Not a Single Thing to be Thankful for...

Lawrenceville, Ill. Nov 29,1929 —Today was Thanksgiving, but “Jaybird” Sisson, recently returned from Kansas, could not think of a single thing for which to be thankful.

 He started the day off in a “thankful” mood stimulated with a mixture of liquid spirits. An automobile, a faithful flivver which had served him well in the past, was contributing to his celebration of Thanksgiving. But an ice- and snow-covered pavement was the first obstacle in the way, bringing the first sign of depression to his high state of thankfulness.

Coming up the hill on Walnut Street near Eleventh Street, his car skidded over against the curbing, and off went a wheel. The axle of the car rested on the curbing. Sisson’s conception of a Ford was that the critter should run as long as there was juice and gasoline, and he knew his car had a sufficient amount of each.

He backed down the hill a few feet and started forward but could not make go of it. Several equally unsuccessful attempts were made, and Sisson was becoming vexed with the unruly flivver when Chief of Police William Stivers appeared on the scene.

 “What’s the trouble?” asked Bill.

 “Nothing but a broken wheel,” Sisson replied.

 “You can’t run an automobile on three wheels; better send for a wrecker,” the officer offered as advice.

 “But it should run,” Sisson argued.

 “It won’t though,” the chief declared. “Come with me and we will send a wrecker out from a garage to bring in the wrecked car.” Sisson accompanied the officer to the city hall.

“What’s your name,” he was asked.  “’Jaybird’,” he replied.

 “’Jaybird’ what?”

 “Sisson,” he answered. Sisson informed the officer that he returned recently from Kansas where he had been for several years. Came back to visit his mother near Birds, he volunteered. He had a Kansas license plate on his car.

Sisson was lodged in county jail, and a charge of driving an automobile while intoxicated placed against him, according to Chief Stivers.

Sisson spent the remainder of Thanksgiving in the county jail, with spirits considerably lower than they were at the peak of his Thanksgiving celebration.

Researched by M Wagner