Chuck Williams: Tales of two great old ladies

Editor's note: We published this column in February 2015 when "Go Set a Watchman" was about to come out. Since Harper Lee's passing, we wanted to re-run it to remember one of her friendships.

Harper Lee is in the news these days.

The Alabama author and greatest literary one-hit wonder of all time with "To Kill a Mockingbird" is poised to publish a second novel, "Go Set a Watchman."

The news of the new book, which apparently has been sitting for a half century, sparked a conversation with my mother, Betty Sutton, late last week.

She knows Harper Lee as Nelle, Lee's first name and the one used by her friends. And she knew Nelle's sister and protector, who died in November, as Miss Alice.

You see, Nelle and Miss Alice used to drive from their home in Monroeville, Ala., to Eufaula, where my mom managed a Jameson Inn. They stayed in that motel many nights over the years while they were visiting their sister, Louise, who was in an assisted-living facility at the time.

"They stayed in the same room every time," my mom said. "It was the first one on the front corner next to the pool."

My mom could not remember the room number, but Harper Lee did.

"Again, perfection!" Harper Lee wrote in a note to my mother on a sheet of paper from a Jameson Inn note pad. "121's our home."

And it was for years. My mother made sure the room was comfortable and the mini fridge was stocked with the little bottles of wine the two women enjoyed.

Recently, my mother gave me a file of correspondence with Nelle and Alice Lee. It is something I will treasure for years, then pass down to my children.

How many people have a Jameson Inn comment card filled out by Harper Lee? My mom does. For the record, everything from the service to the accommodations was excellent. There was even a hand-written note in blue ink.

"This is truly one of the outstanding motels in the South, not just Alabama," she wrote. "Can't praise the service and friendliness enough."

There is even a hand-written note dated Christmas Day, 2001.

"Betty, Two old ladies from Monroeville miss you very much! Merry Christmas!! Alice and Nelle Harper Lee."

My mother was protective of Harper Lee's privacy. She would not let the people at the front desk ask for autographs and the housekeeping staff had no idea whose room they were cleaning.

She never said much to me about the visits or their correspondence. She just kind of kept it to herself.

If my mom's story ended there, it would be a great one. But it doesn't.

About 9 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, Nelle and Miss Alice were checking out of the Jameson for the long drive back to Monroeville.

As Nelle was standing outside next to the car, my mom looked over at the TV and saw the first reports of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

"I went outside and asked Nelle if she had her TV on and she said no," my mom remembered.

Nelle Lee went back to her room and turned on the TV. She watched the events of that day unfold.

The Lee sisters checked back into room 121. But as the day wore on, they began to watch it on the community TV in the breakfast room.

"She had an apartment in New York City not far from the World Trade Center," my mom remembered. "She kept talking about a man she knew who walked in front of the building all the time. She was wondering if he was OK."

Eufaula Police officers and others would slide in the backdoor of the Jameson, watch a few minutes of the drama, then leave.

"Nobody there had any idea who the two little old ladies sitting at the table were," mom said.

On Sept, 25, 2001, Alice Lee sent mom a typed letter and talked about the events of that day.

"I was so grateful that Nelle Harper was in the South," Alice wrote. "She does not plan to return to New York until early 2002."

The things you learn. My mom spent 9/11 with Harper Lee. But it was no big deal to her.

"They were just Nelle and Alice," my mom said, "two neat old ladies who I liked very much."

Chuck Williams, senior reporter, chwilliams@ledger-enquirer.com.

This story was originally published February 9, 2015 at 11:08 PM with the headline "Chuck Williams: Tales of two great old ladies."