“My brother brought me here and left me here with a colored woman named Rachael Ross.  And oh Lawd, she was hard on me.  Never had to do in slavery times what I had to do then.

“But the devil got her and all her chillun now I reckon.  They tell me when death struck her, they asked if the Lawd called her, and they say she just turned over and over in the bed like a worm in hot ashes.”

Interviewer:  Mrs. Bernice Bowden
Person interviewed:  Annie Page
                    400 Block West Pullen, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Age:  85

“Yes’m I ’member the war.  I never knowed why they called it the Civil War though.

“I was born in Union County, Arkansas, ’bout a mile from Bear Creek, in 1852.  That’s what my old mistress tole me the morning we was sot free.

“My mistress was a Democrat.  Old master was a captain in Marmaduke’s army.

“I used to hope (help) spin the thread to make the soldiers’ clothes.  Old mistress cared for me.  Lacy Jimmerson—­the onliest mistress I ever had.  She wanted to send us away to Texas but old master say it want no use.  Cause if the Yankees won, they have to bring us back, so we didn’t go.

“Did they whip us?  Why I bet I can show you scars now.  Old Miss whip me when she feel like fightin’.  Her granddaughter, Mary Jane, tried to learn me my ABC’s out of the old Blue Back Speller.  We’d be out on the seesaw, but old Miss didn’t know what we doin’.  Law, she pull our hair.  Directly she see us and say ‘What you doin’?  Bring that book here!’

“One day old master come home on a thirty-day furlough.  He was awful hot-headed and he got into a argument with Daniel Carmack and old Daniel stobbed him right in the heart.  Fore he die he say to bury him by the side of the road so he can see the niggers goin’ to work.

“I never seen no Ku Klux but I heard of ’em ’rectly after the war.

“I’se blind.  I jest can see enough to get around.  The Welfare gives me eight dollars a month.

“My mother died soon after the war ended and after that I was jest knocked over the head.  I went to Camblin and worked for Mrs. Peters.  Then I runned away and married my first husband Mike Samson.  I been married twice and had two children but they all dead now.

“Law, I jest scared of these young ones as I can be.  I don’t have no dealins with ’em.”

FOLKLORE SUBJECTS
Name of interviewer:  Mrs. Bernice Bowden
Subject:  Apparitions
Subject:  Superstitions
Subject:  Birthmarks
Story:—­Information

This information given by:  Annie Page
Place of residence:  412-1/2 Pullen Street, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Occupation:  None Age:  86
[TR:  Information moved from bottom of first page.]
[TR:  Repetitive information deleted from subsequent pages.]

“I told ’bout old master’s death.  Mama had done sent me out to feed the chickens soon of a morning.