Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story

Chapter 3 focuses on two related subjects: Robert Teel’s life in Oxford and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in eastern North Carolina.

Tyson marvels at the fact that Teel, a violent man steeped in white supremacy, chose to open a store in Grab-all. In fact, Teel owns a store, a barber shop, a coin laundry, and several other businesses on the edge of Northwest Oxford’s Black ghetto. One local Black man, Herman Cozart, recalls several racially charged conflicts with Teel. After receiving a medical discharge from the Army following a violent incident with a fellow soldier, Teel had moved to Oxford, gotten married, and used the patronage of an “elderly, effeminate bachelor” to establish himself financially (46). When his first marriage fell apart, Teel married Colleen Oakley, a widow with three sons. Robert and Colleen Teel then had four more sons together, one of whom died in infancy. Both husband and wife developed reputations for having short tempers. Teel also had several physical altercations with local police officers. All of Teel’s businesses served Black customers except the barber shop, which was “whites only.” Tyson believes—though he cannot prove—that Teel also joined the Ku Klux Klan.