"I was a house mover when I was able, but I'm not able to work now. I
own this house here and I'm livin' on the relief.

"My father was a blacksmith and shoemaker--made all our shoes. I've
lived in town all my life.

"The people are better off free if they had any sense. They need a
leader. When they had a chance if they had bought property, but no--they
wanted to get in office and when they got in they didn't know how to
act. And the young people don't use their education to help
themselves."

#782
Interviewer: Bernice Bowden
Person Interviewed: Joe Haywood
2207 West Eleventh Street, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Age: 76

"I was born the first day of January, 1862 Born in Mississippi,
Yazoo County. My mother said I was a New Year's present. A. M. Payne was
our owner.

"I just do 'member seein' the soldiers and that's all. I 'member the
brim of slavery and that's all.

"I member Henry Dixon. He was a Klu Klux. He was Klu Klukin round
breakin' up the benevolent societies. He was a real bad man. He just
went round with his crowd and broke 'em up. My owner was a good
man--good man. They all give him a good name.

"Our folks stayed there till I was plumb grown.

"I've farmed, carpentered, and all kinds of work on the plantation. I've
been a engineer in a gin and gettin' out crops every year.

"After I left Mississippi I just roved around. Went through Louisiana to
Texas. I lived in Texas. I reckon, from 1893 to '96. Then I started to
rove again. I roved from Texas back home to Mississippi in 1902. Stayed
there till 1932, then I roved over here to Arkansas. I done got too old
to rove now.

"School? Oh Lord, I went to school all my days till I was grown. They
kep' me in school. My mother kep' me in till she died and then my
stepmother kep' me in. I got very near through the fifth grade. In my
day the fifth grade was pretty good. Wilson's Fifth Reader was a pretty
good book. They took me out of Wilson's Fifth Reader and put me in
McGuffy's and there's where I quit. Studied the Blue Back Speller.

"I've had some narrow escapes in my life. I had a shot right through
here in the breast bone--right over my heart. That was in ninety-six. Me
and another fellow was projectin with a gun.

"Then I had a bad accident on the ninth of March, 1914. A 800-foot log
came down on me. It near 'bout killed me. I was under a doctor 'bout six
or eight months. That's how come I'm crippled now. It brok