This is not a good story, but it is true. We were booked in on Bob Bowling's Mid South Shows, for at Mardi Gras in Mobile on the jig lot in 1976 .
The Governor had the Alabama National Guard on standby. Late on a slow midweek night I left my set of King punk rides to get a drink. As I walked up by the Roundup the ride jerked to a stop. I'd never seen this happen, soon the jock and several riders were standing at the bottom near the steps of the ride pushing on the cages. Of course I had to see. A tall black teenager was sitting on the and t legs of another man were sticking out between the traveling sweeps and the trailer bed, about four inches. The big sign and the people standing around blocked the view from the midway, the sweeps and trailer were painted red.
Fireman were on the scene almost at once and went through a dumb show of trying to raise the ride and give first aid.
Although there weren't many people on the midway, things got tense fast. Bob Bowling came out of the office wagon with a twelve gage pump. The Mobile PD blocked the gate and tried to usher people out. I went to my bosses( Don 'Short range' Anderson bus and put his revolver in my apron, then went to the ticket box and told him what happened. He had me drop the trailer and drive the semi tractor of the lot, while he rode his bike off.
At this point it wasn't funny. I walked back to the trucks with my gun drawn, good thing. After I unhitched I walked around the back of the trailer to meet five hundred Alabama National Guardsmen in riot gear. All I could do was raise my hands, and gun in the air [punk] and slowly walk to the cab. Nothing happened and I got the motor started and put all the lights on and slowly drive across the parking lot. Half way across my nerves let go, I floored the big rig and stared working the hand pump air horn. There was a crowd coming on to the lot from the projects next door. I kept the horn up, and drove through a high hedge. On the other side was a crowd watching a Mardi Gras parade. I kept going over the sidewalk, pulled into the parade and out at the next side street.
Next day, business as usual.