“Seemed lack so many colored folks coming out West to do better.  We thought we come too.  We come on immigrate ticket on the train.  All the people I worked for was Captain Williams, Dr. Givens.  Mr. Richardson right where Mesa is now but they called it 88 then (88 miles from Memphis).  Mr. Gates.  I farmed, washed and ironed.  I nursed some since I’m not able to get about in the field.  I never owned nothing.  They run us from one year till the next and at the end of the year they say we owe it bout all.  If we did have a good crop we never could get ahead.  We couldn’t get ahead nuff not to have to be furnished the next year.  We did work but we never could get ahead.  If a darky sass a white land owner he would be whooped bout his account or bout anything else.  Yes siree right here in dis here county.  Darky have to take what the white folks leave fo em and be glad he’s livin.

“I say I ain’t never voted.  Whut in de world I would want er vote for?  Let em vote if they think it do em good.

“I seen a whole gang of Ku Kluxes heap of times when I was little back in Georgia.  I seed paddyrollers and then they quit and at night the Ku Kluxes rode by.  They would whoop or shoot you either if you didn’t tend to yo own business and stay at home at night.  They kept black and white doing right I tell you.  I sho was afraid of them but they didn’t bother us.  If you be good whose ever place you lives on would keep ’em from harmin you.  They soon got all the bad Yankies ran back North from Georgia.  They whip the black men and women too but it was mostly the men they watched and heap of it was for stealing.  Folks was hungry.  Couldn’t help stealin if they seed anything.  I seed heap of folks having a mighty hard time after the war in them restruction (Reconstruction) days.  I was lucky.

“My daughter would do mo than she do fo me but she is a large woman and had both her legs broke.  They hurt her so bad it is hard fo her to do much.  She good as she can be to everybody.  The Welfare give three of us $10.00 a month (daughter, husband, and Mollie).  We mighty glad to get that.  We sho is.  I am willin to work if I could get work I could do.  That’s my worst trouble.  Like I tell you, I can nurse and wash dishes if I could get the jobs.

“I don’t see much of the real young folks.  I don’t know what they are doing much.  If a fellow is able he ought to be able to do good now if he can get out and go hunt up work fo himself.  That the way it look like.  I don’t know.”

Interviewer:  Thomas Elmore Lucy
Person interviewed:  Sam Scott, Russellville, Arkansas
Age:  79

“Hello dar, Mistah L——!  Don’ you dare pass by widout speakin’ to dis old niggah friend of yo’ chil’hood!  No suh!  Yuh can’t git too big to speak to me!