money.

"In those times my father saw my mother, decided he wanted her for his
woman. He tol his white folks and they fixed up a cabin for them to live
in together. Was no ceremony. Had nigger midwives for babies.

"I knows every lucky silver pieces of money. I believe in lucky pieces
of silver. I is a dreamer, always been dat way. I have seen my bright
days ahead of me, in dreams and visions. If I hears a woman's voice
calling me, a calling me in my sleep I is bound to move outa dat house.
I dont keer wher I goes, I is got to go some whars."

Information by: Charles Hinton
Place of residence: RFD 5 Old riv. Rd.
Occupation:
Age: 83

Interviewer: Bernice Bowden.
Person interviewed: Charlie Hinton (c)
Age: 89
Home: Old River Road--Pine Bluff, Ark.

"Oh Lordy, lady, I was pickin' cotton durin' the war. I was here before
the first gun was fired. When the war came they sent my mother and
father and all the other big folks to Texas and left us undergrowth here
to make a crop.

"My mother's name was Martha and my father was named Peter Hinton. Now
I'm just goin' to tell you everything--I'm not ashamed. I've got the
marks of slavery on me. My old marster and Miss Mary, they was good to
me, but the old cook woman throwed me off the porch and injured my back.
I ain't never been able to walk just right since.

"Now, here's what I remember. Our marster, we thought he was God.

"They pretty near raised us with the pigs. I remember they would cook a
great big oven of bread and then pour a pan full of buttermilk or
clabber and we'd break off a piece of bread and get around the pan of
milk jest like pigs. Yes mam, they did that.

"Let's see now, what else occurred. Old marster would have my father and
Uncle Jacob and us boys to run foot races. You know--they was testin'
us, and I know I was valued to be worth five hundred dollars.

"But my folks was good to me. They wouldn't have no overseer what would
be cruel. If he was cruel he would have to be gone from there.

"One time old marster say 'Charlie how come this yard so dirty?' You
know there would be a little track around. I said, will you give me that
old gray horse after I clean it and he said 'Yes'. So I call up the boys
and we'd clean it up, and then the old gray horse was mine. It was just
the old worn out stock you understand.

"I want to tell you when the old folks got sick they would bleed them,
and when the young folks got sick they g