ed us with. I used to hear 'em talk about de Ku Klux. We
wus mighty afraid of dem.

"I used to hear my father say he had a very good master. My min' is not
good but I remember we used water from a spring and lived in a little
log house out from my master's 'great house'. I remember sein' de
slaves but I do not remember how many dere wus. I never saw a slave
whupped. My mother's son wus sold, that wus my brother Washington wus
sold away from her before de surrender. Mother cried a lot about it. I
remember sein' her cry about my brother bein' sold.

"I remember sein' de Yankees. Dey told us dey were the Blue Jackets dat
set us free. I wus afraid o' dem. I am old enough to have been dead
long ago. Guess it is the mercy of the Lord dats lets me live.

"All I know about Abraham Lincoln is what I been told. Dey say, I think
dey said he set de slaves free. I don't know much good or bad about Mr.
Roosevelt. I can't read and write. Dey would not let a nigger have any
books. Dey were perticular 'bout dat. When dey tole us 'bout de Bible
dey say it say obey your marster. Dis is 'bout all I 'members. Yes,
'bout all I 'members."

AC

N.C. District: No. 2
Worker: T. Pat Matthews
No. Words: 736
Subject: SIMUEL RIDDICK
Story teller: Simuel Riddick
Editor: Daisy Bailey Waitt

SIMUEL RIDDICK
2205 Everette Ave.

"My name is Simuel Riddick. I was born the fourth day February, 1841.
My owners, my white people, my old mistress wrote me a letter telling
me my age. My mother was Nancy Riddick; she belonged to the Riddicks in
the Eastern part of the State. My father was named Elisha Riddick. My
master was named Elisha and my mistress Sarah Riddick. They had three
daughters, Sarah, Christine, and Mary, one boy named Asbury Riddick.

"I was born in Perquimans County, North Carolina and I have lived in
North Carolina all my life. We had good food, for marster was a heavy
farmer. There were about 200 acres cleared on the plantation, and about
25 slaves. The great house was where marster lived and the quarters was
where we lived. They were near the great house. I saw only one slave
whupped. I had mighty fine white people, yes, mighty fine white people.
They did not whup their slaves, but their son whupped my mother pretty
bad because she did not bale enough corn and turnips to feed the
fattening hogs.

"He was a rang tang. He loved his liquor, and he loved colored women.
The ole