. Captain Thorn's ghost 'pear and disappear 'long dat river
bank ever since in de night time. My pappy tell me he see it and see de
boy's ghost too.

De ghost rode de minds of many colored folks. Some say dat de ghost had
a heap to do wid deaths on dat river, by drowning. One sad thing happen;
de ghost and de malaria run us off de river. Us moved to Marster Starke
P. Martin's place. Him was a settin' at a window in de house one night
and somebody crept up dere and fill his head full of buck-shot. Marster
Starke was Miss Sallie's husband, and Miss Mattie and Miss May's papa.
Oh, de misery of dat night to my white folks! Who did it? God knows!
They sent poor Henry Nettles to de penitentiary for it, but most white
folks and all de colored didn't believe he done it. White folks say a
white man done it, but our color know it was de work of dat slave boy's
ghost.

My white folks come here from Maryland, I heard them say. They fought in
de Revolution, set up a tanyard when they got here, and then when cotton
come, my marster's pappy was de fust to put up a hoss-gin and screw pit
in Rocky Mount section. I glories in their blood, but dere none by de
name 'round here now, 'cept colored folks.

Marster Wood you read a heap of books. Did you ever read 'bout foots of
ghosts? They got foots and can jump and walk. No they don't run, why?
'Cause seem lak their foots is too big. Dat night Marster Starke Martin
was killed it was a snowin'. De whole earth was covered wid a white
blanket. It snowed and snowed and snowed. Us measure how big dat snow
was next mornin' and how big dat ghost track. De snow was seven inches,
and a little bit deep. De ghost track on top de snow big as a
elephant's. Him or she or it's tracks 'pear to drap wid de snow and just
rise up out de snow and disappear. De white folks say 'twas a man wid
bags on his foots, but they never found de bags, so I just believe it
was ghost instigate by de devil to drap down dere and make all dat
misery for my white folks.

Dere's a great day a comin' when de last trumpet will sound and de devil
and all de ghosts will be chained and they can't romp 'round de old
river and folks houses in de night time and bring sorrow and pain in de
wake of them big tracks."

Project #-1655
Gyland H. Hamlin
Charleston, S.C.

FOLKLORE

INTERVIEW WITH EX-SLAVE

"Good a'ternoon, suh. Yassuh, I'ze gittin' on up in de years. I be
eighty-one year ole nex' May. I name John Ha