an'
my older sister wuz dere. My ma grab a quilt off de bed an' cover
herself all over wid it--head an' all. And set in a chair dere by de
fire. She tell us to git in de bed--but I ain't git in. And she yell out
when she hear 'em comin': 'Dere's de fever in heah!' Six of 'em come to
de door; but dey say dey ain't goin' in--dey'll catch de fever. Den some
more come along. Dey say dey gwine in. Dey ain't gwine to take no fever.
Fill two sack of 'tatoes. White man ask to search all trunk. Dey take
two of me Ma's good dresses out. Say to wrap 'tatoes in. I start to
cryin' den, an' dey say, 'Well, git us some sacks den.' I knowed where
some sacks wuz. I git 'em de sacks. Dey do 'em right. Dey bid 'em
goodbye, an' ax 'em where de man wuz. Dey give me 'leven or twelve
dollars. I wuz little an' ain't know. My mother never give it to me.

"I stay right on dere after freedom, until after I married."

Source: Mamie Riley, Negro about 80 years old, Estill, S.C.

=Project 1885-1=
=FOLKLORE=
=Spartanburg Dist. 4=
=May 24, 1937=

=Edited by:=
=Elmer Turnage=

=STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES=

"I was born near Broad River in de Dutch Fork of Newberry County. I was
a slave of Cage Suber. He was a fair master, but nothing to brag about.
I was small at slavery time and had to work in de white folks' house or
around the house until I was big enough to go to de field and work.

"Old Marse Cage always made me fan flies off of him when he lay down to
take a nap. The fan was made out of brushes.

"De white folks had cotton-pickings, corn-shuckings and quiltings. Dey
allus had something to eat at the frolics and I had to help wid 'em.

"I married John Riser. I moved to town several years ago."

Source: Susie Riser (80), Newberry, S.C.
Interviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C., May 17, 1937.

=Project #1655=
=Henry Grant,=
=Columbia, S.C.=

=ISOM ROBERTS=

=_EX-SLAVE 80 YEARS OLD_=

Isom Roberts rents one room at 1226 Waverly Street, Columbia, S.C., and
lives alone. However frail he appears, he is able to support himself by
working in the yards about the city.

"Well, sir, white folks, I is eighty years old, or leastwise I is so
close to it, dat it don't make much difference. But even if I is dat
old, it don't seem so long since I was a little boy. Years flies by
mighty fas' to old folks, 'cause deir 'memberance is shorter, while
young folks 'members everything, and in dat way months and years drags