ut my mouth amongst old
folks when I was young. Me and Zack often talks over old times."

Source: Elias Dawkins (84), Rt. 1, Gaffney, S. C.
Interviewer: Caldwell Sims, Union, S. C. 8/20/37.

Project 1885-1
FOLKLORE
Spartanburg Dist. 4
June 3, 1937
Edited by:
Elmer Turnage

STORIES OF EX-SLAVES

Upon learning where an ex-slave lived, the writer walked up to a house
on Pickenpack street where two old colored men were sitting on the front
porch. Asked if one of them was named 'Will Dill', the blacker of the
two motioned to himself and said,

"Come here, come in and have a seat," at the same time touching the
porch swing beside him.

He acknowledged that he lived in slavery days, "but was a small boy,
walking and playing around at that time". His master was Zeek Long, who
lived in Anderson County not far from "Three and Twenty Mile Creek' and
used to ask him:--what the rooster said, what the cow said, what the pig
said; and used to get a great deal of amusement out of his kiddish
replies and imitation of each animal and fowl. From his own calculation,
he figured he was born in 1862 in the home of his mother who was owned
by Zeek Long. His father, also, was owned by the same master, but lived
in another house. He remembers when the Yankees came by and asked for
something to eat. When they had gotten this, they went to the corn crib,
which was chock full of corn, and took the corn out, shucked it, and
gave it to their horses. All the good horses had been hidden in the
woods and only two or three old poor ones were left in the stables, but
the Yankees did not take these for they only wanted good horses. He
remembers seeing the patrollers coming around and checking up on the
'niggers'. He had an uncle who used to slip off every night and go to
see some colored girl. He had a path that he followed in going to her
house.

"One night Uncle Bob, he started to go see his gal, and it was pretty
late, but he followed his path. There were some paterollers out looking
for him, and t'rectly they saw him. Uncle Bob lit out running and the
paterollers started running, too. Here they had it up and down the path.
Uncle Bob, he knew there was a big ditch crossing the path, but the
paterollers didn't know it; so when Uncle Bob got to the gully, he
jumped right over it and run on, but one of the patrollers fell into the
gully and broke his neck. After dat, Uncle Bob, he stayed in and kept
quiet, fo