pt a big fire. Next morning it was
de biggest frost all over de ground; but us never got one mite cold. De
good white ladies of de community made our red shirts fer us. I 'spects
Marse Jimmie ken name some fer you.

"I got eve'y registration ticket in my house, and I still votes allus de
democratic ticket. I has longed to de Democratic club ever since de red
shirt days and I has voted dat way all de time. I was jes' turn't
seventeen when I jined de Red Shirts and got into de Democratic Club,
and I has been in it ever since. It ain't gwine out neither.

"I sho seed Hampton speak from Dr. Culp's porch. I voted fer him. At dat
time, I lived on de Keenan place. Marse Jimmie Young, he de overseer fer
Mr. Keenan. Mr. Charles Ray owns and lives on it now. Dat brick church
straight up de road from de Keenan place; straight as a bee line. Dat
whar us met most o' de time fer de Red Shirt gatherings. Our Red Shirt
Club was called de 'Fairforest' club atter de Lower Fairforest white
folks Baptist church. De church has allus sot on de banks o' Fairforest
Creek. Atter us got organized, I used to tote our flag. I was de onliest
darky dat toted it.

"I is done handed you a few names: dey is all Democratic names. Lots of
dem 'scapes my knowledge, it has all been so long ago. Dar was Mr.
Gilmer Greer. Miss Gilmer Blankenship what lives out dar, she his niece.
Mr. John Sims 'nother white man I members. Dar was lots o' companies in
dis county, but I does not recall how many.

"Captain Jimmie Young would allus notify when dar was to be a meeting.
Us darkies dat 'longed 'ud go and tell de white mens to come to de
church. Us met sometime right 'fo de 'lection and all de companies come
together at de ole courthouse dat stood right whar de new one is now.

"Robinson's Circus come to Union. De circus folks gib everbody a free
ticket to de circus dat 'longed to de Democratic Club. Dey let all de
scalawag niggers in fer registration tickets dat de Republicans had done
give dem to vote fer Chamberlain. Dem niggers wanted to go to de circus
wu'se dan dey wanted to do anything else. Dey never dre'mt dat dey was
not a going to git to vote like de carpetbaggers, and de scalawags had
done tole dem to do. Fact is, dey never much cared jes' since de got in
de circus. Dem dat wanted de registration tickets back when de come out,
never seed nobody to git 'em from nohows. Robinson's Circus was so big
dat dey never showed it all in Union, but what dey had