e as de white folks,
an' dey got a lot of spring tonic an' such, made out of barks an'
roots.

"When de slaves got married dey done it dis way: de marster hilt a
broom an' dey solemnly steps over it twict den dey kissed an' dey wuz
married, 'course dar wuz something dat de marster said, but I done
forgot whut it wuz.

"When we hyard dat de Yankees wuz comin' some of de niggers went fer de
woods an' stayed till atter de surrender, but most uv us stayed on an'
wucked jist de same.

"My marstar made his own brandy an' whiskey an' when de Yankees come he
wuz a rich man. His smoke house wuz ful o' hams an' he hid 'em in de
ceilin' of my mammy's shack, an' he buried dem barrels of brandy, but
de Yankees done found it all an' dey ain't left nothin'.

"I 'members how some of dem Yankee officers cussed in front of my
mussus an' how I tole' em dat dey mought be Yankees but dey won't half
raised at dat.

"Atter de surrender my marster had ter make de slaves leave, but he
moved my papy's cabin furder an' we jist stayed on same as always till
he died. I 'members moughty well when my mammy an' papy got married
case I seed it two years atter de surrender.

"Dar wuz two witches lived in our neighborhood. Dey wuz sisters named
Miss Quinnie an' Miss Tilda an' I'se seed dem brewin' coffee a many a
time an' pourin' it out in a long neck goard. Dey done a powerful lot
of things which I can't recollect right dis minute, anyhow dey wuz
witches.

"I uster see ghosts on dis very road nigh 'bout ever' night. Dey wuz
white an' spongy lookin' an' dey set under de bushes an' holler an'
holler an' holler. I'se poured water on 'em many a time but it ain't
done no good.

"Do you know chile, slavery wuz a good thing, but folks has improved a
lot since den, an' de Yankees warn't half as good ter us as our ole
marster an missus wuz, even if'n dey did put a stop ter de Ku Klux Klan
beatin' sorry niggers dat had ort ter be hung."

MH/LE

N.C. District: No. 2
Worker: Mary A. Hicks
No. Words: 614
Subject: EX-SLAVE STORY
Story teller: Tom Wilcox
Editor: Daisy Bailey Waitt

[TR: Date stamp: JUN 1 1937]

[HW: Has two songs
beaten because worked on Sun.]

EX-SLAVE STORY [HW: 81 years]

An Interview on May 19, 1937, with Tom Wilcox of Method.

"I wuz borned on March 18th, 1856 durin' de biggest snow dat eber hit
Eastern Carolina; dey says dat hit wuz up ter de roof. De place whar I
wuz borned