orge has many friends along the water-front towns. He admires
the Felker family of Tell City, Indiana. He is proud of his own race and
rejoices in their opportunities. He remembers his fear of the Ku Klux,
his horror of the patrol and other clans united to make life dangerous
for newly emancipated Negroes.

George Taylor Burns draws no old age pension. He owns a building located
at Canal and Evans Streets that houses a number of Negro families. He is
glad to say his credit is good in every market in the city. Although
lamed by rheumatic pains and hobbling on feet toeless from his young
childhood he has led a useful life. "Don't forget I knew Pilot Tom
Ballard, and Aaron Ballard on the Big Eagle in 1858," warns Uncle
George. "We Negroes carried passes so we could save our skins if we were
caught off the boats but we had plenty of good food on the boats."

Uncle George said the roustabouts sang gay songs while loading boats
with heavy freight and provisions but on account of his crippled feet he
could not be a roustabout.

Federal Writers' Project
of the W.P.A.
District #6
Marion County
Anna Pritchett
1200 Kentucky Avenue

FOLKLORE
MRS. BELLE BUTLER--DAUGHTER [of Chaney Mayer]
829 North Capitol Avenue

Interviewer's Comment

Belle Butler, the daughter of Chaney Mayer, tells of the hardships her
mother endured during her days of slavery.

Interview

Chaney was owned by Jesse Coffer, "a mean old devil." He would whip his
slaves for the slightest misdemeanor, and many times for nothing at
all--just enjoyed seeing them suffer. Many a time Jesse would whip a
slave, throw him down, and gouge his eyes out. Such a cruel act!

Chaney's sister was also a slave on the Coffer plantation. One day their
master decided to whip them both. After whipping them very hard, he
started to throw them down, to go after their eyes. Chaney grabbed one
of his hands, her sister grabbed his other hand, each girl bit a finger
entirely off of each hand of their master. This, of course, hurt him so
very bad he had to stop their punishment and never attempted to whip
them again. He told them he would surely put them in his pocket (sell
them) if they ever dared to try *anthing like that again in life.

Not so long after their fight, Chaney was given to a daughter of their
master, and her sister was given to another daughter and taken to
Passaic County, N.C.

On the next farm to the Coffer farm, the overseers would tie the slave