talk up ructions amongst us, but it don't last long.

De Ku Kluckers start riding 'round at night, and dey pass de word dat
de darkeys got to have a pass to go and come and to stay at de dances.
Dey have to git de pass from de white folks dey work for, and passes
writ from de Northern people wouldn't do no good. Dat de way de
Kluckers keep the darkies in line.

De Kluckers jest ride up to de dance ground and look at everybody's
passes, and iffen some darkey dar widout a pass or got a pass from de
wrong man dey run him home, and iffen he talk big and won't go home
dey whop him and make him go.

Any nigger out on de road after dark liable to run across de Kluckers,
and he better have a good pass! All de dances got to bust up at about
'leven o'clock, too.

One time I seen three-four Kluckers on hosses, all wrapped up in
white, and dey was making a black boy git home. Dey was riding hosses
and he was trotting down de road ahead of 'em. Ever time he stop and
start talking dey pop de whip at his heels and he start trotting on.
He was so made he was crying, but he was gitting on down de road jest
de same.

I seen 'em coming and I gits out my pass young Master writ so I could
show it, but when dey ride by one in front jest turns in his saddle
and look back at tother men and nod his head, and they jest ride on by
widout stopping to see my pass. Dat man knowed me, I reckon. I looks
to see iffen I knowed de hoss, but de Kluckers sometime swapped dey
hosses 'round amongst 'em, so de hoss maybe wasn't hisn.

Dey wasn't very bad 'cause de niggers 'round dar wasn't bad, but I
hear plenty of darkeys git whopped in other places 'cause dey act up
and say dey don't have to take off dey hats in de white stores and
such.

Any nigger dat behave hisself and don't go running 'round late at
night and drinking never had no trouble wid de Kluckers.

Young Mistress go off and git married, but I don't remember de name
'cause she live off somewhar else, and de next year, I think it was,
my pappy and mammy go on a place about five miles away owned by a man
named Mr. Bumpus, and I go 'long wid my sister Betty and brother
Jimmie to help 'em.

I live around dat place and never marry till old mammy and pappy both
gone, and Jimmie and Betty both married and I was gitting about forty
year old myself, and den I go up in Kansas and work around till I git
married at last.

I was in Fort Scott, and I married Mathilda Black in 1900, and she is
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