Does I believe in de ghosties? I sho' does and I tells yous why I knows dere am ghosties. First, I's hear and see dem and lots of other folks I's talked to has. Den my pappy and my mammy both could see dem, and dey has special powers, but dey was good powers, Dey has no use for de evil spells all sich. In de old days 'fore surrender de cullud folks talks 'bout ghosties and hants, but since education am for de cullud folks, some of dem larns to say spirit, 'stead of ghost. Now dey has de church dat say de preacher kin bring de ghost - but dey calls it de spirit - to de meetin' and talk with 'em. Det am de spiritualist-tian church. I's tellin' you de things I hears my mammy and pappy tell, and some I's seed for myself What I seed, I kin be de witness for and what my mammy and pappy says, I kin be de witness for dat, 'cause I's not gwine lie 'bout what de dead people says. Dere am only one way to best de ghost and it am call de Lawd and he will banish 'em. Some folks don't know how to best 'em, so day gits tan'lised bad. Dere a man call' Everson , and he been de slave. De ghost come and tell him to go dig in de graveyard for de pot of gold, and to go by himself. But he am 'fraid of de graveyard and didn't go. So de ghost 'pears 'gain, but dat man don't go till de ghost come de third time. Se he goes, but he takes two other man with him. Everson digs 'bout five feet, where de ghost tolt him to, and he spade hit de iron box. He pries de cover off and dat box am full of de gold coins, fives and tens and twenties, gold money, a whole bushel in dat box. He hollers to de two men and dey comes runnin', but by de time dey gits dere, de box am sunk and all they can see is de hole where it go down. Dey digs and digs, but it ain't no use. If him hadn't taken de men with him, him be rich, but de ghost didn't want des other men dere. In dat dere same country, dere am a farm what sho' am hanted. Many families tries to live in dat house, but am forced to move. It am sposed de niggers what de cruel massa on dat farm kilt in slave times. comes back to tan'lise. De ghosties comes in de night and walks back and forth 'cross de yard, and dey can see 'em as plain as day. Dere am nobody what will stay on dat farm. My pappy am comin' home on de hoss one night and he feel like someone on dat hoss behin' him. He turn and kin see something. He say, 'What for you gits on my hoss?', but dere am no answer. He tries to touch dat thing, but he pass his hand right through it and he know it a ghost, and pappy hope off dat hose and am on de ground runnin' quicker dan greased lightning. Pappy seem dat hoss, with de hant on him, gwine through de woods like de deer. Right here in dis house, a person die and dey spirit tan'lise at night. It come after we goes to bed and patters on de floor with de bare feet and rattles de paper. Dat sho' git me all a-quiverment. I has, to get de Bible and call de Lawd to banish dem. But I seed de shadow of dat ghost often and it em a man ghost and it look sad.

Florence Ruffins, 67, was born of illiterate, ex-slave parents in DeKalb, Tex. Since there were no negro educational facilities in DeKalb, she can only spell her name but can not write it. She has reared a family of children who have received an education. She now resides with a daughter at 1020 W. Weatherford St., Ft. Worth, Tex., who reads the Bible to her. In this way, she has learned many Bible statements. The following is her story on spirits and ghosts: Does I's believe in de ghost? I's sho does. Now, I's tell yous w'y I's know dere am ghosts. Fust, I's heah an' see dem an' lots ob udder fo'ks dat I's ta'k to, heah an' see dem. Den de Good Book, de Bible, says dere am spirits. De good an' de bad spirits. Dat am in de book ob John. Alright, w'at am de wo'd, "spirit"? In de dictionary dat am de book w'at tells de meanin' ob de wo'ds, aint it?, it says, "De wo'd "spirit", am de same as de wo'd, "ghost". I's have dat 'splain to me by a teachah once. In de ol' days befo' surrendah, an' fo' a long time aftah, de cullud fo'ks have no Bible an' dey warnt able to read if dey did have de Good Book. Deys ta'ks 'bout ghosts an' haunts, but since edumacation am fo' de cullud fo'ks, some ob dem larn to says spirit, 'stead ob ghost. Yes, now deys even have de chu'ch dat claim de preachah can bring de ghost, dey says spirit, to de meetin' an' ta'k wid 'em. Dat am de spiritualist-tism Chu'ch. No Sar! No Sar!! I's never goes to sich chu'ch. I's tell yous w'y. 'Tis 'cause de Good Book tell dat de good spirits don' have de ea'thly 'zistence. It am de evil spirits dat do, an' come to haunt de livin'. So, w'y should I's go to a chu'ch whar de preachahman can call de ghost 'roun' yous. Shucks, I's have too much trouble keepin' dem away f'om me an' I's heah too much 'bout de trouble days 'cause. No Sar! I's want no truck wid 'em. I's will tell yous 'bout some things I's heah my mammy an' pappy tell, an' some things I's see fo' myse'f. Now, w'at I's see, I's can be de witness fo'. W'at my mammy an' pappy says, I's can be de witness fo' w'at dey says, an' I's not gwine to lie 'bout w'at my dead mammy says. De ghost sometimes 'pears in de fo'm ob a person, sometimes in de fo'm ob a cat, or a hoss, or any udder kin' ob animal. Deys 'pear in de shadow. Yous can see dem, but can't feel dem wid yous han'. Sometimes, yous 'ealize dey am present widout seein' dem. Deys all come to tan'lize people. Dere am on'y one way to bes' de ghost. De 'scription in de Good Book tells yous how. It says, "call de Lawd an' He will banish 'em". Some fo'ks don' know how to call de Lawd, so deys gits tan'lized bad. My mammy an' pappy tells 'bout de man name Everson, an' ol' cullud fellow dat been a slave. He lived 14 miles No'th, f'om DeKalb. De ghost 'pears an' tol' him to go to de graveyahd at de certain spot an' dig fo' de pot ob gold dat am buried dere, an' fo' him to go 'lone. Now, 'cause de place am in de graveyahd, de man am 'fraid an' did not go. Den de ghost 'pears de secon' time an' tells him de same as dey tol' him de fust time. Still, Everson don' go an' de ghost 'pears de third time. Den, he 'cides to go an' dig, jus' as de ghost tol' him to. He am still 'fraid, so he make de 'rangement wid two udder men to go wid him, but not to dig. He did not tell dem w'y fo' he wants dem to go wid him. Dey waits 'til de night am dahk, an' den deys go. De two men stays outside ob de graveyahd an' watch, w'ile Everson goes in fo' to dig. Everson dig 'bout five feet, dat am de depth de ghost tell him to dig, den his spade hits iron. He cleans de dirt away an' dere 'twas, an' iron box. Den he pried de cover off an' looked in it. Dat box am full ob gold coins. 5's, 10's, an' 20's, gold money, a whole bushel ob 'em in dat box. Dat man, den an' dere, am rich. Well, he gits 'cited an' hollers to de two men. He says, "come heah! quick!, quick!, an' see w'at I's foun'". De two men stahts to run to whar Everson am an' w'en dey gits dere, de box wid de gold am sunk. All dat dere am to see, am a hole whar de box an' gold goes down. Den dey digs lots mo', but 'twarnt any use. Dey couldn't find any trace ob it. Dat man sho am tan'lized. If him had followed de 'structions an' not took de udder men wid him, he would be rich, but 'twarnt to be so. In dat dere same country, dere am a fahm dat sho am haunted. Many fam'lies tries to live in de house, but am fo'ced to move. Now, I's ol' 'nough to 'membahs de fo'ks ta'k 'bout dat. It am s'posed, dat de niggers w'at am killed by de cruel Marster in slavery time, come back to tan'lize. M'ybe 'tis two or three months dat dey don' heah or see nothin', an' den de ghost come in de night. Deys come in de fo'm ob persons wid no head, jus' de body. Sometimes in de fo'm of a person widout ahms, an' persons widout legs. Dey would move back an' fo'th 'cross de yahd, jus' lak people dat am out fo' de exercise an' airin'. Den sometimes de fo'ks would see a big fiah in de field. Dey would run to de fiah but w'en dey gits dere, it am no fiah an' no sign ob whar a fiah had been. No Sar! Dere am no nigger dat will stay on dat fahm. My pappy am comin' home f'om chu'ch one time on hossback, an' as him am passin' de graveyahd whar deys dig fo' de gold, his hoss stahts to quiver. Pappy says dat him feel lak dere am some one on de hoss behin' him, so he tu'ns his head to look. Sho 'nough, he gits de glint ob a person dere. Den pappy says, "Nigger, w'at fo' yous git on my hoss?" Dere am no answer. Den pappy repeats de same thing an' nudge de pahty, but him can't feel anything. Den he looks an' see de pahty 'gain. Den he tries to touch him, but he pass his han' right through de man an' don' feel anything. Lawd a Massie! Him den 'ealiz dat it am a ghost, an' pappy hops off dat hoss an' am on de groun' arunnin' quicker dan greased lightnin'. Pappy sees de hoss wid de haunt on him, gwine through de woods lak a deer 'til he pass out of sight. Pappy runs all de way home. W'en he gits home, dere am de hoss wid de saddle off an' jus' as cool as if him had been standin' in de lot all day. W'ite man, dat am de las' time my pappy ever pass a graveyahd at night. Bout passin' de graveyahd at night, I's sho do object. Dis nigger am passin' N-O-O! graveyahd in de night, atall, atall. If it am necessary fo' me to pass in de night, I's tooks de Bible wid me an' have someone 'long. I'se had one 'sperience in de country many yeahs ago. I's wa'kin' home f'om de neighbah aftah a visit. It am 'bout two houahs aftah sundown. De wind am blowin' an' I's wa'kin' 'gainst it wid my head down. Dere am an old graveyahd whar 'twarnt any one buried fo' yeahs an' jus' as I's passin', I's heahs a noise. I's looks up, an' dere stan's a haunt wid its ahms stretched out. Did I's run? Run don' 'splain it good 'nough. Lawdy, Lawdy!, I's jumps outa my hide. W'en I's git home, my pocketbook am gone. I's musta drapped it. If I's did, de pocketbook am still drapped, 'cause I's never did go back to look fo' it. No Sar! Deys can have de book an' de money too. Right heah in dis house whar weuns live, dere was a person die an' deys spirit tan'lize many nights. W'at fo' yous tell sich stuff. Aint I's tol' yous dat people think yous foolish, ta'kin' lak dat?", the daughter admonished. Hus yous fool mouth, chil's. W'at do yous know? Jus' keep out wid yous smartness. Yous got edumacation an' wants to show it", the mother rejoined. Now, pay no 'tention to her. She don' know w'y she ta'ks. Well, as I's was sayin' 'bout de haunts in dis house, deys come aftah weuns goes to bed. Deys picks on de wall, patters on de flooah wid dere feet, an' rattles de papah. Dat sho gits me all aquiverment. De way I's have to do, am put de Bible on de flooah, calls on de Lawd to banish dem, an' den weuns can go to sleep. Dat chil's knows dat but she wants to show her smartness an' edumacation. Dat house on de co'nah am haunted, an' dat one 'cross de street. Dere am sev'al houses in dis neighbahood dat have haunts. It am de ghost ob de people dat die in dem. I's see de shadow many times.