“A what?”

“Battlin stick, like dis.  You doan know what a battlin stick is?  Well, dis here is one.  Use it for washin clothes.  You lift em outa de wash pot wid de battlin stick; den you lay em on de battlin block, dis here stump.  Den you beat de dirt out wid de battlin stick.”

“A stick like that would knock a horse down!”

“Wan’t nigh as bad as what some of de others got.  Some of his pets amongst de mens got it wusser dan de womens.  He strap em crosst de sharp side of a barrel an give em a few right smart licks wid a bull whip.”

“And what did he do to the bad ones?”

“He make em cross dere hands, den he tie a rope roun dey wrists an throw it over a tree limb.  Den he pull em up so dey toes jus touch de ground an smack em on da back an rump wid a heavy wooden paddle, fixed full o’ holes.  Den he make em lie down on de ground while he bust all dem blisters wid a raw-hide whip.”

“Didn’t that kill them?”

“Some couldn’t work for a day or two.  Sometimes dey throw salt brine on dey backs, or smear on turputine to make it git well quicker.”

“I suppose you’re glad those days are over.”

“Not me.  I was a heap better off den as I is now.  Allus had sumpun to eat an a place to stay.  No sich thing as gittin on a black list.  Mighty hard on a pusson old as me not to git no rations an not have no reglar job.”

“How old are you?”

“I doun know, zackly.  Wait a minnit, I didn’t show you my pitcher what was in de paper, did I?  I kaint read, but somebody say dey put how old I is under my pitcher in dat paper.”

Mama Duck rummaged through a cigar box and brought out a page of a Pittsburgh newspaper, dated in 1936.  It was so badly worn that it was almost illegible, but it showed a picture of Mama Duck and below it was given her age, 109.

FLORIDA FOLKLORE

Jules Abner Frost
May 19, 1937

“Mama duck”

1.  Name and address of informant, Mama Duck, Governor & India Sts., Tampa, Florida.

2.  Date and time of interview, May 19, 1937, 9:30 A.M.

3.  Place of interview, her home, above address.

4.  Name and address of person, if any, who put you in touch with informant, J.D.  Davis (elevator operator), 1623 Jefferson St., Tampa, Florida.

5.  Name and address of person, if any accompanying you (none).

6.  Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.

Two-room unpainted shack, leaky roof, most window panes missing, porch dangerous to walk on.  House standing high on concrete blocks.  Located in alley, behind other Negro shacks.

Note:  Letter of Feb. 17, 1939, from Mr. B.A.  Botkin to Dr. Corse states that my ex-slave story, “Mama Duck” is marred by use of the question and answer method.  In order to make this material of use as American Folk Stuff material, I have rewritten it, using the first person, as related by the informant.