I took up for her. I said, “Now, when you are calling her all these things, you go out and jump on her, and that is not going to make you any better than she is.” He got mad at me because I didn’t want to go out and jump on her. He felt like I was against him, so he was hollering at me and said, “I used to have respect, but I lost all respect. He thought I was stuff and tough.” And I don’t know, so I just left the club. I said, “I don’t even want to talk to you.” I went inside and I went back in and Earl Norman came over, because he is on the board of directors. The union man couldn’t come over, and he sent Earl over there to stay there until Jada got her things and got out, so there would be a representative there in case anything happened. And she filed a claim. Jack thought Earl was against him also because he came over there.
So, he was in the club, and Jack started hollering at him and told him—first of all, it started out as a nice conversation, and Earl is great about quoting you new rules. He knows all of them, and he goes by the book, and especially when he is drinking. That is all he can talk about is union rules. He drives you crazy sometimes. And he was explaining to Jack, Jack said, “You are against me. You are against me.” And he said, “No; I am not. I had to come over, Tom Palmer told me to, and it is my job as a member of the board.” And Jack told him to get out. He said, “I want you to leave. If you don’t, I am going to punch you in the mouth, so you get out now.” And he was walking the floor. He was really, very, very angry. So Earl tells him, “You better not ever hit me, or I will get a gun and come back and shoot you.” He shouldn’t have said that. Jack went to pieces and he smashed him in the mouth, but Earl wasn’t going to give up.
Mr. Griffin. Did Earl leave at that point?
Mrs. Powell. No; he kept explaining and mouthing off, but Jack didn’t hit him any more. The band was there and I was there. We had closed up already.
Mr. Griffin. Did Jack send anybody out to get a gun?
Mrs. Powell. No. It wasn’t Jack that made that statement. It was Earl Norman.
Mr. Griffin. It was Earl Norman who said he was going to get a gun and shoot?
Mrs. Powell. Earl said if he ever hit him, he would go home and get a gun, and Jack hit him.
Mr. Griffin. Jack did hit him?
Mrs. Powell. Yes; I don’t blame him much. He provoked him, really.