and march down toward the
fishery holding it aloft keeping himself in a line with the fish if fish
were sighted. Since way before what he called 'the big war' he and his
people have eaten mullet and rice for the three fall months. His home
was visited before Uncle Sabe was located and children and
grand-children, wife, sister and neighbors were found seated and
standing all over the kitchen floor and piazza floor and steps----each
one with a generous tin plate of rice and fresh, brown, hot 'spot'----a
fish not so valuable in summer but choice in fall and winter. Two hounds
and a large cat worked around among the feasters for their well chewed
bones.

SOURCE: Uncle Sabe Rutledge, The Ridge, Burgess, S.C., (Horry County)
Born first year of the Civil War.

(He owns his house and land,----some twenty-five acres under
cultivation. This is located on what appears to be a 'height of land'
lying between the Waccamaw and the Atlantic. Locally it is known as 'The
Sand Ridge'.)

=Project 1885 -1-=
=District #4=
=Spartanburg, S.C.=
=May 31, 1937=

=Edited by:=
=Martha Ritter=

=FOLK-LORE: EX-SLAVES=

"I was born in Edgefield county, S.C., about 1854. I was the son of
Larkin and Cheny Ryan who was the slaves of Judge Pickens Butler who
lived at Edgefield Courthouse. I has some brothers and sisters, but
don't remember them all. We lived in a log house with but one room. We
had good beds to sleep in, and always had plenty to eat. Old Judge
Butler was a good man. I was 10 years old when he died. Before then I
worked in and around the house, and freedom come I stayed with the
Butler family two years, then went to Dr. Maxwell's.

"In slavery time we had extra patches of ground to work for ourselves
which we sometimes worked on Saturday afternoons as we had dat time off.
Judge Butler used to give us a little money, too, before freedom come,
for our work. We bought clothes and things we had to have. We had a big
plantation garden dat the overseers planted for all on de place to eat
out of.

"We used to hunt 'possums, rabbits, squirrels, wild turkeys, doves,
partridges, and set traps for partridges and set box gums for rabbits.
We had good food then, plenty peas, cornbread, and wild game. When
winter time come we put on wool clothes and heavy shoes.

"Old Marse Butler and his mistress was good, de best folks in de
country. They lived in a big house, had a girl and a boy, and over 1000
or maybe 2,