ife has been
dead for 12 years and 8 months. Mr. Miller, always remember that:

"The brightest man, the prettiest flower
May be cut down, and withered in an hour."

"Today, I am the only surviving member who helped organize the second
Baptist Church here in Lafayette, 64 years ago. I've tried to live
according to the way the Lord would wish, God Bless you."

"The clock of Life is wound but once.
Today is yours, tomorrow is not.
No one knows when the hands will stop."

Cecil Miller
Dist. #3
Tipp. Co. [TR: Tippecanoe Co.]

NEGRO FOLKLORE
MR. JOHN FIELDS, EX-SLAVE
2120 N. 20th St. Lafayette, Indiana

[Illustration: John W. Fields]

Mr. Fields says that all negro slaves were ardent believers in ghosts,
supernatual powers, tokens and "signs." The following story illustrates
the point.

"A turkey gobbler had mysteriously disappeared from one of the
neighboring plantations and the local slaves were accused of commeting
the fowl to a boiling pot. A slave convicted of theft was punished
severly. As all of the slaves denied any knowledge of the turkey's
whereabouts, they were instructed to make a search of the entire
plantation."

"On one part of the place there was a large peach orchard. At the time
the trees were full of the green fruit. Under one of the trees there was
a large cabinet or "safe" as they were called. One of the slaves
accidently opened the safe and, Behold, there was Mr. Gobbler peacefully
seated on a number of green peaches.

"The negro immediately ran back and notified his master of the
discovery. The master returned to the orchard with the slave to find
that the negro's wild tale was true. A turkey gobbler sitting on a nest
of green peaches. A bad omen.

"The master had a son who had been seriously injured some time before by
a runaway team, and a few days after this unusual occurence with the
turkey, the son died. After his death, the word of the turkey's nesting
venture and the death of the master's son spread to this four winds,
and for some time after this story was related wherever there was a
public gathering with the white people or the slave population."

All through the south a horseshoe was considered an omen of good luck.
Rare indeed was the southern home that did not have one nailed over the
door. This insured the household and all who entered of plesant
prospects while within the home. If while in the home you should perhaps
get into a violent argument, ne