Allen, interviewed on Dec. 18, 1936. The previous interview for Rev.
Allen that is mentioned below is not found in this volume.]


In a second interview, the submission of which was voluntarily sought by
himself, this very interesting specimen of a rapidly vanishing type
expressed a desire to amend his previous interview (of May 10, 1937) to
incorporate the following facts:

"For a number of years before freedom, my father bought his time from
his master and traveled about over Russell County (Alabama) as a
journeyman blacksmith, doing work for various planters and making good
money--as money went in those days--on the side. At the close of the
war, however, though he had a trunk full of Confederate money, all of
his good money was gone.

Father could neither read nor write, but had a good head for figures and
was very pious. His life had a wonderful influence upon me, though I was
originally worldly--that is, I drank and cussed, but haven't touched a
drop of spirits in forty years and quit cussing before I entered the
ministry in 1879.

I learned to pray when very young and kept it up even in my unsaved
days. My white master's folks knew me to be a praying boy, and asked
me--in 1865--when the South was about whipped and General Wilson was
headed our way--to pray to God to hold the Yankees back. Of course, I
didn't have any love for any Yankees--and haven't now, for that
matter--but I told my white folks straight-from-the-shoulder that I
_could not_ pray along those lines. I told them flat-footedly that,
while I loved them and would do any reasonable praying for them, I could