The Hippies

by Randy Austin

July 2000

In Pike County Georgia 4 hitch hiking young men, aged 19 to 25, were picked up by Sheriff Abel Johnston. He told them hitching was illegal in the county. He did a check of their backpacks,found some pot, and told them he would have to incarcerate them until the judge could see them the following morning.

The sheriff took them in his cruiser to his home on the outskirts of the town and told them that there was no jail nearby but that his house was used for that purpose. When they arrived at Johnston's house they were met by the sheriff's two sons who were in the same age range as the hitch hikers, and his daughter, who was 17.

Because all of the boys had long long unkempt hair and facial hair, Johnston's sons, Nash and Clark, commented to their dad that it looked like he had picked up some real live "old fashioned" hippies. Johnston told the hikers that he and his boys would "take care of you hippies real good".

In the backyard the sheriff told the boys to strip. The first boy was ordered to sit on a tall stool and Nash was ordered to give the boy a haircut that was very short on the sides, leaving only some length on the top. The other boys were ordered to line up and await their turn on the stool. After the haircut Nash clipped off the boy's beard, lathered up his face, and gave him a real smooth shave.

While all the boys were getting their haircuts and shaves the daughter filled a large outdoor tub with water. After all the boys were clipped and shaved they were ordered into the tub. While in the tub, Clark shouted scrubbing orders to the hitch hikers, telling them to stand up and lather themselves up all over. During this bath Johsnton's wife and other daughter kept going back and forth with supplies. When scrubbed to Clark's approval the boys were ordered
out of the tub and given towels. Then Nash went to each boy and put hair creme in their hair and combed their hair real neat. He told them he was going to make them look like proper well-groomed Southern gentlemen.

The worst was yet to come. Johnston told the boys that the fluorescent lime green jump suits they would be wearing was made of some sort of polyester that a lot of people seemed to be sensitive to, therefore the boys would be rubbed with baby powder before donning the jumpsuits.

Each boy had to lay on a long sitting stool and Johnston's daughter powdered them up head to foot, powdering them up and down their arms and legs, in their arm pits, lifting their legs up to their shoulders and getting their man/boy parts, turning them on their stomach and getting their shoulders and back and butt. After the powdering the boys were given their jumpsuits and Sheriff Johnston then attached a spreader bar to each ankle so they could walk only with small mincing steps.

Then the freshly clipped, shaved, bathed, slicked and powdered boys were led into the parlor where Mrs. Johnston read the bible to them. Only after a two hour bible lesson were the boys led to the dinner table and ate a hearty meal with Sheriff and Mrs. Johnston, and their two sons and two daughters.

In the morning the judge released them, but their original torn hippie clothes were not returned. They were given black slacks and white shirts and ties from the mission store. Mrs. Johnston then re-greased and combed their hair, and the sheriff then drove the neatly dressed and groomed boys off to neighboring Elamar County, where hitching is legal, and dropped the neat boys off, told them to behave and wishing them well. He also told them to stay neat and clean and well-dressed and to keep up their bible studies.

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