an’ Mars Luch, he say, ’Lissen, Luch, you is been a good faithful nigger an’ Ella too, an’ I is gonna die tonight and I wants you to send er letter to Miss Ellen in Virginny atter I is daid en tell her to come an’ git de boys ’cause she is all de kin peoples dat dey habe lef’ now cepn cose you an’ Ella an’ it mought be some time afore she gits here so you all take good en faithful care dem till she ‘rives an’ tell her she habe to see dat all de bizness wind up and take de boys back wid her an’ keep dem till dey is growed,’

“Well, boss, us done jus’ like Mars Luch tell us to do an’ us sure feel sorry for dem two little boys.  Dey jus’ ‘bout five an’ seben year old den and day sure loved dere pa; day was plumb crazy ’bout Mars Luch and him ’bout dem too.

“’Bout two weeks from time dat Mars Luch daid, Miss Ellen come on de boat one night an’ she stayed some days windin’ up de bizness and den she lef’ an’ take de boys ’way wid her back to Virginny where she libed.  Us sure did hate to ’part from dem chillun.  Dat’s been nigh on to sixty years ago but us neber forgit dem boys an’ us will allus lobe dem.  Dey used to sen’ us presents an’ sich every Christmas for seberal years and den us started movin’ ‘bout an’ I reckon dey don’ know where we’s at now.  I sure would like to see dem boys ag’in.  I betcha I’d know dem right today.  Mebbe I wouldn’t, it’s been so long since I seen ’em; but shucks, I know dat dey would know me.”

Interviewer:  Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed:  Laura Abromsom, R.F.D., Holly Grove, Arkansas
                    Receives mail at Clarendon, Arkansas
Age:  74

“My mama was named Eloise Rogers.  She was born in Missouri.  She was sold and brought to three or four miles from Brownsville, Tennessee.  Alex Rogers bought her and my papa.  She had been a house girl and well cared for.  She never got in contact wid her folks no more after she was sold.  She was a dark woman.  Papa was a ginger cake colored man.  Mama talked like Alex Rogers had four or five hundred acres of land and lots of niggers to work it.  She said he had a cotton factory at Brownsville.

“Mistress Barbara Ann was his wife.  They had two boys and three girls.  One boy George went plumb crazy and outlived ’em all.  The other boy died early.  Alex Rogers got my papa in Richmond, Virginia.  He was took outer a gang.  We had a big family.  I have eight sisters and one brother.

“Pa say they strop ’em down at the carriage house and give ’em five hundred lashes.  He say they have salt and black pepper mixed up in er old bucket and put it all on flesh cut up with a rag tied on a stick (mop).  Alex Rogers had a nigger to put it on the place they whooped.  The Lord puts up wid such wrong doings and den he comes and rectifies it.  He does that very way.

“Pa say they started to whoop him at the gin house.  He was a sorter favorite.  He cut up about it.  That didn’t make no difference ’bout it.  Somehow they scared him up but he didn’t git whooped thater time.