dey would go to
work. Den de women, dey would force dem to drop dey body frock cross de
shoulders so dey could get to de naked skin en would have a strap to
whip dem wid. Wouldn' never use no board on de women. Oh, dey would have
de lot scatter bout full of dem what was to get whip on a mornin."

"You see, de colored people couldn' never go nowhe' off de place widout
dey would get a walkin ticket from dey Massa. Yes, mam, white folks
would have dese pataroller walkin round all bout de country to catch dem
colored people dat never had no walkin paper to show dem. En if dey
would catch any of dem widout dat paper, dey back would sho catch
scissors de next mornin."

"Well, I don' know as de white folks would be meanin to kill any of dey
niggers, but I hear talk dey would whip dem till dey would die some of
de time en would bury dem in de night. Couldn' bury dem in de day cause
dey wouldn' have time. When dey would be gwine to bury dem, I used to
see de lights many a time en hear de people gwine along singin out
yonder in dem woods just like dey was buryin buzzards. Us would set down
en watch dem gwine along many a night wid dese great big torches of
fire. Oh, dey would have fat lightwood torches. Dese here big hand
splinters. Had to carry dem along to see how to walk en drive de wagon
to haul de body. Yes, child, I been here long enough to see all dat in
slavery time. All bout in dese woods, you can find plenty of dem slavery
graves dis day en time. I can tell bout whe' dere one now. Yes, mam,
dere one right over yonder to de brow of de hill gwine next to Mr.
Claussens. Can tell dem by de head boards dere. Den some of de time, dey
would just drop dem anywhe' in a hole along side de woods somewhe' cause
de people dig up a skull right out dere in de woods one day en it had
slavery mark on it, dey say. Right over dere cross de creek in dem big
cedars, dere another slavery graveyard. People gwine by dere could often
hear talk en couldn' never see nothin, so dey tell me. Hear, um--um--um,
en would hear babies cryin all bout dere, too. No'um, can' hear dem much
now cause dey bout to be wearin out. I tell you, I is scared every time
I go along dere. Some of dem die wicked, I say."

=Source:= Ryer Emmanuel, colored, age 78, Claussens, S.C.
Personal interview by Annie Ruth Davis, Dec., 1937.

Project 1885-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S.C.
Date, December 26, 1937

MOM RYER EMM