| OCR Text |
Show 2- SALT FLAT NEWS, SEPTEMBER, 1970 - Winidlvir itepifly Jewini By, "Well, me, I catch a lot of from breaking the the laws," deputy told his vis- people itor. Wondering what could possibly happen in a dumpyard in the very heart of nowhere I asked, "What type oflaws? "Mostly felonies," replied the deputy. "Felonies! What kind of felonies?" "Oh, murders, rapes, rob- ..." beries Thinking there must be a heck of a lot more action out in this dump yard than one would suspect, I asked, "Are there any specific cases or especially interesting situations you could tell me about? "Naw." Deputy Dump, otherwise known as Floyd Eaton, is a tall, slender, badge-totin65 year old vagwith teeth. Aformer no abond cowpuncher and drifter, Eaton gets his very appropriate nickname from his appointment (self or otherwise) to the position of "Deputy Lacy's Deputy to Guard the Dump" in Wendover. A dusty, bumpy trail begins at the "No Dumping Allowed" sign, snakes itself around and through the vast spread of corroding, disintegratingjunk of Wendover's dumpyard and finally terminates at a strange wooden structure resembling a house. A photographer and I followed Deputy Dump into his "house," where he hung his shoulder holster and pistol on a nail, tossed his hat on die table and said, "I ain't too done on my house yet" Glancing around, I wondered if he had even started. Discerning die inside of die house from the rest of die junkyard was not accomplished without difficulty. A sheet of plywood resting on two sawhorses served as a work bench. An old coal stove, a kitchen table and a chair had been salvaged from die dump, and a sleeping bag on a mattress served as a bed. Flies served as wallpaper and also managed to cover any other surface not covered with junk. I kicked my toe into the dirt floor and idly printed my name in the quarter inch of dust on the table. "Why doyou live out here, Floyd?" "One reason is that I moved out here cuz die rent is so doggone high in town. I can live out here for $25 a month." "Who do you pay die $25 pistol-packin- g', ', to?" "Nobody." company out here, do you?" "Oh yeah," said Eaton. "All die people from town come down here to see me." When asked how he liked Wendover, Eaton replied, "Wdl, I'll tell ya. I like Wendover a lot myself. The people up there are real friendly. I been here for seven years, and that's the longest time fer me in one spot" you before?" "Oh, jist travelin' around, ramblin' around over the country." He paused to light his pipe and then continued. "I'm a vagabond type, myself. Don't stay in one place too very long. Why, I been all over the world. Thar's only twocountries in die whole world I haven't been and Australia. I been in every state of the union, including Alaska and Hain-Rus- sia waii." "How do you travel?" "Horseback, mostly." Deputy Dump went on to tell about how he had become involved with die law. "When I was jist a younger kid, almost a kid, I joined up with the Catdemen's Association, I was a range detector for a while." "Range detector?" "Yeah, range detector. It's a Cattlemen's Association man." - "Well, it's accordance," was the reply, meaning it depends. "I pick up a lot of scrap metal, brass, copper and tilings. Sometimes I find old furniture once in a while. That thar stove over yonder come from the dump. You bet it works, too. That stove bakes real good cakes, pies, combread n . I was absolutely delighted with Deputy Dump. I had already decided he was part of the "beautiful people in the world. "What is your favorite food, Floyd?" "I'm a' vegetarian, me. I like cabbage, turnip greens, mustard greens, beans Wondering who baked all those cakes and pies he had been talking about, I asked Floyd if he had ever been married. "Lady, I got more sense than that I was born and raised a cowpuncher. I'm jist like an old range horse. .1 When learned to be rope-wisa lady's 'bout to throw a loop, I wait 'till she tosses it, and jist before it falls, I duck. Floyd's pipe kept going out, and as he lit it again and took several draws, helooked at me with a twinkle in his eyes. The photographer interjected with a question to Floyd on his views of hippies. "Well, they're all right in ways, and some ways they ... e. "Oh." Somehow I missed the significance of die definition, but obviously Floyd Eaton considered it sufficient and continued. "After the association disorganized, I joined die International Police. Most of the time I was chasin' somebody. I was up and gone chasin' somebody ' cross the country. One time I was over in the Orient for eight years. Chasin' a bank robber named Robert Nolan. Never did catch him. Chased him as far as Shang- hai" "How flln) Summer Hymas I changed the subject "Guess you don't get much "Where were Don did 'you become a deputy here?" I already was a cop, and Deputy Lacy just asked me if I'd help' him out once in a while. I told him 'shore I would.' I'd help him out any old time he wanted. He especially wants me to take care of this here dumpyard. Keep bums away. He told me to go on ahead and might "Oh, as well build me ahousedown here." "Do you ever find anything worthwhile out in the dump?," asked the photographer. ain't Them thar hippies be- lieve that what they're doin' is right and they live that way. They got every right too. But I read everywhere in that Bible that what they believe in is wrong." "Where does it say that?" "Anywhere, jist anywhere, from Matthew clear to Reve- lations." "What don't you like about the hippies?" I asked. As a fly crawled from the pipe to his hand and flew over to the wall, Eaton said, "One way about it me, I'm a man who always liked to keep tiie place clean, and I like to go clean myself." As we were leaving, I asked Deputy Dump what he did with himself all of the time. "Most of the time, when I work, I'm a cowpuncher when I work." "What do you do when you . don't work?. "Nothing', said Floyd inhis typical slow drawl. "Me and work, we don't git along' too good together. Oh, Iain't afraid of it Why I can lay down there right beside it and go to sleep." NEWS photo by R. Goldborgor |
