The negroes in about one hour after the services start being[TR:  begin?] to testify and then after each testimony someone offers a prayer then by this time someone in the congregation will be worked up to the pitch of shouting “Glory Hallelulah”.  “When this shout starts the tambourine players will begin shaking the tambourines and shortly the majority of the congregation would be shouting, moaning or praying.  The tambourines players bounce around in time to the music.  There were some excellent untrained voices, in the choir and the congregation.  The mourners bench was always full of mourners and when one of the Mourners would begin to shout the “Workers” would then let the congregation know that this brother or sister had repented by saying “Lets pray for Bro. or Sister ——­, for he or she had “Come Through”.  The congregation would begin clapping their hands while this prayer was in progress and general moanings with one or both of the preachers praying at the same time why this brother or sister is taken in to the flock to sin no more.

While the above is in progress there are other workers talking and singing to the rest of the mourners and when two or three “Come Through” at once there is great shouting rejoicing, clapping of hands and the tambourines continue to clang and the choir members dance and this process continues for hours or until the preachers become so exausted with their exhortations and contortions that the meeting is adjourned.

Superstitions of the Negro Race: 

In interviewing the different negroes in this community I have not found a single negro that could admit if I asked the direct question that they are the least bit superstitious.  The following story happened in my experience with this race about ten years ago.

Fifteen years ago I purchased a farm from the estate of a gentleman that had committed suicide.  It seems as though the gentleman took his gun and told the family that he was going to the tobacco barn to shoot rats.  This barn was located a short distance from the main dwelling on the farm and then on the other side of this barn were three negro tenant houses.

My first trouble with negroes superstition was to get a tenant to inhabit the house nearest the barn.  This cabin was in better repair and larger than the other two cabins and the hardest thing to do was to get a tenant or negro cropper to take this cabin.

They would give every excuse imaginable but the direct answer until finally one man I was trying to make a trade with admitted that “De cabin war ter clos ter de barn Mr. ——­ killed himself in.”  Finally I prevailed on this man to move in by giving him a different garden spot, hog-pen and cowpen as these were still nearer the barn.  In fact I moved those buildings thinking I would have an easier time gettin a tenant the next year.