Joe Turner's Come and Gone

The following Saturday morning, in the kitchen, Seth is discussing his suspicions of Harold Loomis with Bertha again. Seth finds Harold’s behavior unnatural and speculates that he may be planning to rob the church. Bynum passes through the after his morning pigeon sacrifice. Bertha asserts that Bynum is the one Seth should be concerned about. But Seth says he understands Bynum and isn’t worried about his “heebie-jeebie stuff” (36). Seth reveals that Martha had lived there once. Bertha says Martha arrived there in search of Bynum just after she arrived from the South and stayed there for three years, until her church relocated. Seth knows where she is but won’t tell Loomis, for fear of what he might do. Bertha suggests Seth ride out with Selig and tell Martha that Loomis is looking for her, but Seth refuses to get involved. Bynum re-enters the kitchen and assures Seth that Loomis is “just a man got something on his mind” (38). Selig enters the kitchen and Seth negotiates their weekly business transaction. Bynum introduces Loomis to Selig. Selig tells Loomis that his grandfather transported slaves from Africa and his father was a bounty hunter of runaway slaves to establish his credentials. Loomis pays him a dollar to find Martha. Bertha observes that Selig is able to find people because he sells them transportation in his wagon to places along his route. Then Selig charges to tell where he left them, and “that he ain’t never found nobody he ain’t take away” (42).

The next morning, in the kitchen, Seth talks to Bynum about his business plans and loan frustrations. Jeremy enters and announces that Mattie Campbell is going to move in with him. Bynum cautions him about trifling with her, lecturing him on the importance of valuing a woman for more than just her physical attractiveness, as “a woman is everything a man need” (46), while also acknowledging that this is something Jeremy will have to learn on his own. Molly Cunningham enters looking for a room. Seth arranges the room and board with Molly, cautioning her that he runs a respectable house. Jeremy is clearly taken with Molly.

That evening, after dinner, Seth, Bertha and all of their boarders except Loomis are sitting around the kitchen table. Bertha welcomes Mattie to the house. Seth initiates a Juba, an African song and dance. Loomis enters enraged and furiously yells at them to stop, mocking their singing about the Holy Ghost. Loomis stops and tells Seth, “you don’t know what I done seen” (50). With Bynum’s encouragement and probing questions, Loomis describes a vision he had of bones rising out of the water, then walking on top of the water and sinking backing into the water, and washing onto the shore as African-American, flesh-and-blood bodies. The bodies rise and walk, and Loomis tries to get up and walk with Bynum’s urging, but he can’t stand. Loomis collapses on the floor as the lights fade on the end of Act One.