RICHARD JONES EVERYBODY DAT KNOWS ME KNOWS DAT I WAS BORN ON DE JIM GIST PLANTATION, AND IT USED TO JOIN MR WINSMITH'S AND DE GLENN PEAK PLANTATIONS. MR WINSMITH WAS A DOCTOR. MARSE JIM SURE WAS A GOOD MAN TO HIS DARKIES. MY FATHER WAS NAMED NED JONES AND HE BELONGED TO MARSE BERRY JONES. HIS PLANTATION WAS ACROSS DE FOREST NEXT TO WEST SPRINGS. MOTHER WAS LUCY GIST, BELONGING TO MARSE JIM. MY PARENT S HAD DE FOLLOWING CHILLENS: ESTHER, BELLA, EPHRAIM, GRIGGS, JOHN, PENFIELD, ME &jnDRICHARD. DEY MARRIED AND SO WE WAS ALL JONES. DE SLAVES IN DE GIST QUARTER LIVED WELL. ALL NIGGER CHILLENS IN DAT QUARTE R HAD VERY SMALL TASKS UNTIL DEY WAS 17 OR 18 YEARS OLD. DE QUARTER HAD 9 HOUSE S. DERE WAS 1700 ACRES IN OUR PLANTATION; OR DAT IS, DE PART WHERE WE LIVED AND WORKED. WE LIVED IN ONE ROOM LOG CABINS DAT HAD TO BE WELL KEPT ALL OF DE TIME. ALL DE CHILLENS IN DE QUARTER WAS WELL FED, CLOTHED, HOUSED, AND DOCTORED U NTIL DEY WAS STRONG AND WELL DEVELOPED YOUNGUNS. DEN DEY WAS GIVE TASKS AND LEA RNT TO DO WHAT DE MASTER AND DE MISTRESS THOUGHT DEY WOULD DO WELL AT. IN DE HOUSES WE HAD COMFORTABLE HOMEMADE BEDS AND CHAIRS. WE HAD NICE TABL ES AND PLENTY TO EAT. OUR CLOTHES WAS KEPT MENDED BY A SEAMSTRESS, AND DESE THI NGS WAS LOOKED AFTER BY ONE OF DE MAMMIES ON DE PLANTATION DAT WAS TOO OLD TO WO RK. WELL DOES I 'MEMBER MY GRANNY FROM AFRICA, AND STRAIGHT FROM DERE, TOO; JUD ITH GIST, DEY NAMED HER. DAT OLD LADY COULD NOT WORK WHEN SHE DIED, FOR SHE WAS A HUNDRED AND TEN YEARS OLD. DEY HAD IN DE PAPER DAT I WAS 125. IT GIVES ME N OTICE TO SAY DAT I IS DE OLDEST MAN IN UNION COUNTY. CAN'T 'MEMBER ANY OF MY GR ANDFATHERS. MILLIE GIST WAS MY MOTHER AND AUNT JUDITH WAS HER MOTHER. GRANNY JUDITH SAID DAT IN AFRICA DEY HAD VERY FEW PRETTY THINGS, AND DAT DE Y HAD NO RED COLORS IN CLOTH. IN FACT, DEY HAD NO CLOTH AT ALL. SOME STRANGERS WITH PALE FACES COME ONE DAY AND DROPPED A SMALL PIECE OF RED FLANNEL DOWN ON D E GROUND. ALL DE BLACK FOLKS GRABBED FOR IT. DEN A LARGER PIECE WAS DROPPED IN DE RIVER AND ON DE OTHER SIDE. DEY WAS LED ON, EACH ONE TRYING TO GET A PIECE AS IT WAS DROPPED. FINALLY, WHEN DE SHIP WAS REACHED, DEY DROPPED LARGE PIECES ON DE PLANK AND UP INTO DE SHIP TILL DEY GOT AS MANY BLACKS ON BOARD AS DEY WANT ED. DEN DE GATE WAS CHAINED UP AND DEY COULD NOT GET BACK. DAT IS DE WAY GRANN Y JUDITH SAY DEY GOT HER TO AMERICA. OF COURSE SHE DID NOT EVEN KNOW DAT DE PIE CES WAS RED FLANNEL, OR DAT SHE WAS BEING ENTICED AWAY. DEY JUST DROPPED RED FL ANNEL TO DEM LIKE US DROPS CORN TO CHICKENS TO GET DEM ON DE ROOST AT NIGHT. WHEN DEY GOT ON BOARD DE SHIP DEY WERE TIED UNTIL DE SHIP GOT TO SEA. DEN DEY WAS LET LOOSE TO WALK ABOUT 'CAUSE DEY COULDN'T JUMP OVERBOARD. ON DE SHIP DEY HAD MANY STRANGE THINGS TO EAT, AND DEY LIKED DAT. DEY WAS GIVE ENOUGH RED FLANNEL TO WRAP AROUND DEMSELVES. SHE LIKED IT ON DE BOAT. GRANNY JUDITH BORN MILLIE, AND MILLIE BORN ME. UNCLE TOM COME ALONG WITH GRANNY JUDITH. TWO WOMENFOLKS lOME WITH DnM, AuN T CHANY AND DAPHNE. AUNT CHANY AND AUNT DAPHNE WAS BOUGHT BY MARSE JIM GIST, BU T DEIR MARSTERS ALWAYS ALLOWED DEM TO VISIT ON JULY FOURTH AND CHRISTMAS. WHEN DEY TALK, NOBODY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT DEY WAS TALKING ABOUT. MY GRANNY NEVER COULD SPEAK GOOD LIKE I CAN. SHE TALK HALF AFRICAN, AND ALL AFRICAN WHEN SHE GOT BOTH ERED. I CAN'T TALK NO AFRICAN. AFTER I WAS 17 I DID ALL KINDS OF HOEING AND PLOWrNG jND OTHER FARM WORK FO R MY MARSTER. HE SAID DAT BY DIS TIME, HIS LITTLE NIGGERS' BONES HAD DONE GOT H ARD ENOUGH FOR DEM TO WORK. WE HAD A DRIVER, A OLDER PERSON, DAT SHOWED US HOW TO DO EVERYTHING RIGHT. MARSE NEVER LET HIM OVERWORK OR HURRY US. WE LIKED HIM--UNCLE JULY GIST WE CALLED HIM, AND DAT WAS HIS REAL NAME TOO. HIS WIFE, AU NTY SARA, WAS GOOD TO US. DEY BOTH BURIED AT WOODSON'S CHAPEL BAPTIST CHURCH. oOR-MY FIRST TASK I HAD ONE QUARTER OF AN ACRE IN 'TATERS, TOBACCO, AND WAT ERMELONS DE FIRST YEAR. SOME OF DE BOYS HAD 'PINDERS, CANTALOUPES, AND TOMATOES rN DnRE TASK OF A QUARTER ACRE. DE-NEXT YEjR, WE-MADE lORN jND sOLD IT tO-OuRMASTER FOR WHATEVER HE GIVE U S FOR IT. ALL DE USE WE HAD FOR MONEY WAS TO BUY FISHHOOKS, BARLOWS, JEW'S HARP S, AND MARBLES. BOYS DID NOT USE TOBACCO DEN UNTIL DEY GOT 21 OR OVER. MARSE A LWAYS CARRIED A ROLL OF MONEY AS BIG AS MY ARM. HE WOULD COME TO DE QUARTER ON CHRISTMAS, JULY FOURTH, AND THANKSGIVING, AND GET UP ON A STUMP AND CALL ALL THE CHILLENS OUT. DEN HE WOULD THROW MONEY TO 'EM. DE CHILLENS GOT DIMES, NICKELS QUARTERS, HALF DOLLARS, AND DOLLARS. AT CHRISTMAS HE WOULD THROW TEN DOLLAR BI LLS. DE PARENTS WOULD TAKE DE FIVE AND TEN DOLLARS BILLS IN CHANGE, BUT MARSE M ADE DEM LET DE CHILLENS KEEP DE SMALL CHANGE. I AIN'T NEVER SEED SO MUCH MONEY SINCE MY MARSTER BEEN GONE. HE BURIED AT FAIRFOREST PRESBYTERIAN CEMETERY AS W HITE FOLKS CALLS IT, BUT WE CALLS IT CEDAR GROVE. WHEN HE DIED, HE HAD 16 PLANTATIONS, YOU CAN SEE DAT AT DE COURTHOUSE IN UN ION. ALL HIS DARKIES WENT IN A DROVE OF WAGONS TO HIS BURYING. HE WAS KILLED B Y DEM YANKEES IN VIRGINNY. UNCLE WYLIE SMITH, HIS BODYGUARD, COME BACK WITH HIS BODY AND TOLD US DAT MARSE WAS KILT BY A YANKEE. MARSE JIM WAS A SENTINEL, AND DAT YjNKEE SHOT HIM IN HIS NOSE, BUT STRANGE TO SAY, IT NEVER TORE HIS FACE P NONE. MISS SARA BURIED HIM IN HIS UNIFORM AND SHE WRAPPED A CONFEDERATE FLAG OV ER DE TOP OF DE COFFIN. UNCLE WYLIE PUT MASTER'S WATCH AROUND MISS SARA'S NECK LIKE HE HAD DONE TOLD HIM TO DO WHEN HE GOT HOME. MISS SARA CRIED AND CRIED, TO O. JIM NEVER MARRIED AND DAY'S WHY MISS SARA HAD TO DO EVERYTHING, 'CAUSE SHE W AS HIS SISTER WHAT LIVED WITH HIM. I RUN ON DE BROAD RIVER FOR OVER 24 YEARS AS BOATMAN CARRYING MARSE JIM'S COTT ON TO COLUMBIA FOR HIM. US HAD DE EXCITEMENT ON DEM TRIPS. LOTS TIMES WATER WA S DEEPER DAN A TREE IS HIGH. SOMETIMES I WAS THROWED AND FELL IN DA WATER. I R ISE UP EVERY TIME, THOUGH, AND FLOAT AND SWIM BACK TO DE BOAT AND GET ON AGAIN. IF DE WEATHER BE qOT, I-NEVER THINK OF CHANGING-NO lLOTHES, BUT-JUST KEnP ON WH AT I GOT WET. FIVE NIGGERS ALWAYS WENT ON MARSE'S BOAT. ONE MAN STEER DE BOAT AND OF COURSE HE WAS DE STEERMAN, AND DAT WHAT HE WENT BY. I RECOLLECTS TWO ST EERMANS, BRADLEY KENNEDY AND ANDY MCCLUNY. CHARLIE GILLIAM WAS DE SECOND STEERM AN, BY DAT I MEANS HE DE YOUNG NIGGER DAT BRADLEY AND ANDY HAD TO BREAK IN. sOMETIMES MARSTER VE THREE FLATBOATS AGWINE DOWN ATOONE TrME, jND I8HAD-N O RECOLLECTIONS OF AS MANY AS FIVE AGWINE FROM OUR PLANTATION. DAT WAS NOT SO O FTEN, THOUGH. US HAD LONG POLES TO STEER DE BOATS WITH. DEN DERE WAS SOME PADD LES, AND SOME OF DE NIGGERS WAS CALLED PRIVATES DAT HANDLED DE COTTON AND USED D E PADDLES WHEN DEY HAD TO BE USED. BATEAUS WAS WHAT DEY ALWAYS USED DE PADDLES W ITH. PRIVATES DID DE SHOVING AND OTHER HEAVY WORK. DE SECONDS AND DE PRIVATES ALWAYS SHOVED WITH DE POLES WHEN DE WATER WAS ROUGH, AND DE STEERMAN GIVE ORDERS. I WAS ALWAYS A BOATMAN. CHARLIE GILLIAM ACTED AS BOATMAN, SOME; AND DEN DE OTHER BOATMEN WAS: BILL HUGHES, WARREN WORTHY, GREEN STOKES, AND JOHN GLENN. DEY MADE DE POLES TO SUIT DE JOB. SOME OF DE POLES WAS LONGER DAN OTHERS WAS. SOME OF DEM WAS BROAD AND FLAT AT DE END; OTHERS WAS BLUNT, AND OTHERS WAS MADE SHARP. WHEN DE BROAD RIVE R ROSE, SOMETIMES DE WAVES GOT HIGHER DAN MY HOUSE DERE. DEN IT WAS A REAL JOB TO HANDLE ONE OF MARSE'S BOATS. FACT IS, IT WAS FIVE MEN'S JOBS. WITH WATER AR OARING AND AFOAMING AND AGWINE ROUND YOU LIKE A MAD TIGER ABLOWING HIS BREATH, S O DAT YOU WAS SCARED DAT ALL YOUR MARSTER'S COTTON GWINE TO BE SPILT, YOU HAD TO BE UP AND ADOING SOMETHrNG-REjL FAST. SOMETIMES DAT RIVnR T KE yOuR2kOAT-ROUND AND ROUND LIKE A MERRY GO ROUND, TILL YOU GET SO SWIMMY HEADED DAT YOU HAVE TO PUKE UP ALL DE VICTUALS DAT YOU DONE EAT. DEN IT SWING FROM DAT WHIRL INTO A SW IFT STREAM DAT TAKE YOU A MILE A MINUTE, YES SIR, A MILE A MINUTE FOR I DON'T KN OW HOW FAR. DEN YOU SEE A TREE ACOMING RIGHT STRAIGHT TO YOU. IF DE BOAT HIT DAT TREE, yOU-KNOWED DAT yOU BE BUSTED INTO A MrLLrON-PIECES. yOU HAD tO GET yOU-POL S A ND SOMEBODY HAD TO LET A POLE HIT DAT TREE AHEAD OF DE BOAT. OF COURSE DAT CHAN GE DE BOAT'S COURSE FROM DE TREE AND YOU WENT SAILING ON BY. ONCE IN A FRESHET US RACED 25 MILES IN 25 MINUTES. MARSE JIM WAS WITH US DAT TIME, AND HE TOLD U S SO BY HIS WATCH. DE WATER AJUMPING REAL HIGH AND DAT BOAT AJUMPING STILL WORS E MADE ME SO SCARED DAT I JUST SHAKE IN MY KNEES AND ALL DE WAY UP AND DOWN MY L EGS. ON DIS TRIP WE HAD WENT PLUMB UP IN NORTH CAROLINA. US NEVER HAD BEEN DAT FAR UP BEFORE. I AIN'T NEVER SEED NORTH CAROLINA BEFORE; NEITHER IS I SEED IT S INCE. BROAD RIVER WAS REAL NARROW WHEN WE WENT UP AND SHE LOOK LIKE A LAMB. BU T WHEN WE COME DOWN IT HAD DONE AND TOOK AND RAINED AND DEM BANKS WAS VANISHED. DAT WATER SURE DID RARE UP DERE TO GET BACK IN ITS REGULAR CHANNEL. DE ROCKS U P DERE WAS MORE SCARY LOOKING DAN DEY IS WHERE IT RUN THROUGH UNION TO COLUMBIA. DAT NIGHT WE RUN INTO A NINE MILE SHOAL. COULDN'T NONE DE NIGGERS KEEP DAT BO AT OFFEN DAT SHOAL IT WAS SO POWERFUL. DAT IS, DE WATER JUST TOOK DAT BOAT PLUM B SMACK OUTEN OUR HANDS. BUT IT THROWED OUR BOAT IN SHALLOW WATER AND OF COURSE DAT MADE IT DRAG. GOOD DAT IT NEVER DRUG OVER NO SHARP ROCKS--AND DEY WAS SETTI NG ALL AROUND US--BUT IT HAPPENED DAT IT HIT SAND. WE CAMPED DERE FOR DE NIGHT. BY MORNING WE HAD DONE GONE A QUARTER MILE FROM DE CHANNEL. WHEN WE ET, WE WORKED DE BOAT OUT INTO DE MAIN CHANNEL AGAIN. DnN WE STAKE D HER TO A TREE AND TOOK A LOOK AROUND BEFORE WE STARTED DOWN STREAM FOR UNION. DAT SEEMED FAR OFF RIGHT DEN. FINALLY DE MASTER BOATMAN GIVE DE ORDER, SHOVE-O FF, BOYS] WE SHOVED AND WE FELL INTO A CLEAR OPEN CHANNEL AND OUR BOAT WENT ASK EETING DOWNSTREAM. WE NEVER HAD TO HIT A LICK, BUT SHE WENT SO FAST DAT WE WAS ALL SCARED TO TAKE A LONG BREATH. FINALLY MARSTER SAID, BOYS, SEE DEM WILLOW TR EES DOWN YONDER; WELL, STEER HER TO RUN OVER DEM SO DAT SHE WILL SLACK HER SPEE D. US DID, BUT IT NEVER DEADENED OUR SPEED A MITE, DAT US COULD SEE. MARSTER S HAKE HIS HEAD AND ALLOW, BOUND FER HELL, MAYBE, BOYS. GOT TO CHEROKEE FALLS WITH WATER SO HIGH COULDN'T TELL NO FALLS DERE. MARS TER SAY, LAY HER TO DE RIGHT, WE CAN'T WRECK DIS BOAT WITHOUT PUTTING UP A HONES T MAN'S FIGHT. DEN HE SAY, IF US DOES, US'LL SURE GO TO HELL. WE TRIED TO SWIN G HER BY GRABBING TO A BIG WILLOW, AND WE BROKE A LOT OF LIMBS IN TRYING, BUT WE DID SWING HER AND SHE RUN A HUNDRED YARDS WITHOUT STEERING, AND DE BOAT LANDED ON A LITTLE MOUNTAIN OF LAND. MARSE ALLOW, AIN'T NEVER SEED SUCH A OCEAN OF WAT ER SINCE I WAS 18 YEARS OLD, DAMNED IF I HAVE. HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAY, DON'T K NOW WHETHER DICK SCARED OR NOT, BUT HE SURE IS A BRAVE MAN. I WAS ASETTING MY F EETS ON LAND DEN, AND I LOOK AT HIM AND ALLOW, NO SIR, I AIN'T SCARED, WHY I COU LD COME OVER DAT LITTLE PLACE IN MY BATEAU. TRUTH IS, DAT I WAS SO SCARED DAT I WASN'T SCARED. WE LAY OVER A DAY AND A HALF. DE WATER HAD DONE RECEDED BACK S OME, AND WE COME 27 MILES DOWN TO LOCKHART SHOALS IN DAT ONE DAY. DE WATER WAS STILL SO HIGH DAT WE RUN OVER DE SHOALS WITHOUT A TREMOR. COME SAILING ON DOWN tO FISH DjM AND WENT OVER DE FISH DjM jNDNEVER KNOWED DAT IT WAS DERE. DEN WE LANDED AT DE ROAD WITH EVERYBODY SAFE BUT STILL SCARED. DERE WAS TWO CHARLIE GILMORES; ONE WAS KILLED RIGHT BELOW FISH DAM. HE WAS HIT IN DE HEAD BY A-PRIVATE. WHEN DE PRIVATE WAS CUTTrNG DE kOAT, CHjRLIE pOT IN DE WAY OF DE POLE AND IT HIT HIM IN ONE OF HIS TEMPLES AND HE FELL OVER IN DE BOAT DEAD. WHEN DEY GOT HIM, WARN'T NARY DRAP OF WATER IN HIS LUNGS, DAT'S HOW COME US KNOWED DAT HE WAS KILT STRAIGHT OUT. SOME SAYS DAT HE WAS HIT IN DE EA R, BUT ANYWAY IT WAS ON A TENDER SPOT AND DE LICK SURE DONE HIM UP. NOTHING WAS N'T DONE TO DE PRIVATE, 'CAUSE IT WAS ALL ACCIDENTAL AND MARSE AND EVERYBODY FEL T SORRY FOR HIM. ON RIVER TRIPS, WE TOOK RATIONS SUCH AS MEAT, BREAD, AND CABBAGE, AND US CA TCH ALL DE FISH WE WANTED AND HAD COFFEE. WE EACH TOOK DAY IN AND DAY OUT TO CO OK, DAT IS, ALL DEM DAT COULD HALFWAY COOK DID DAT.