Biographies: Mary Flournoy, 1977, Winn Parish, LA. Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From: December 7, 1977 Winn Parish Enterprise News-American Mrs. Mary Flournoy, Veteran of World War I and Winn Politics by Russell Terry When the Enterprise started listing the living veterans of World War One, several names turned up that were not included in the original story. The surprise was that one of the veterans was a lady, Mrs. Mary Flournoy, a person who is well known in the story of Winn Parish. Mrs. Flournoy said that she would like to know if there are any other women living in the parish who were veterans of World War One. Mrs. Flournoy, who was born in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, August 21, 1896, entered training as a nurse in 1916 at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. "In 1917, our head nurse, Myrtle Archer, left our school and went overseas with the army. We were all eager to get in," said Mrs. Flournoy. America had declared war April 6, 1917. The nurses were recruited by the Red Cross and given to the army for training. "We took early state board examinations and I made the highest score in my group. After we passed our exams, we went home and waited for our calls. My call came in March, 1918 ordering me to report to Fort McPherson, Ga. Talk about a wide eyed country girl! I didn't know where I was going but I was on my way. "I took army nursing training for another three months and we were sent to New York and stayed at the old, four storied Van Raensalear Hotel. For about six weeks we stayed here and took army training, including close order drill. "On August 1, 1918, we shipped over on the S. S. Lancastorshire. There were 14 ships in the convoy and it took 14 days to cross over zigzagging all the way to avoid submarines. "We landed at Liverpool, England and went to Dover on the English Channel that night. The next night they took us across the channel to France, where we boarded a big lorry that took us to Paris. They had converted the University of Paris into a hospital. "The nurses quarters were in the old Hotel Foyat, which still operated a restaurant on the ground floor. That restaurant got most of our money because for some reason we could never get enough to eat. We blamed it on Herbert Hoover, who was in charge of food distribution. "There were 100 nurses and 50 doctors at this hospital and at times there were several thousand patients. Sometimes it was so crowded that we had to put the patients out on porches overlooking the central courtyard. One of the jobs that I did was to take a whisk broom around and brush the snow off the men as they lay huddled under a blanket. We worked 12 hour shifts with one half day off each week if things didn't get too rushed. "As 11:00 a.m. November 11, 1918 approached, there was not a soul to be seen on the streets of Parish. We had been told that the signal was to be given at 11:00 a.m. One gun was to be fired if the Armistice talks had failed. If it was signed 21 guns would be fired. Finally at 11:00 a gun was fired. We held out breath. Then a second one was fired and pandemonium took over. "People poured into the streets from every door. Strangers joined hands and danced in a circle. We nurses joined in and it was the experience of a lifetime. The war was over. "They started shipping the soldiers back home soon after the war was over and I returned to Memphis in June, 1919. "I accepted an assignment at the veterans hospital in Alexandria. It was just a series of old army barracks at that time. "It was here that I met and on August 2, 1920, married Jack Flournoy. He had been a patient at the hospital. We lived in Alexandria for a while and then we moved to Winnfield where Jack operated a barber shop for many years. Jack died July 3, 1952. "It was in Winnfield that I came to know Earl Long. He was like a brother to Jack and me. Earl and Jack both liked brown and crusty biscuits in their coffee. Every time he came to the house I would fix these biscuits and we would all sit around the table and talk." Mrs. Flournoy related these incidents from memory without hesitation but insisted in going off the record when telling of unusual deeds of kindness to a patient. Mrs. Flournoy was reluctant to discuss Louisiana politics and insisted that names not be used. "I don't wish to hurt anyone. I hold no resentment against anyone. That is all in the past and is better left in the past," she said referring to the time she was Registrar of Voters and an effort was made to purge the voting lists of all black voters. When reminded that accounts of her problems already stated appeared in state and national publications, she reluctantly told the following story but insisted that names not be used.: "In 1957, my name was submitted to the Governor for appointment as Registrar of Voters and I accepted the appointment. Four black teachers had registered to vote, when a man came in the office, pounded his fist on the table, and in a loud voice said, "...This has got to stop." Along about then, I got mad. I got up and walked over and looking him right in the eye, I said, 'I was running this office before you got here. Now until I need your help, you can get out. Get out!' He got out. "The next day I looked up and there were two big men coming in the office. They closed the door behind them and looked all over the office for bugs (listening devices) but of course found none. The identified themselves as from the F. B. I., and asked if I needed any help. I told them, 'No, I have the governor, judge, district attorney, and the governor's counsel to help me.' I didn't see any more of the F. B. I. "Suit was then brought against me in district court to force me to remove people's name from the voting rolls. The governor provided counsel to defend me and the case was dismissed. That ended it. There was no more trouble. The let me alone. "I finished out my term and resigned. "I have a son who lives next door to me and two granddaughters and a grandsons. I now have four great grandchildren. "You hear people say if they had their lives to live over, how they would be different. If I had mine to live over, there are very few things that I would do different. "I have lived."