lived not far from our place. I knowed dem well. Albert, one of mars'
darkies, married Cindy, one of Mr. Clarke's women. General Forrest, I
know you is heered of him. I speck he 'bout de bes' general in de War.
He sure was a fine looking man en he wore a beard on he face. De
general, he had a big plantation down dere in Coahoma County where he
would come ever so offen. A lot of times he would come to our place en
take dinner wid ole mars, en I would be er waitin' on de table er takin'
dem de toddies on de front gallery where dey talkin' 'bout day bizness.

"Boss, you axed me if dey was any sich thing in slavery times as de
white men molestin' of de darky wimmen. Dere was a heap of dat went on
all de time an' 'course de wimmens, dey couldn't help deyselves and jus'
had to put up wid it. Da trouble wasn't from de mars of de wimmens I'se
ever knowed of but from de overseers en de outside white folks. Of
course all dat couldn't have been goin' on like it did without de mars
knowin' it. Dey jus' bound to know dat it went on, but I'se never heered
'bout 'em doin' nothin' to stop it. It jus' was dat way, en dey 'lowed
it without tryin' to stop all sich stuff as dat. You know dat niggers is
bad 'bout talkin' 'mongst demselves 'bout sich en sich er goin' on, and
some of mars' darkies, dey say dat Sam and Dick, what was two real light
colored boys, dat us had was mars' chillun. Dat was all talk. I nebber
did believe it 'cause dey nebber even looked like mars en he nebber
cared no more for dem dan any of the rest of de hands."




Interviewer: Mrs. Bernice Bowden
Person interviewed: Betty Coleman
1112-1/2 Indiana Street, Pine Bluff, Arkansas