h month of a seventh year, is de
most time you see spirits. Lyin' out in de moon, befo' daybreak, I's
smelt, I's heard, I's seed and I's felt Catherine's spirit in de moon
shadows. I come nigh ketchin' hold of her one night, as I wake up a
dreamin' 'bout her but befo' I could set up, I hear her pass 'way,
through de treetops dat I was layin', dreamin' under.

"Then another time, I was settin' here 'bout four o'clock in de
moonlight a lookin' 'cross de street to de town hall. I see sumpin' rise
and jump upon dat rock a lyin' dere 'ginst de town hall. It was de
figger of a man. Who it was I don't know, though they de call de rock de
'Aaron Burr Rock', 'cause he made a speech standin' on dat rock, long
befo' I was born. De people in de library can tell you 'bout dat speech.
Maybe Dr. Lathan tell you 'bout it. Him ninety-five years old dis last
past twelfth day of May and knows all 'bout de days dat are gone.

"I live wid my daughter, Edna, and I just can make it back dere from de
post office every day."

=Code: Folk-Lore=
=Project 1885 -1-=
=District #4=
=Spartanburg, S.C.=
=May 26, 1937=

=FOLK-LORE: EX-SLAVES=

Aunt Mary Williams stated she remembered slavery times, for she was a
girl large enough to walk four miles to go to work "while slavery was
on". She said Mr. Alfred Brown used to own her mother, but she was
raised by Mrs. Margaret Taylor who used to live where the oil mill is
now, below Arkwright Mills. Her father was owned by Mr. Simpson Bobo and
drove his horse for him. She stated she was a good hoe-hand, but didn't
pick cotton, as Mr. Brown didn't raise any cotton, just raised something
to eat.

She said her master was a kind man, didn't allow any "paterollers" on
his place, yet she had seen other slaves on other plantations with
bloody backs and arms from the whippings they got. When asked why they
were whipped, she replied, "Just because their masters could whip them;
they owned them and could do what they wanted to them". Her master
didn't allow any whipping on his place. One time he kept a slave from
another plantation who was fleeing the "paterollers" on his place and in
his own house until he was set free.

"I'se got the looking glasses and the thimble my great-grandmother used
to use when she worked. She was a good weaver and a good sewer. She made
a man an overcoat once, but didn't get but $1.25 for it; she made a pair
of men's breeches and got fifty cents for making them. They d