Beard's Book

Richard S

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Joined
May 24, 2004
Messages
70
From
Poplarville MS
Freddy, your book is truly one of a kind and truly entertaining, especially to pool hall reprobates like me. It's the kind of book one can open and start reading anywhere.

You mention a guy named Freddy Sessions. I encountered him at a local New Orleans room called Gene's Pool Hall on Willow Street in the uptown area. We first met him in late 1960 and he was around there until late 1961 when I went into the Army. Interestingly, we knew him as Freddy Sexton. We had heard about his having done time in a federal institution and that he lived in the Lakeview neighborhood with his mother. Guy could really play - better than anyone we had seen at the time. During this time he began sleeping in a storge room in the pool hall. He always wore khaki pants and a white T-shirt. Freddy also seemed to seldom blink his eyes, which is supported by your mention of his speed appetite.

Thought you might find this vignette interesting.
 

gulfportdoc

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Joined
Jun 25, 2004
Messages
12,654
From
Gulfport, Mississippi
I agree, Richie. Beard's Encyclopedia is right up there with Hall/Woody's Rags to Rifleman, Then What? as the two best books of anecdotes about top pool players.

BTW the next "2nd Saturday" 1p date is on December 14th at Skeeters. I'll be there for that one. Couldn't make the last one.

Doc
 

fred bentivegna

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Feb 2, 2005
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6,690
From
chicago illinois
I distinctly remember Freddy Sexton/Sessions telling us in 1961 that he was 40 years old.

Yeah, thats him of course. He may have changed his name around a little because of his shady past. Did I mention in the book that he escaped from jail twice? Once federal and once from the So Car chain gang.

Beard
 

Richard S

Verified Member
Joined
May 24, 2004
Messages
70
From
Poplarville MS
Yeah, thats him of course. He may have changed his name around a little because of his shady past. Did I mention in the book that he escaped from jail twice? Once federal and once from the So Car chain gang.

Beard

You did mention that. We never knew those details at the time. I can understand completely why he would have used an alias.
 

fred bentivegna

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Feb 2, 2005
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From
chicago illinois
You did mention that. We never knew those details at the time. I can understand completely why he would have used an alias.

What was amazing was not so much the escapes, but the fact that they didnt catch him right away. So Car never did catch him and he was away from the Feds for years.

Beard

He confided that his mother had money and that helped a lot.
 

Jimmy B

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Aug 17, 2007
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What was amazing was not so much the escapes, but the fact that they didnt catch him right away. So Car never did catch him and he was away from the Feds for years.

Beard

He confided that his mother had money and that helped a lot.


If he was in a SC chain gang, he was suppose to leave. At one time they were about a step away from treblinka. They use to put a set of chains on you like in Cool Hand Luke. I remember visiting a friend and watching him put on clothes through the chains after he left the camp and went awol. Quite a sight. If he left the state, they probably didn't care or want him back too much. Back when I was real young, I actually was out in the fields hauling hay and doing bush hog tractor and post hole digging, and putting up barbwire fences etc with chain gangs who had been rented out by corrupt officials to big shot land owners with large cattle operations etc. On Sunday, however they would actually let girls go out to the camp. I remember taking girls out to visit. They would go over to these awful ramshackle huts that the inmates called fukk shacks to have sex. The girls had to bring a blanket and get searched etc. I found it so amusing and a little uncomfortable. I loaned one of my copies of your book out. He's had it a month and won't bring it back. Going to go collect on his ass and charge him big time right now.
 

fred bentivegna

Verified Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2005
Messages
6,690
From
chicago illinois
If he was in a SC chain gang, he was suppose to leave. At one time they were about a step away from treblinka. They use to put a set of chains on you like in Cool Hand Luke. I remember visiting a friend and watching him put on clothes through the chains after he left the camp and went awol. Quite a sight. If he left the state, they probably didn't care or want him back too much. Back when I was real young, I actually was out in the fields hauling hay and doing bush hog tractor and post hole digging, and putting up barbwire fences etc with chain gangs who had been rented out by corrupt officials to big shot land owners with large cattle operations etc. On Sunday, however they would actually let girls go out to the camp. I remember taking girls out to visit. They would go over to these awful ramshackle huts that the inmates called fukk shacks to have sex. The girls had to bring a blanket and get searched etc. I found it so amusing and a little uncomfortable. I loaned one of my copies of your book out. He's had it a month and won't bring it back. Going to go collect on his ass and charge him big time right now.


Freddy was in the real deal Chain Gang. They were so horrible that when the Feds grabbed Freddy they wouldnt release him back to So Car. He had done 5 years, and the Feds figured that was enough time for anybody.

Beard
 
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