by Forest Harvey

This story has been told to me many times by my mother, Mary Abston Harvey, who was a school teacher for 24 years in the state of Kentucky. Mother was the second of ten children born to R.B. Abston and Fannie Summers Abston.

Grandpa made molasses (in the Fall) for many years. This year, in the late 1920’s, he had ordered a new evaporator pan from Sears and Roebuck. It did not make the molasses dark and they were very good. People brought him their cane from all around, even as far away as Burkesville. He was paid by the toll system. He used the “toll” molasses to help feed some “sweet” children, one of them my mother.

On this day a number of people were standing around including the workers, watching the cane being ground. When the old Highway Doctor Gibson rode up on his horse named Bill, he was drinking another product of Highway. He watched for a while. He wanted to taste the molasses. So he got down on his knees and put his tongue under the spout where the “skimmings” came out. (“Skimmings was a foam like substance that came to the top as the cane cooked). My grandfather did not notice him. He came over with a rake of new “hot” skimmings.

Your guess is as good as mine as to what happened.

Mother never told me anything about a malpractice suit. I’m sure the Doctor had a sore tongue for a few days. He may have sent my grandpa a Dr. bill. I do not know.

Forest Harvey