und or
burns a piece fat pine and drops tar from it on scorched wool and bind
it on de wound. For headache put a horseradish poultice on de head, or
wear a nutmeg on a string round you neck.

If you kills de first snake you sees in spring, you enemies ain't gwine
git de best of you dat year. For a sprain, git a dirt dauber's nest and
put de clay with vinegar and bind round de sprain. De dime on de string
round my ankle keeps cramps out my leg, and tea from red coon-root good,
too. All dese doctorin' things come clear from Africy, and dey allus
worked for mammy and for me, too.

420187

ANDREW (Smoky) COLUMBUS was born in 1859 on the John J. Ellington
plantation, one mile south of Linden, Texas. He continued in the
service of the Ellingtons until about 1878, when he moved to
Jefferson, Texas. He carried meals to Abe Rothchild, who was in
jail, charged with the murder of Diamond Bessie Moore. Andrew was
37 years a servant of Hon. Tom Armistead, and was a porter in the
Capital at Austin when Armistead was a senator. Andrew now lives in
Marshall, Texas.

"I was bo'n a slave of Master John Ellington, who lived in Davis County
(now Cass Co.), Texas. Master John had a big house and close by was a
long, double row of slave quarters. It looked like a town. There was
four boys and two girls in Master's fam'ly and one daughter, Miss Lula,
married Lon Morris, that run the Lon Morris School.

"Master John was one white man that sho' took care of his niggers. He
give us plenty warm clothes and good shoes, and come see us and had Dr.
Hume doctor us when we was sick. The niggers et ham and middlin' and
good eats as anybody. Master John's place joined the Haggard place,
where they was lots of wild turkey and the slaves could go huntin' and
fishin' when they wanted.

"We had a church and a school for the slaves and the white folks helped
us git book learnin'. Mos' of the niggers allus went to preachin' on
Sunday.

"The hands didn't work Saturday afternoons. That's when we'd wash our
clothes and clean up for Sunday. There was parties and dances on
Saturday night for them as wanted them. But there wasn't no whiskey
drinkin' and fightin' at the parties. Mammy didn't go to them. She was
religious and didn't believe in dancin' and sech like. On Christmas
Master John allus give the slaves a big dinner and it didn't seem like
slavery time. The niggers had a sight better time than they d