions.  They can be socially liberal and fiscally conservative.  They don’t trust “big government,” but they trust big business, big banks, and multinational conglomerates even less.  They don’t want “socialized medicine,” but they don’t believe Big Pharmacy, Big Insurance, and For-profit Hospitals should control health policy.  They can be both Pro-Life and Pro-Choice.  They don’t want their taxes raised, but they realize that the essential services provided by our government must be financed.  They are Pro-family, but not Anti-Gay.  They can be Pro-military, and Anti-war.  They support our military, but don’t believe the military-industrial complex should dictate foreign policy.  They view complex issues in shades of gray, while the extremes of both parties see only black and white.  They vacillate while the extremists act.

The far Left and far Right minorities are permitted (by the inaction of the majority) to select the candidates of each Party.  The majority is allowed to vote on the candidates selected for them.  The only power the majority has is BALANCE.  When the majority feels the government is tipping too far to the extreme Left, they pull to the Right; and when things are slipping too far to the Right, they pull Left.  Our government rocks and tips back and forth in a strange balancing act that puzzles the rest of the world.  The Majority are like the navigator on a  sailboat trying to sail into the wind.  They set the sails to zag to the Left, and then they reset the sails and tack to zig to the Right.  They Zig and Zag, trying to chart a straight course in a time-wasting, inefficient effort. 

This rocking back and forth; this ziging and zaging is destroying America’s economy and our political institutions.  With escalating needs for flexibility and rapid response to emerging conditions, this has moved beyond inefficiency, and we find ourselves stalled, unable to move.  We are rapidly losing the position of world leadership which we have maintained since WWWII.  

The minorities on the far Right and far Left are not concerned.  Their entrenched, warfare mentalities see only black and white, win or lose; compromise is not in their vocabularies.  The harm done to the country does not cause them anxiety or distress.  As in Solomon’s parable, they are willing to see the baby die rather than budge one inch from their philosophical positions.

And the majority – we just stand by, turning our country over to these fringe groups.  Quite literally, we have turned the asylum over the inmates and they are proceeding to burn it down, while we watch and wring our hands.  

CHARLES VANRIPER -- FIRST EXPERIENCE IN THERAPY

When Charles VanRiper gave me his autobiography, he granted me permission to share portions of it with my students and with others who stuttered.  He asked only that I not reveal the names of living persons.  I have always honored this request.  I have been told that the desire to spare the feelings and memories of individuals mentioned in the autobiography is the reason it has not been published.  I’m not sure I understand this reasoning since editors can always delete passages or change names, and while incidents in the memoir could be considered scandalous by early 20^th century standards, they would scarce raise an eyebrow today.

  

The following excerpt describes the young Charles VanRiper’s experience at the Bogue Institute in Indianapolis.  In case readers believe that the “treatment” described herein is a thing of the distant past, I would add that in 1980, when I came to Dallas, I encountered a number of stutterers who described a very similar “money-back” guarantied treatment being offered here.  None of them succeeded in completing a six-month required “silent” period, so they didn’t get their money back.

Albert and Charles VanRiper

FROM THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF CHARLES VANRIPER

. . . .two weeks later I was in Bogue’s office for a very brief interview during which he gave me a written guarantee of a cure or your money back providing you follow THE METHOD.  That sounded fair enough until I learned that the first step in the method was not to stutter.  “Stuttering is prohibited,” the manual said.  “If you do happen to stutter, you must pay the penalty which is to go on silence for a period to be determined by your instructor or to perform the designated amount of intensive practice.”  I was also told that I must go on complete silence for the entire first week except when performing the class exercises or be sent home while forfeiting the tuition.  I couldn’t object because the period of silence began as of that very moment.  If I had something urgent to say to anyone I must write it down.  Bogue summoned a young man to take me and my bag to the dormitory.

The Bogue Institute was housed in a very large and old mansion with a staircase separating the male and female quarters.  A large dormitory filled with double decked beds, tables and chairs were empty when I arrived but my guide told me all the students were attending classes in the Bogue Gymnasium a block up the street but would be arriving soon for lunch which was held in the basement dining room.  He gave me a pad and pencil and repeated Bogue’s admonition not to say a word until the week of silence was up.

I discovered that I was a day late in arriving and that there were two groups of stutterers, those, like me, who were just beginners with their pads and pencils, and those who had reenrolled after taking the treatment during the previous term.  The beginners were mute but they wrote a lot to each other; the advanced students could speak but they had to write out everything before they said it and when they did speak it was in slow syllables, each accompanied by either a wide swing of the arm or by pinching their thumbs and forefingers.  Eerie!  Some of them sang what they wanted to say and evidently that was all right provided they didn’t stutter when they sang.  I sure felt lost in a foreign land.

About four o’clock that afternoon several of the advanced stutterers were selected to present samples of their fluency under different conditions of stress.  First they read a series of individual words, then phrases, then sentences in unison, then solo.  Next they named objects, then answered questions with first one-word responses, then in sentences.  This was done solo, and Madame Olga led us in applause for each successful achievement.  Then she doled out chits, red, white or blue cards as a reward.  The red cards entitled the possessor to an extra helping of any food at meal time; the white cards were permission to free time and to leave the premises for half an hour accompanied by another stutterer with the same card.  The blue cards meant that you could leave the institute alone for two hours.  All of us were imprisoned there except for our classes in the gym and since the food in the dining hall was not only sparse but poor, these tokens had some real value.  After having eaten hominy and cabbage and spaghetti for days in a row, the urge to get out if only long enough to buy and ice cream cone or a hamburger, was very strong.

The afternoon session ended at five o’clock but not until we heard a stranger give a testimonial about how he’d been cured at the Bogue Institute.  Full of praise for Mr. Bogue and THE METHOD, his speech was very fluent but it sounded memorized and a bit phony.  Some of my fellow stutterers suspected he was a normal speaker who had been paid to give that speech and the suspicion was enhanced when Madam Olga refused to let us ask him any questions.  Then we got on our knees for another prayer and marched back to our dormitory.  After a miserable supper whose only grace was a piece of white bread with apple butter, we went upstairs to practice some of those same exercises or write notes to each other until the lights went out at nine o’clock.  It was hard to get to sleep because of the insufferable heat, almost as bad as it was in the gym.  That year some of the sidewalks in Indianapolis heaved and broke in the heat.  But by mentally hiking over some of the forest trails up at my cabin I finally conked out.

The next morning after a breakfast of sloppy oatmeal with blue milk and little sugar plus a hunk of corn bread we marched back to the gym.  Madam Olga whipped us into shape in a hurry, then her assistant led us in vigorous calisthenics as we vocalized the vowels in time with the major movements.  Commanded to sit down on the floor, we then heard The Morning Report.  Every morning on our way to breakfast we had to drop a slip of paper into a box by the dining room door.  On that slip we were either to write “Nothing” or report any instance of stuttering we had heard or any infraction of the rules together with the name of the culprit.  Madam Olga told us that we weren’t snitching when we did this but actually helping that guilty stutterer.

The Morning Report provided the opportunity for Madam Olga to dish out the appropriate punishments.  “Paul Peterson!” she would roar.  “You stuttered twice last night on the way to supper.  You are hereby denied supper tonight and no longer may speak by merely pinching your fingers.  You must use the whole arm swing for three days?”  Madam Olga enjoyed the Morning Report.  One of the beginners was sentenced to four additional days of silence for failing to spend the required hour of practice the night before.  She had some mercy on a little Korean boy who had been accused of praying aloud in Korean and merely gave him a reprimand.  Sent to Bogue by his father, and official in the government there, poor Kim’s understanding of English was almost as poor as his fluency, and I think Madam Olga knew it.

Much of the morning’s activities followed the same pattern as that of the afternoon before, though there were some variations.  We had to practice breathing exercises while marching; we used Indian clubs rather than dumbbells as we said our vowels.  The only new exercises were using pantomimic speech in which we repeated the Madame’s sentences silently with exaggerated mouth movements and a “thinking exercise” in which we had to try to imagine ourselves saying fluently the bits of conversation she verbalized, and repeated twice.  Oh yes, during our relaxation periods lying on the floor we had to keep a constant flow of random vocalization going, playing with our mouths and tongues but never saying any real words.  I recall getting stuck a few times doing this but fortunately no one noticed.  Too much masking noise.

After my week of silence was up I could throw away my pad and pencil during our few off hours.  It was a tremendous relief, but having to swing my arm for every syllable almost drove me crazy at first.  Once when someone short-sheeted my bed, I called him a son of a bitch without swinging my arms and got penalized, but generally, yes, almost all the time, I followed THE METHOD.  After two weeks I recognized that for the first time in my life I had gone many days without stuttering.  I didn’t dare hope, but all the nonsense seemed to be having some effect.  So I did my utmost to profit from the training and by the fourth week was even earning red, white and blue cards.  Once on a Saturday afternoon, having my blue card, I walked downtown to the Circle at the center of the city, but my time was short and I needed to call a cab to get back.  Stopping a passerby, a women, I asked her where I could find a cab stand, first using my finger pinching inside my pant picket, and then when it didn’t help, my full arm swing to get out each measured syllable.  She thought I was insane and began screaming.  Whereupon a policeman came to her rescue, took me to the police station, and I had a terrible time trying to explain.  I tried to pinch my fingers but they wouldn’t close.  I began an armswing but my arm seemed frozen like my vocal cords and it stayed there in the air refusing to come down.  I think they were ready to haul me away to some psychiatric hospital when another policeman, who knew of the Bogue Institute intervened, called a cab, and sent me back.

That experienced devastated me.  Remembering it vividly, I suffer all over again.  I knew very clearly that all those hours of practicing those silly exercises hadn’t had one bit of effect on my stuttering.  Sure they had helped me gain some carefully contrived fluency under favorable conditions but they hadn’t attacked the stuttering at all.  It still lay there as powerful as it had always been.  My remaining weeks were very unhappy ones.  I went through the motions, bore the heat and the bad food, and dreamed of escaping into the forest. 

Before I left I did try to get my money back from Benjamin Bogue and certainly my stuttering was sufficient to validate the guarantee but all he offered was to let me take another seven weeks term for four hundred dollars more.  At the railroad station, buying my return ticket to Champion, I found my finger pinching and arm swinging of no avail so just stuttered my way through the situation with my struggling and head jerks.  When my father met me at the depot, I again tried to use THE METHOD, with only partial success, but enough of the arm swing occurred so his face sure fell in disgust.  I spent the rest of the summer, only a few weeks, up in our cabin nursing my wounds.  Only toward the end of my stay there did I get just a bit of the peace that the forest had always given.