ED BARBER                    202-SC/#21                                      013
         IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I SEE YOU. MAYBE YOU HAS FORGOT BUT I AIN'T
 FORGOT DE FUST TIME I PUT DESE LOOKERS ON YOU, IN '76. DOES YOU 'MEMBERS DAT DA
Y? IT WAS IN A PIECE OF PINES BEYOND DE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, IN WINNESBORO, SOUT
 CAROLINA. US BOTH HAD RED SHIRTS. YOU WAS A RIDIN' A GRAY PONY AND I WAS A RIDI
N' A RED MULE, SORREL LIKE. YOU SAY DAT WASN'T '76? WELL, HOW COME IT WASN'T? OU
ILLAH HARRISON, ANOTHER NIGGER, WAS DERE, THOUGH HE WAS A MAN. BOTH OF US GOT TO
 ARGUIN'. HE 'LOW HE COULD VOTE FOR HAMPTON AND I COULDN'T, 'CAUSE I WASN'T 21.
YOU SAY IT WAS '78 'STEAD OF '76, DAT DAY IN DE PINES WHEN YOU WAS DERE? WELL, W
ELL, I SHO' BEEN THINKIN' ALL DIS TIME IT WAS '76.
         'MEMBER DE FIGHT DAY DAY WHEN MISTER POLE BARNADORE KNOCK MISTER BLANCH
ARD DOWN, WHILE DE SPEAKIN' WAS A GWINE ON? YOU DOES? WELL, US COME TO COMMON 'G
REEMENT ON DAT, BLESS GOD'  .
         THEM WAS SCARY TIMES] ME BEIN' JUST HALF NIGGER AND HALF WHITE MAN, I K
NOWED WHICH SIDE DE BUTTEN WAS ON DE BREAD. WHO I SEE DERE? WELL, DERE WAS A STR
ING OF RED SHIRTS A MILE LONG, DAT COME INTO WINNSBORO FROM WHITE OAK. AND ANOTH
ERFROM FLINT HILL, OVER DE PEA FERRY ROAD, A MILE LONG. DE BARROOMS OF DE TOWN D
ID A BIG BUSINESS DAT DAY. SEEM LAK IT WAS DE FASHION TO GIT DRUNK ALL 'LONG THE
M DAYS.
         THEM RED SHIRTS WAS DE MONDEY WRENCH IN DE COTTON-GIN OF DE CARPET BAG
PARTY. I'S HERE TO TELL YOU. IF A NIGGER GIT HUNGRY, ALL HE HAVE TO DO IS GO TO
DE WHITE FOLK'S HOUSE, BEG FOR A RED SHIRT, AND EXPLAIN HISSELF A DEMOCRAT. HE M
HT NOT GIT DE SHIRT RIGHT THEN BUT HE GIT HIS BELLY FULL OF EVERYTHING DE WHITE
FOLKS GOT, AND DE PRIVILEGE OF COMIN' TO DAT TROUGH SOMETIME AGIN.
         YOU WANTS ME TO TELL YOU 'BOUT WHO I IS, WHERE I BORN, AND HOW OLD I IS
? WELL, JUST CROSS EXAMINE ME AND I'LL TELL YOU DE FACTS AS BEST I KNOWS HOW.
         I WAS BORN TWELVE MILES EAST OF WINNSBORO, SOUTH CAROLINA. MY MARSTER S
AY IT WAS DE 18TH OF JANUARY, 1860.
         MY MOTHER NAME ANN. HER B'LONG TO MY MARSTER, JAMES BARBER. DAT'S NOT A
FAIR QUESTION WHEN YOU ASK ME WHO MY DADDY WAS. WELL, JUST SAY HE WAS A WHITE MA
N AND DAT MY MOTHER NEVER DID MARRY NOBODY, WHILE HE LIVED. I WAS DE ONLIEST CHI
LD MY MOTHER EVER HAD.
         AFTER FREEDOM MY MOTHER RAISED ME ON DE MARSE ADAM BARBER PLACE, UP BY
ROCKY MOUNT AND MITFORD. I STAYED DERE 'TIL DE 'CITEMENT OF POLITICS DIE DOWN. M
Y HELP WAS NOT WANTED SO MUCH AT DE 'LECTION BOXES, SO I GOT TO ROAMIN' 'ROUND T
O FUST ONE PLACE AND THEN ANOTHER. BUT WHERESOMEVER I GO, I KEPT A THINKIN' 'BOU
T ROSA AND DE RIPE MAY-POPS IN DE FIELD IN COTTON PICKIN' TIME. I LANDED BACK TO
 DE BARBER PLACE AND AFTER A SKIRMISH OR TWO WID DE OLD FOLKS, MARRY DE GAL DE L
ORD ALWAYS 'TENDED FOR ME TO MARRY. HER NAME WAS ROSA FORD. YOU ASK ME IF SHE WA
S PRETTY? DAT'S A STRANGE THING. DO YOU EVER HEAR A WHITE PERSON SAY A COLORED W
OMAN IS PRETTY? I NEVER HAVE BUT BEFO' GOD WHEN I WAS TRAMPIN' 'ROUND CHARLESTON
, DERE WAS A CHURCH DERE CALLED ST. MARK, DAT ALL DE SOCIETY FOLKS OF MY COLOR W
ENT TO. NO BLACK NIGGER WELCOME DERE, THEY TOLD ME. THINKIN' AS HOW I WAS BRIGHT
 'NOUGH TO GIT IN, I UP AND GOES DERE ONE SUNDAY. AH, HOW THEY DID CARRY ON, BOW
AND SCRAPE AND APE DE WHITE FOLKS. I SEE SOME PRETTY FEATHERS, PRETTY FANS, AND
RETTY WOMEN DERE] I WASX UNCOMFORTABLE ALL DE TIME THOUGH, 'CAUSE THEY WAS TOO '
HIFALOOTIN' IN DE WAYS, IN DE SINGIN', AND ALL SORTS OF CARRYIN' ONS.
         GLAD YOU FETCH ME BACK TO ROSA. US MARRY AND HAD TEN CHILLUN. FRANCIS,
THOMPKINS, WILLIAM, JIM, LEVI, AB AND OZ IS DEAD. KATIE MARRY A BOYKIN AND IS LI
VIN' IN NEW YORK. MY WIFE ROSA, DIE ON DIS PLACE OF MR. OWENS.
         I LIVES IN A HOUSE BY MYSELF. I HOES A LITTLE COTTON, PICKS PLUMS AND B
LACKBERRIES BUT DEWBERRIES 'BOUT PLAYED OUT.
         MY MARSTER, JAMES BARBER, WENT THROUGH DE CIVIL WAS AND DIED. I BEGS YO
U, IN DE NAME OF DE GOOD WHITE FOLKS OF '76 AND WADE HAMPTON, NOT TO FORGET ME I
N DIS OLD AGE PENSION BUSINESS.
         WHAT I THINK OF ABE LINCOLN? I THINK HE WAS A POOR BUCKRA WHITE MAN, TO
DE LIKES OF ME. ALTHOUGH, I 'SPECTS MISTER LINCOLN MEANT WELL BUT I CAN'T HELP B
UT WISH HIM HAD CONTINUED SPLITTIN' THEM FENCE RAILS, WHICH THEY SAY HE KNOWED A
LL 'BOUT, AND NEVER TOOK A HAND IN RUNNIN' DE GOVERNMENT OF WHICH HE KNOWED NOTH
IN' 'BOUT. MARSE JEFF DAVIS WAS ALL RIGHT, BUT HIM OUGHTA GOT OUT AND FOUGHT SOM
E, LAK GENERAL LEE, GENERAL JACKSON AND 'POLEON BONAPARTE. US MIGHT HAVE WON DE
AR IF HE HAD TURNED UP AT SOME OF DE BIG BATTLES LAK GETTSBURG, 'CHICKENMAROGER'
, AND 'APPLEMATTOX'. WHAT YOU THINK 'BOUT DAT?
         YES SAH, I HAS KNOWED A WHOLE LOT OF GOOD WHITE MEN. MARSE GENERAL BRAT
TON, MARSE ED MOBLEY, MARSE WILL DURHAM, DAT OWNED DIS HOUSE US NOW SETTIN' IN,
AND DOCTOR HENRY GIBSON. DOES I KNOW ANY GOOD COLORED MEN? I SHO' DOES] DERE'S P
ROFESSOR BENJAMIN RUSSELL AT BLACKSTOCK. YOU KNOWS HIM. THEN DERE WAS OUILLAH HA
RRISON, DAT OWN A FOUR-HOSS TEAM AND A SADDLE HOSS, IN RED SHIRT DAYS. ONE TIME
DE BRASS BAND AT WINNSBORO, SOUTH CAROLINA WANTED TO GO TO CAMDEN, SOUTH CAROLIN
A TO PLAY AT DE SPEAKIN' OF HAMPTON. HE TOOK DE WHOE BAND FROM WINNSBORO TO CAMD
NN , DAT DAY, FREE OF CHARGE. AH] DE WAY DAT BAND DID PLAY ALL DE WAY TO RIDGEWA
Y, DOWN DE ROAD TO LONGTOWN, CROSS DE CAMDEN FERRY, AND RIGHT INTO DE TOWN. DERE
WAS HORNS A BLOWIN', DRUMS A BEATIN', AND PEOPLE A SHOUTIN':  "HIRRAH FOR HAMPTO
N]" SOME WAS A SINGIN': "HANG DAN CHAMBERLAIN ON A SOUR APPLE TREE". OUILLAH COM
E HOME AND FOUND HIS WIFE HAD DONE HAD A BOY BABY. WHAT YOU RECKON? HE NAME DAT
BOY BABY, WADE HAMPTON. WHEN HE COME HOME TO DIE, HE LAY HIS HAND ON DAT BOY'S H
EAD AND SAY: "WADE, 'MEMBER WHO YOU NAME FOR AND ALWAYS VOTE A STRAIGHT OUT DEMO
RAT TICKET". WHICH DAT BOY DID]
  X   XXX
STP