HANK'S LAST DAY IN BLUEFIELD, WV

[ALPHA CANIS LUPUS]

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Hank-Williams-Biography/C81BE43BE06698BA4825697B003352BD
posts from other forums | Reviewer: blair mays | 1/1/2008

To set the case right the 55th anniversary of Hank Williams
death is Dec 31, 1952.....not the Jan. 1 1953 date that his 1rst
driver Andy Carr has been using all the years to cover his tracks.
What Carr did on the last day of 1952 borders on negligent homicide.
He has been profiting shamelessly.

Along with Jimmy Rodgers before him he is perhaps the most important
white figure to bring the black American tradition of blues to a white
audience. On the last day of 1952 the most popular tunes of the day
were world war II vintage big bands--and then there was Hank whose
popularity was only beginning to snowball. After his death his
popularity became an seismic event. All modern American popular
music forms date to this last day of 1952. His last popular band
tunes are right there on the edge of rock and roll if you listen
closely. In fact his guitarist was recording with Elvis less than
a year later. Bob Dylan has recently bought up some of his un-
finshed stuff and in the tradition of Robert Johnson he may chart
a half a century after his death.

Here is an eyewitness account of his death. His death was closer to
that of Elvis than you might have imagined.

Hank's first driver has become a principal with the Hank Williams
museum when, actually he may have commited the crime of negligent
homicide
on that last day of 1952. I am an eyewitness
and will no longer have peace until the truth about Carr is known.

Here are the facts . The date of death was Dec.31, 1952 not Jan. 1,
1953

Driver Carr and Hank evidently left Khoxville on Dec 30--not Dec31
1952 as I remember them arriving in Bluefield at the King Tut Drive-
In at about 10 am on Dec 31, 1952.
There is an arrest record in Tennessee for which Carr was cited for
speeding which should settle that. There is a story that Hank
obtained morphine (or whatever) from a Dr. Horton in Bluefield--
this doctor was repeatedly busted for dispensing drugs without a
prescription or perfunctorally, thru-out the 50's. I have no
way of verifying that but can testify to the following.
I was in and out of the Tut all day as was my usual itinerary those
days, and observed Hank with one and maybe no more than 2 beers--
of which he drank little or none. I did observe Hank injecting
something into his arm in while sitting in the back seat of the
Cadillac less than hour before his death (about 4 pm Dec 31, 1952).
In fact Driver Carr sent me inside the Tut to get Tut owner Sox
White ; Sox tried to get Hank to withdraw the needle, but the
damage was already done. Less than an hour later Carr sent me
in to get Sox again. Sox came out and checked Hank's pulse and
then went back inside and got a mirror which he placed under
Hank's nose. (Sox's wife was nurse at he hospital in town). He
told Carr "this man is dead and get him the hell off premises as
he didn't want an trouble here". Carr left and only came back
to the Tut after he reported Hank's death about 12 hours later
and 50 miles up the road at Oak Hill WV. Hank's cadillac and
two or three police cars were at the Tut from about 5-9 pm the
next day Jan 1, 1953. Sox and waitress Hazel Schultz paid 2
visits to the car business next door that belonged to my dad and
forcefully insisted that I shut up and stay out of the Tut while
the cops were there.
The reason why Carr and Hank spent the day at the Tut was that
they were waiting for Bluefield taxi driver Danny Surface to get
off taxi duty. Snow was flying and the weather was turning bad.
Pre-Interstate WV roads were extremely treacherous in those days
and Carr had driven over 2 mountains, each of which took about
an hour at 15 mph in good weather--the second mountain
immediately before Bluefield.
The connection of the second driver was made at the Tut--Danny
Surface was waitress Hazel Schultz's boyfriend. Hank and
original driver Carr went uptown at about 12pm Dec 31 to the
Dough Boy Diner where taxi drivers hung out between rides-- to
arrange for Surface to take over driving duties (to Charleston
WV). Carr and Hank returned to the Tut before 1 pm.
As the name indicates the Doughboy was your typical WWI joint
and was quite derelic by then. The Tut was your stereotypical
WWII WV beer joint. It was built with a surplus quonset hut in
1945 but was paneled in real hardwood inside and was quite a
place with a wrap-around bar. Sox had a stainless steel kitchen
and had the best short orders in town.
About 20 -30 people saw Hank there that day--but no one paid too
much attention to Hank except Hazel Schultz--who swooned and
acted much like and rock and roll groupie from the 60's. Hazel
had left at about 3pm to work a shift at the already mentioned
Doughboy. (ie she double shifted all the way through the 50's
and became owner of the Tut after Sox died in the 70's). The
juke box was extremely dull in 52 except for left-over WWII swing
tunes and 2 or 3 of Hank's tunes. After Hank died several
more of his tunes became hits. A Hank tune was playing on the
art deco Juke when he first came in that morning and through-out
the day.
Hank was extremely sick the whole day and spent most of time
leaning on the counter. He was ejected by Sox after Hazel left
at about 3pm for fighting. Driver Car was outside in the
Cadillac running the heater while it happened. A bar regular
was dancing on the dance floor with his girl friend to a Hank
tune and drunkenly started beating her up on the floor. Hank
jumped up from the bar stool and got between them. The drunk
who was about 280lbs hit Hank hard with an uppercut to the nuts.
Sox always responded to these things with a butcher knife waving
over his head and EJECTED HANK INSTEAD OF THE DRUNK-- afterall
the drunk was a REGULAR. Most of those barflies who saw Hank
that day didn't believe it was actually him. Some like Sox
didn't care or condidered as just a "washed up radio singer" who
had just been ejected from the Opry. Superstar Hank didn't
emerge until agter his death.
It was common knowledge around Bluefield that Hank was at the
Tut and at the Doughboy the day of his death during the 50's
on up into the 60's. The local newspaper was right beside the
Doughboy in those days and never printed anything about his death
, but merely reprinted an article from Oak Hill. Maybe the drug
connection was too much, but there is no way they couldn't have
known. In about 59-60 Patsy Cline and Hank's first wife paid the
Tut a short visit. Hazel and Sox paid my dad a visit and told me
to keep my mouth shut. Patsy Cline had gone to beautician's
school in Bluefield right before her Career took off less than a
mile from the Tut. By the late 60's the common knowledge based
on first hand experience was waining with death of the Tut patrons
of the early 50's.
It is pretty certain that taxi driver Danny Surface didn't know
that Hank was already dead when he took over as driver from Carr.
It is unknown what they did with the dead Hank in the back seat
from about 5 or 6 pm Dec 31 until the death was reported about 12
hours later. Evidently there was an arrangement with Hank's
property in the trunk as Surface admitted selling 2 handguns
belonging to Hank on several occasions when he stopped by my
dad's carlot during the 50's and 60's. He was very slight of
build and oftentimes wore one of Hank's white handmade cowboy
jackets until his death. This jacket is the same one as that
which appeared on a record jacket cover.
If you examine the 50's version of the death you will see Danny
Surface mentioned in all the accounts including that of the
undertaker. He is listed as the driver at the time of the death.
Later accounts by Carr delete him altogether or alternately list
him as being picked up in Tennessee--where he never lived in his
life--he was a life-long resident of Bluefield. Early accounts
by Carr mention "a stop" at the Doughboy (which was off the main
road unlike the Tut) . Later accounts after Surface died eliminate
any mention of stopping in Bluefield at all.
I am willing to take a lie detector test to verify these facts.
I would like to see Carr do the same thing and own up to negligent
homicide for not taking Hank to the hospital after Sox ejected them
from the Tut. He has been living on Hank's legend since Dec 31,
1952.
Blair Mays

afterword;

Andy Carr sold posters for Hank's Dec 31, 1952 concert at Charleston
WV and Jan 1, 1953 concert at Canton Ohio (out of the trunk of
Hank's Cadillac) for years afterwards. The single most celebrated
person (aside from the Cadillac last ride at these anniversary bashes
at the Hank Williams Museum in Alabama is none other than Andy Carr.










After Hank was ejected from the Tut he got Carr to open
the trunk of the Caddy.... Andrew Carr sent me inside to get
owner sox White and both stopped Hank from going back inside.

Bluefield driver Danny Surface made it known that he had 2
of Hank's pistols. He said he sold them to a to-remain-
anonymous Nashville "personality" in the late 50's. He wore
Hank's white jacket oftentimes until (Surface's) death in the 70's.

Within about 15-20 minutes he self-administered the fatal dose
and Carr sent me back in to get Sox.

You can trace Carr's ever-changing version of the truth with a
little research yourself--even on the internet. If I had gone
to the police I would have been unwelcome in the Tut from then
on. Even my mother warned me not to get involved. What set me off
was the 50th anniversary story and Carr's profiting on what
is really negligent homicide and more.

Lot's of people around Bluefield knew at least one aspect of
Hank's last day in Bluefield up into the late 60's-70's. I'm
pretty sure Patsy Cline was among them. For me I'm perfectly
willing to take a lie detector test of any kind on the issue
of Hank's last day in Bluefield WV--something which I am sure
Carr will never do. Better move expeditiously if interested as
I have a cancerous tumor .......B Mays







After owner Sox White couldn't find any pulse, he ordered
first driver Carr off premises. Carr didn't take Hank
to the hospital but left in the direction of downtown
Bluefield..... Carr called the promoter of the Carleston
WV gig (scheduled for that night 8 or 9 pm [Dec 31, 1952]
and informed the promoter that Hank would not be able to
make it.

If Hank was dead at 4-5pm (it was still daylight) the call
was made at about 6pm. Carr never mentioned that Hank was
presumably dead. There is on-line proof of this call in
a WV state magazine publication ie Goldenseal which can be
googled. The call was made from Bluefield.




Hank spent his last day (Dec 31, 1952)very sick the entire
day. He had a sandwich or two before him and some open
beers--of which he partook little, if any of either. I made
it my business to know such things in those days as I was
was running errands for change (soft drinks, hamburgers,beer
etc)for the business next door(a car lot). When Hank ordered,
I hit him up for a soda. He had no change at all as Carr had
all his money. He gave me a guitar pick instead.



Donny Surface was the name everyone knew him by around Bluefield.
He was a life-long resident of Bluefield and never lived in Tennessee.
He was a life-long boyfriend of Hazel Schultz and taxi driver in town.
He was an extremely thin guy like Hank and in fact wore Hank's jacket
around Bluefield for years until his death in the 70's. He was Hazel
Schultz's boyfriend all those years even though she was married and
divorced a couple of times. Donny Surface made it known that he had
2 of Hank's pistols (for sale) for years and said he did sale them to
"a Nashville personality" (ie to remain anonymous) in the late 50's.
He visited my father's car lot many time until his death.


If memory serves me Hank and Carr left Knoxville about midnight Dec
30. Today the drive to Bluefield is about 4 1/2 hours. Route 11
even in those days was relatively straight and even had a few 4-laned
stretches, but at Wytheville route 52 to Bluefield was extremely slow-
especially in the winter. Two mountains, Big Walker and East River
could
have taken an hour each pre-interstate.

It could have taken as much as 8 hours in 1952. In fact they arrived
right at opening time at King Tut in Bluefield at about 10 am
Dec 31. Carr may have been familiar with the Tennessee to
Roanoke route (where he lived for years) but the mountains were
snow covered and must have scared him to death. He asked Hazel
for he could fine an experienced driver--she recommended Donny.
Later at noon she left for the Dough Boy where she double-shifted.

Hank and Carr spent the day at the Tut except for a trip up town
to meet Surface. Surface agreed to drive but didn't get off until
5 or 6. Owner Sox ordered Carr off premises when he couldn't find
a pulse between 4-5 pm. Obviously Carr didn't take Hank to the
hospital.
But he did manage to call the Charleston WV promoter
to tell him that Hank couldn't make the 8 or 9 pm gig there. He
didn't mention that Hank was dead......

After 4-5 pm Dec 31 I have no further knowledge. However Carr was
back at the Tut with the Cadilac about 5pm the next night..Jan 1,
1953.




Hank's truck was full of items that were later sold by Carr and
Surface.
When Sox put a mirror under Hank's nose and could detect no breath and
checked Hank's pulse and found nothing( his wife was an RN at a
Bluefield hospital).... and then ordered Carr off premises.....Carr
didn't take Hank to the hospital ...but waited to pickup Surface who
was coming off a taxi shift....

An Abingdon Va. man offered to give me a Hank poster for a museum
which is still available... he bought this poster in the 50's from
Carr.

What Carr did would still be considered negligent homicide in many
places. Since he is a principal at the museum where the car is--
honor him for his truthfullness if you wish.

The day Carr and Hank came in Dec 31 Carr never introduced himself
and told me to leave Hank alone when I was talking to him. When
he wanted me to run several errands to Sox he referred to me as
"kid" , never bothering to learn my name. I became aware of his name
only later.... Over the years he has used "Andrew" and Charles.
The old man with poster called him "Andy". His story has changed
over the years drastically . On the internet you can check it if you
please. Most of the time he has lived around Roanoke Va before
moving back to Alabama.

The fact remains he left Knoxville around midnight(ie Dec 30) and he
made a call to the Charleston WV promoter cancelling that Dec 31 gig
at about 6 pm Dec 31....without ever mentioning that Hank was dead;
this article is on-line in the WV state magazine Goldenseal


DON HOLLAND20313 NETTLETON STREETORLANDO, FL 32833

[rbaum...@gmail.com]

Thanks for sharing!

On Oct 1, 4:01 am, ALPHA CANIS LUPUS <donholla...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Hank-Williams-Biography/C81BE4...