Uncle D. Davis, an ex-slave, 85 years of age lives some miles north of
Marvell, Arkansas with a widowed daughter on a small farm the daughter
owns. Uncle D himself also owns a nice little farm some distance further
up the road and which he rents out each year since he is no longer able
to tend the land. This old negro, now old and bent from years of work
and crippled from the effects of rheumatism hobbles about with the
assistance of a crutch and a cane. His mind however is very clear and
his recollection keen. As I sat with him on the porch of his daughter's
home he told me the following story:

"Yes Sir, Mr. McKinney, I has been in Phillips County fer pas forty-five
years and I is now pas eighty-five. I wuz a grown en settled man when I
fust cum here en hed chillun nigh bout growd. Dats how cum me ter com
here on er count of one of my boys. Dis boy he cum befo I did en hed
done made one crop en dat boy fooled me ober here from Mississippi. Yo
know how dese young bucks is, allus driftin er roun en he hed done
drifted rite down dere below Marvell on de Cypress Bayou, en war wukin
fer Mr. Fred Mayo when he writ me de letter ter cum ober here. I guess
dat yo has heard of Mr. Fred Mayo dat owned de big plantation dere close
ter Turner. Well dat is de man whut ay boy wuz wid and atter I cum I
jined up wid Mr. Mayo en stayed wid him fer two years en I wud er ben
wid him fer good I rekkin iffen I hadn't wanter buy me er place of my
own, kase Mr. Fred Mayo he wuz a nathal good man en treted all he hands
fair.

"When I cided ter git me er little place of my own, I went en got
quainted wid Mr. Marve Carruth kase he hed er great name wid de niggers,
en all de niggers in dem days dey went ter Mr. Carruth fer ter git de
advice, en Mr. Carruth he hoped me ter git de place up de road whut is