er a mile 'fore dey ketched him en
dey brot 'im ba'k en de kar' pas' on. I members de ole L & N Railroad
on de East side. W'en my folks wud ride de train dey had 'ter hold me
tite or I wuld git 'way frum dem en run en hide 'hind sum logs. I wuz
scar'et ter ride on de kars."

"Atter freedum de slaves had'n no truble ter go whar dey wan'. Menny
lef' but menny stay wid der ole marsters. I stay wid my marster tell
he d'ed. I den kum an' lib wid mah daddy on Lebanon Road. Atter dat I
libed on Gallatin Road an' den I kum ter Nashville, an' wuk wid pic'
and shovel on streets, sewers an' udder jobs. I heered dem sez dat de
slaves wud git lan', hoss, money er sumpin' but I neber heerd ob
nobody gittin nuthin'. Dere wuz not slave 'raisings eroun' whar I
wuz."

"De fallin' st'ars wuz 'fore mah time, but I'se heer'd mah daddy tole
'bout hit. I se'd de comet wid hit shinnin' tail an' I fust b'leevd
sumbody put hit up dere."

"Good luck sign wuz w'en a stray cat kum ter yo' house an' stay dere.
Bad luck sign wuz a black kat crossin' yo' path in frunt ob yer. Ter
ke'p frum havin' de bad luck yo' back up pas' whar hit crossed yer
path en den spit an' yer hab no bad luck."

"Dem air ships luk nice but dey ez spoke 'boud in de Holy Bible, dat
sum day dere wud be flyin' things in de air'h an' I think dat dese
things am it. De otomobeels kiver nuder passag' in de Bible which seze
de peeple 'll rid' on de streets widout hosses en mules."

"Mah fav'rite songs am "I Gwine to Jine de Gideon Band," and "Keep Yo'
Lits Bunnin'."

"Ter ole now ter wuk an' mah haid don' se'm ter be tergedder an' I'se
gits he'ps frum de Welfare."

INTERVIEW
ANN MATTHEWS
719 9th Ave. South
Nashville, Tennessee

"I wuz bawn in Murfreesboro on Stones River. I dunno how ole I ez en
hit meks me 'shamed ter tell peeple dat, but mah mammy would hit me in
de mouth w'en I'd ax how ole I wuz. She say I wuz jes' tryin' ter be
grown."

"Mah mammy's name wuz Frankie en mah daddy wuz Henry Ken Kannon. Don'
member much 'bout mah mammy 'cept she wuz a sho't fat Indian 'oman wid
a turrible tempah. She d'ed, durin' de war, wid black measles."

"Mah daddy wuz part Indian en couldn't talk plain. W'en he go ter de
store he'd hab ter put his han' on w'at he want ter buy. He d'ed eight
months 'fore de Centennial."

"Our marster en missis wuz Landon en Sweenie Ken Kannon. Dey wuz good
ter us, en we had'n good things ter eat."

"I member de Yankee en Southern sold