I was born in Comblin County, Ky. My pappy an' mammy was slaves of a man by de name of Hobby . I think de ole Massa was of de Hobby dat was de Governer of Texas people. We lived on a plantation in Kentucky an' de ole Massa had a big house wid de quarters for de slaves down back of hit, dey was a little creek dat run back of de quarters an' dis is whar de w'ite an' de slave chillun played. De first dat I kin remember was how we used to go fishing in dis creek. My ole Massa an' Missus was de ole school kind of Presbyterians an' so dey did not believe in de young folks doing anything on a Sunday but goin' to church; if dey had company dey jes stay at home an' dey would have dey singin's, was 'bout all dey did for dey good times on Sunday's Some of de songs dey would sing would be de one 'bout "Out on de ocean sailin'", an' "De ole Ship of Zion". De young slave boys an' gals would gather in de quarters in de winter an' dey would sing an' play de jews harp an' de flute made from de switches of de saplin's, dey would sing songs like de church songs of dat day an' de play songs. My mammy was sold twice from de Hobby's , de first time to a man by de name of Shed Ellis an' de next time to a man named Drapper . My pappy was sold to a man dat run de boats up an' down de Missippi. I will tell you de tales dat he tell us 'bout de boats w'en I tell you more 'bout de way dat we lived in Kentucky. De ole Massa in ole Kentuck had de race horses, an' I kin remember w'en I was a boy, how dat we went to de stables to watch de stable boy curry an' rub de race horses dat dey was training down, after dey had been to de race track practicin' dem. De time for de big races in de cities like Louisville an' Memphis was de big day dat de whole plantation look forward to, an' dey all go dat could git there, from de w'ite folks to de niggers. De best place to go was to Louisville whar dey had de Kentucky blue blood horses. But w'en we lived over at Jackson, Tennessee wid de Massa Joshua Hale wid de last one of our Massa's befo' freedom, den we goes to de races at Nashville an' at Memphis. Dese was de best days an' we stayed here long time after freedom, we lived jes out of Jackson, Tennessee an' so w'en freedom cum our daddy would cum to see us w'en we git off from de boats dat he was workin' on. De young folks would go over to Memphis to de Fairs an' de races an' den dey would take de steam-boat excursions while dey is there. Sometimes w'en dey cum home dey bring dey friends an' den dey has de big times, dey goes turkey an' fox huntin' an' dey own little horse races, everybody, bof' de young Massa's an' de young Misses kin ride like de jockeys most, hit was a big sight to see dem on dey fox hunt a jumpin' de fences. De slaves would have dey corn shuckin's an' dey candy pullin's in de winter, an' dey has dey own good times too. De ole Massa raise mos' everything on de plantation, he raise corn, wheat, sugar an' sorghum cane for de molasses, all kinds of grain an' dey had dey own grist mill to grind hit. Dey had mules, sheep, cattle, hogs, horses, but dey did not raise cotton den, befo' de war. Den de war cum an' de Massa's went an' de slaves kept de plantation work up. I know dat you heard all 'bout de war so I will tell you 'bout de tales our pappy would tell us 'bout de ole Missippi an' de steamboats. He worked on two boats, dey was de "Dora Coblin" an' de "Benton Miles", dey would carry de freight up an' down de river, an' passengers, too. Dey run was up an' down de Missippi an' de Cumberland Rivers, but de most was de ole Missippi an' dese are de stories he tell us w'en he cum to see us after freedom W'en dey had de steam-boat races, de date was set for weeks befo' de time for de race, w'en de time for de races was gittin' near, de boats was stripped of everything dat had any weight, or dat would draw de wind to hinder de speed. No passengers was allowed, an' de boats would stop at jes de biggest towns. De coal an' wood flats was kept ready to hitch on to de boats at de sound of de boats whistle. Double crews would be ready to change at a minutes notice.

W'en de date cum for de race, de ole boats, would be lying in de river like dey was keepin' an' eye on each other, de flags was lowered an' de black smoke a rollin' an' a tumblin' from de chimbleys. Den de folks dat lived all aroun' would be down to see dem off. Everywhar you look would be people, on de house-tops de chimbly's, on de banks an' on other boats, an' all up an' down de banks of de river as far as you could see. De race dat drew de bigges' crowd was de one between de "Natchez" an' de "Robert E. Lee" in June of de year 1870. Dis from New Orleans to St. Louis. De "Natchez" was built in Cincinnatti an' de "Robert E. Lee" was built at New Albany, dis was durin' de Civil War w'en de "Robert E. Lee" was built, she was towed across de river on de Kentucky side to have her name painted on de wheel house. Captain John Canon was her commander, an' Captain Thomas Leathers commanded de Natchez. On de race up de river to St. Louis de "Natchez" won, she made de trip in three days 21 hours an' 58 minutes. W'en dey started back, Captain Canon made up his mind dat de "Robert E. Lee" was goin' to win cumin' down de river so he stripped her of all de upper works dat would catch de wind, took away all her riggin' dat would hinder her speed an' engaged a steamer to go wid flat boats ahead to give her de coal an' wood for fuel, den w'en dey do dis, dey cut loose an' float back. He would'nt take passengers. So w'en de "Natchez" cum an' takes on her passengers an' freight an' advertise w'en she start back, de "Robert E. Lee" backs up to de wharves, an' five minutes later de "Natchez" followed, but she had not fixed for de race dis time. Dey was a steamer full of people dat had gone on ahead to watch de race, de telegraph company had sent messages all up an' down de river, an' at all de towns de whole villages would cum to see dis race. De "Lee" gained a little for every hundred miles, an' at "Natchez" she was ten minutes ahead, de boat, "Natchez", losing time for her fuel, she had to stop for. At de bend of de river at Vicksburg dey was runnin' almost neck an' neck. De whole city an' country folks was there to see hit. De river spreads an' de boats was on each side; you could see de smoke stacks belchin' dey smoke as dey go roun' de bend. W'en dey git to Helena dey was thousands of folks to see de race. W'en dey git to Memphis, dey was ten thousand people to see hit, but dey jes' swept by like dey was nobody home, for by dis time de "Natchez" had commenced to have de fuel boats ready ahead like de "Robert E. Lee" had to hitch on an' git de fuel as dey was makin' time. All dis time de telegraph wires was kept busy tellin' how de race was goin' an' even dey cabled hit to Europe. At Claire de "Natchez" was behind because she had run into a fog an' so de "Robert E. Lee" beat her by thirty minutes. W'en day reached St. Louis dey was thirty thousand folks at de wharves, in de windows an' de housetops to see de finish of de race, dat night de city officers gave a big banquet to de captain of de "Robert E. Lee". Dey took de bets all over de country on de race, but some of de bets was taken off dat was made befo' de "Natchez" commenced to have de fuel ready like de "Robert E. Lee."

An speakin' of bettin', well dey had de gamblin' houses in dem days everywhar, on de boats, an' in de towns an' cities, sometimes de gamblers would git on de boats an' maybe be jes two men, dey would pretend dat dey was strangers an' work together in de card games. Dey would use marked cards an' all kinds of tricks. Dey tell de stories of how some time de wealthy planters on dey way home from de markets would lose de money dey had an' sometimes even dey plantations. Most of dese professional gamblers would be satisfied to make two an' three hundred dollars a week. Dey was a place called "Natchez under de Hill" whar dey had a big gamblin den, an' in New Orleans dey had what dey call de "Royal Street" dat was filled wid gamblin dens, dis was in de fine houses wid de thick heavy carpets, de nigger waiters would bring in de wine an' de drinks for de gamblers; dey would have de boosters to bring in de rich folks an' many is de times dey would go home broke. Now dey is jes 'bout all gone like de ole time steam boats dat took de passengers. De ole place called "Natchez under de Hill" is gone too, for de ole Missippi jes' kept a eatin' her banks out untill most of de houses has fallen into de river. Dis was de meetin' place for de men to have dey games while de boat docked for dey meals. Dis is 'bout de oldest reminder of dese days on de Missippi, de few houses dat are left is all deserted an' dey look like de ghosts of dese other days  An' de floods! dey cum an' dey go, dey build de levees to hold de ole man River back an' he jes fools dem all dese years, sometimes he play little wid dem an' let de folks think dey has got him bridled, but den all of a sudden a bigger flood den all de rest would cum a rollin' down an' den hit's de same old story. W'en de Tennessee an' de Cumberland go over dey banks an' empties into de Ohio an' de Ohio empties into de ole Missippi, den dey is another big flood. Folks in dese days kin remember de floods of 1922 an' 1927 after de 1922 flood dey work on de levees an' dey think dey have hit fixed now so dey wont be any more floods like dey has had. Dey build de levees higher an' higher an' have more an' more sand bags, de crevasse was openin' any more an' hit is safe so dey think. Dey jes think de levees will hold for w'en de flood of 1927 I think hit was, cum, whar dey had de crevasse at Preydas, de little place whar de Cajun's lived an' dey had to dynamite hit to save de city of New Orleans, den dey decides dat ole Man River is still de Master. De ole timey steam boats was de ones dat every body loved, dey would jes glide along like a bird on de river, an' de whole towns an' folks from de country, w'en dey cum to town could not go home until dey see de boats if she is at de boat landing. De old steamboats funnels was de first to be seen as dey cum aroun' de bend of de river, an' den de pilot house, between de chimbleys dey would be a big brass ball, an' on de pilot house dey would be pictures of animals, an' on de paddle boxes dey would be pictures of de river an' other places, as she would cum nearer you could hear de paddles an' de hum of de engine's as dey throw off de steam. Half de town would be at de landing an' den at night in de little places as well as de big towns dey would have a dance on de deck of de steamboat. All dis is de way dey lived in de days befo' an' after de Civil War befo' de railroads took away de passengers. Dis reminds me of how de rail-roads w'en dey build de bridges did not build dem hardly wide enough for de boats to pass under dem at first an' how dey had so many accidents, dey was de story of de boat de "Effie Afton", how she was de most popular boat on de river an how w'en she had made a trip an' swung out to go on her way, dat she hit de bridge an' de pier an' her chimbleys fell an' she caught fire an' burned up. She was full of passengers, but de skiffs an' small boats saved dem, dis was one of de worst fires on de Missippi River. Dis was de cause of a big lawsuit between de Chamber of Commerce at St. Louis, dat whar de company dat owned de "Effie Afton" was located. Dey sued de Chicago an' de Rock Island Railroad Company (de owner of de railroad bridge), for de value of de steamboat, an' damages on account of de obstruction to de river by de bridge. You see hit was dis way, St. Louis had de Missippi trade an' Chicago de trade de railroad was bringin', an' hit was a contest between de river trade an' de railroads dey story goes. De railroad company had a young backwoods lawyer who fought Steam-boats on de grounds dat de railroads bridges served a bigger public interest, an' de case won for Chicago de railroad center over St. Louis, de river town. Yes, M'am, dis was a big case, an' my ole pappy heard dem t 'bout hit for months after hit was over, de whole country was lookin' on wid all de interest dey had, for which was hit to be, de rail-road de river boats? an' dis case had lots to do wid de way things out at de start, if dey could build de bridges across de rivers a make de steam boat travel more dangerous, or if dey be forced to build higher an' wider bridges by de rail-road? De jury was in a dead lock, an' de steam-boat company dropped hit, but de rail-roads was de one dat cum out on top, an' who does you think dey back woods lawyer was? Well eff'n you can't guess I will tell you, hit was jes plain old Abe Lincoln de one dat did'nt stop at savin' de rail-roads until he freed de slaves.