and not God.

"I recollect miss died just after the War. Old miss was very strict on
us and after she died we was so glad we had a big dance in miss's
kitchen and old miss came back and slapped one of the slaves and left
the print of her hand on her face. That white hand never did go away and
that place was forever haunted after that.

"Now I don't know how to tell you to get after my age but I was twelve
years old two years after surrender."




Interviewer: Carol Graham
Subject: Ex-slaves
Information given by: Sarah Douglas, El Dorado, Arkansas


Mornin' honey. I thought you wuz comin' back tuh see me ergin las'
summer an' I looked fuh you the longes' time. I'se plum proud tuh see
you ergin. Dis other lady ain't de one that wuz wid you las' summer is
she?

Now jes lis'en tuh that will yuh, she wants Aunt Sarah tuh tell huh some
more 'bout slave'y times. John Bufford wuz mah marster's name. I wuz
bo'n in Alabama an' brought to Louisiana by my marster's fambly. Aftuh
de wah he freed us an' some of 'em mixed up in politics an' the white
folks from the North fooled 'em into makin speeches fuh 'em, but dey
soon learnt bettuh.