Us used her mules an' tools
an' she give us rations just lak Marster had been a doin' afore dey wuz
any war. She would uv been powerful rich ef Confederacy money hadn't uv
been so wuthless. She had four loads uv it hauled outen de house an'
dumped in a ditch.

"At Christmus time, us allus had a BIG frolic wid music an' dancin'. Us
danced de cotillion an' beat on buckets wid gourds fer music. Marster
give us a little toddy now an' den an' us had plenty uv it at Christmas.
De frolic allus had to bust up at midnight caze Marster would git out
his horse pistols an' start shootin' ef it didn't. Sometimes us ud have
a Satidy off an' us ud all go fishin' or have a frolic. Candy pullin's
wuz allus de bestes kind of fun.

"I ain't lak mos' ob dese yere flibberty-gibbet niggers. I don' believe
in hants an' ghostes, but they's some things which I does think is signs
of death. Ef somebody brings a axe in de house hits a sho sign. Yer
better watch when a cow lows arter dark, or a dog barks at de moon in
front uv yer do', or ef yer sneezes whiles eatin', caze hit mout mean
dat de death angel is hangin' roun'. Ef somebody in de house dies yer
better stop de tickin' uv de clock an' kiver all de lookin'-glasses wid
white cloth or else dey's liable to be another death in de fam'ly.

"Yer can take dis or leave it, but whutever yer does, don' never take
ashes out doors arter dark, caze hits sho to bring yer bad luck. Now I
done tol' yer all I knows so let me finish cookin' dis yere mess of
vittals so I kin git back to de cotton patch."

Thus dismissed, we took our departure, gingerly picking our way down the
rickety steps. The last we heard of Uncle Robert was a snatch of Negro
ballad sung in a high-pitched, nasal voice.

Whitley,
1-22-37

M.B. Ross.

Ex-Slave
Benjamin Henderson.

After acquainting Mr. Benjamin Henderson with the facts of the interview
he informed the writer that he would be very glad to give as much
information as he could concerning the period of "I was only seven years
old when freedom was declared, but I can remember a few facts," he said.
His speech is well chosen and after a short talk one is much impressed
with his intelligence and youthful appearance.

Benjamin Henderson was born September 8, 1858 in Jasper County,
Monticello, Ga., the youngest of three children. His father was Mr. Sam
Henderson, master and owner of the Henderson plantation, and his mother
was Mandy Henderson, a slav