1965

A college friend sent me this email today. He received this from someone he once worked with who was inspired to share her memory of a story that rings too true to keep in the vault.

"I was born and lived the first 25 years of my life in the small town of Starkville, Mississippi. Yesterday, my local Savannah newspaper published an Associated Press article that hurled me back to my childhood. The article devoted two pages to the creation of the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin' Festival on November 2 in Starkville. Forgive me as I flashback....

In 1965, Starkville was a small college town of about 10,000 people. One Sunday, I was attending Mrs. McIlwain's Sunday school class in the conservative First Methodist Church of Starkville when loud whispers were heard from the hall. As dutiful Southern children, we remained in our seats, waiting for sweet Mrs. McIlwain, about age 60 (or older), to enter the room as she did every Sunday. This Sunday, however, Mrs. McIlwain did not appear. The whispers grew louder and we soon learned that a young man had been arrested in Mrs. McIlwain's rose garden at 2 a.m. that morning.
His name was Johnny Cash and he was found naked in her garden, very drunk, and singing to her prize roses. The image of the pristine elderly Southern belle and her roses next to the image of a naked drunk man was enough, but when we learned that it was Johnny Cash who had entertained college students the night before, we were thrilled!

As the morning continued, we heard more rumors of Mr. Cash's wild night, including his rantings in the one room Starkville City Jail (envision Mayberry), the reaction of Mrs. McIlwain when he destroyed the roses she was saving for a Mother's Day celebration at the church, and the response of the local police force. For several days, it was the talk of Starkville, but, like most events in a small town, it soon was old news.

Several years later, however, the event was immortalized by Johnny Cash in a song, "Starkville City Jail" that appeared on his San Quentin Prison album. Soon"pilgrims" came to Starkville to see the jail and even Mrs. McIlwain gave a few tours of her garden.

In Mr. Cash's autobiography, he claims that he was arrested by police while walking from his motel to a grocery store. Nice try, Johnny, but you were not the "man in black" that night!

There is a movement to pardon Mr. Cash posthumously. In sharing this memory, I have to say that Mr. Cash was treated pretty well for the time period. After he was deemed to be sober the next morning, the police released him with no further actions. In 1965 rural Mississippi, that was the equivalent of Otis letting himself into the cell under Andy's watchful
eye.

I am thankful to Mr. Cash, however, for giving me this opportunity to share this 42 year old memory with you."

Virginia