I was 'bout eighteen years old when de Civil War come. Us calls it de Freedom War. I was born in Louisiana, clost to de Ouachita Road, and Marse Tom Wilson owned mammy and us chillen. But Marse Bill Anderson he come from Texas to buy us from Marse Tom . Marse Tom , he 'lowed de gov'ment gwine let dem damn Yankees give de South a whuppin' and dere wasn't gwine be no slaves nowhere. But Marse Bill say we's a likely bunch of chillen and mammy am a grand cook, so guess he take do rest. Marse Tom starts to Texas where he had a passel of land. Us was sold on de block to him, 'cause Marse Tom say he gwine git all he done put in us out us, iffen he can 'fore de Yanks take dis country. Mammy was named Julia Wilson Sis Sally was oldest of us chillen, den brudder Harry and me. Marse Bill he had 27,000 acres of land in Robertson County what he git for fightin' Indians and such. He lived in seven mile of Calvert, Texas, and dat where he brunged us and de supplies and sech. Us traveled in ox carts and hoss back, and de mos' us niggers walked. Us was sot free on de road to Texas. Us camp one night and some folks come talk with Marse Hill . De next mornin' he told us. 'Boys, you's free as I is.' Us was only 'bout sixteen mile from where us gwine and Marse Bill say, 'All what want to stay with me can.' Us didn't know nobody and didn't have nothin' and us liked Marse Bill , so all us stayed with him. When we got to his place us did round and 'bout, clearin' new ground and buildin' cabins and houses. Dere was three log houses but us had to build more.

My pappy name was Bill Wilson . All my folks am dead now, but on de plantation in Louisiana we had a good time. Mammy could cook and spin and weave. Dey raised cotton and sugar cane and corn Dere wasn't many Indians when as come, in our part de country. All I ever saw jes' steal and beg. Dere was plenty wild turkeys and wild hawgs and deer and prairie chickens. On Marse Bill's place every quarters had its barn and mule, but Marse and he wife, Miss Deborah , lived in de quality quarters. Round dem was de blacksmith shop and smokehouse and spinnin' house and Marse Bill have a li'l house just for he office. De cookhouse was a two-room house side de big house with a covered passage to de dinin' room. De milk house was de back part de cook house. In de smokehouse was hams and sides of hawg meat and barrels of syrup and sugar and lard, and bushels of onions, and de 'tater room was allus full. Dey dug a big place and put poles and pieces of cane and lumber cross, like a top, and put dirt and leaves and banked de dirt round de 'tater room. Dey'd have a place to crawl in, but dey kep' it tight and dem 'taters dey kep' most all winter Dey was hayricks and chicken roosties and big lye hoppers where us put all de fireplace ashes. Come de rain and de water run through dat hopper into de trough under it, and dat make lye water. De women put old meat skins and bones and fat in de big, iron pot in de yard and put in some lye water and bile soap. Den dey cut it when it git cold and put it on de smokehouse shelves to dry. Dat sho' fine soap. Mammy worked in de kitchen mostly and spin by candlelight. Dey used a bottle lamp. Dat a rag or piece of big string, stuck in de snuff bottle full of tallow or grease. Later on in de years, dey used coal oil in de bottles. Sometimes dey wrap a rag round and round and put it in a pan of grease, and light dat for de lamp. Dey used pine torches, too, De black folks' quarters was log cabins, with stick and dirt chimneys. Dey had dere own garden round each cabin and some chickens, but dere wasn't no cows like in Louisiana. Dere was lots of possums in de bottoms and us go coon and possum huntin'. I likes cornbread and greens, cook with de hawg jowls or strip bacon. Dat's what I's raised on. Us mad lots of lye hominy dem days. Marse Bill , he gwine feed everybody good on his place. Den us had ash cake, make of corn meal. Us didn't buy much till long time after de  war. Us had poles stuck in de corner and tied de third pole cross, to make de bed. Dey called 'Georgia Hosses.' Us filled ticks with corn shucks or crab grass and moss Dey wasn't no cotton beds for de niggers. 'cause dey wasn't no gins for de long time and de cotton pick from de seed by hand and dat slow work. De white folks had cotton beds and feather beds and wool beds. Marse Bill allus had de doctor for us iffen de old women couldn't git us well. All de seven families Marse Bill done buy in Louisiana stayed round him and he family till dey all dead, white and cullud. I's de onlies' one left.

Us piled 'bout a hundred or two or maybe three hundred bushels corn outside de shed. Us have corn shuckin' at night and have de big time. De fellow what owned de corn, he give a big supper and have all de whiskey us want. Nobody got drunk, 'cause most everybody carry dey liquor purty well. After shuckin' us have ring plays. For music dey scratch on de skillet lids or beat bones or pick de banjo. Dere be thirty to fifty folks, all cullud, and sometimes dey stay all night, and build de big fire and dance outdoors or in de barn. Dere wasn't no music instruments. Us take pieces a sheep's rib or cow's jaw or a piece iron, with a old kettle, or a hollow gourd and some horsehair to make de drum. Sometimes dey'd git a piece of tree trunk and hollow it out and stretch a goat's or sheep's skin over it for de drum. Dey'd be one to four foot high and a foot up to six foot 'cross. In gen'ral two niggers play with de fingers or sticks on dis drum. Never seed so many in Texas, but dey made some. Dey'd take de buffalo horn and scrape it out to make de flute. Dat sho' be heared a long ways off. Den dey'd take a mule's jawbone and rattle de stick 'cross its teeth. Dey'd take a barrel and stretch a ox's hide 'cross one end and a man sot 'stride de barrel and beat on dat hide with he hands, and he feet, and iffen he git to feelin' de music in he bones, he'd beat on dat barrel with he head. 'Nother man beat one wooden side with sticks. Us 'longed to de church, all right, but dancin' ain't sinful iffen de foots ain't crossed. Us danced at de arbor meetin's but us sho' didn't have us foots crossed! When de niggers go round singin' 'Steal Away to Jesus,' dat mean dere gwine be a 'ligious meetin' dat night. Dat de sig'fication of a meetin'. De masters 'fore and after freedom didn't like dem 'ligious meetin's, so us natcherly slips off at night, down in de bottoms or somewheres. Sometimes us sing and pray all night. I voted till I's 'bout forty five year old, den I jes' kinder got out de habit. I got married in a suit of doeskin jeans, ain't none like dem nowadays. I married Cornelia Horde and she wore a purty blue gingham de white folks buyed and made for her. Us had six chillen, Calvin and Early and Mary and Fred and Frank . Iffen you knows someone workin' a conjure trick 'gainst you, jes' take some powdered brick and scrub de steps real good. Dat'll kill any conjure spell, sho'. De bes' watchdog you can get for de hoodoo is a frizzly chicken. Iffen you got one dem on de place, you can rest in peace, 'cause it scratches up every trick lay down 'gainst its owner. Iffen you see dat frizzly chicken scratchin' round de place, it a sho' sign you been conjured. A frizzly chicken come out he shell backwards, and day why he de devil's own.

De old folks allus told me to make a cross inside my shoe every mornin' 'fore leavin' de house, den ain't no conjurer gwine git he conjure 'gainst you foots. Iffen you wear you under clothes wrong side out, you can't be conjured. 'nother way am to put saltpeter in de soles you shoes. Iffen you wears a li'l piece de 'peace plant' in you pocket or you shoe, dat powerful strong 'gainst conjure. A piece of de Betsy bug's heart with some silver money am good. But iffen you can't git none dese, jes' take a piece newspaper and cut it de size of you shoe sole and sprinkle nine grains red pepper on it. Dere ain't no hoodoo gwine ever harm you den, 'cause he'd have to stop and count every letter on dat newspaper and by dat time, you gwine be 'way from dere. Iffen you want to find de conjure tricks what done been sot for you, jes' kill you a fat chicken and sprinkle some its blood in do conjure doctor's left palm Den take you forefinger and hit dat blood till it spatter, and it gwine spatter in de direction where dat trick am hid. Den when you find de trick, sprinkle a li'l quicksilver over a piece of paper and put de paper on de fire, and dat trick gwine be laid forever. Old folks done told me how to make a conjurer leave town. Make up a hick'ry fire and let it burn down to coals. Den you take up two live coals. One dese gwine be you, and de other gwine be de luck. Take up one dead coal, and dat you enemy. Den you jes' keep 'wake till de rooster crow for midnight. Dat am de end of de day. Now you chunk de live coal what am you to de south, de warm country; den throw de other live coal to de east; den chunk de dead coal, you enemy, to de north, de cold country. Nothin' of de conjurer can't git over fire, and 'fore de week out, dat conjurer be leavin'. A old Indian who used to hang round Marse Bill's place say to git de best of a conjurer, git some clay from de mouth a crawfish hole, and some dirt from a red ant's hole. Mix dem and wet dem with whiskey or camphor. Git some angleworms and boil dem and add de worm water to de clay and dirt. Iffen you rubs de conjured pusson with dis, he trouble done go 'way.

I was 'bout 18 years old when de Civil War come. Us calls hit de Freedom War. I was born in Louisiana, close to de Ouachita Road. Marse Tom Wilson owned mammy an us chilluns. But Marse Bill Anderson he come from Texas to buy us from Marse Tom . Marse Tom , he 'lowed dat de Gobernment gwine let dem dam Yanks gib de Souf er whuppin' an' dat dar warn't gwine be no slaves nowhar. But Marse Bill he say dat's er likely bunch ob chillun an er gran' cook so guess he take de risk. So mammy an' her chillun and seben families ob Marse Tom's niggers was sole ter Marse Bill Anderson an' he started ter Texas whar he had er passel ob land. He git er lot ob tools an' odder stuff he needed an' us started fer Texas. Us was sole on de block ter Marse Bill . Marse Tom he say he gwine git all dat he done put in us outter us effen he can fore de Yanks take dis country.

My mammy was named Julia Wilson . Sis Sally was de oldes' ob us chillun, den dar was brudder Harry an' me; I'ze de baby, but I wus eighteen years ole w'en Marse Tom sole mammy an' her chillun on de block. He sole seven families all ter once. He said dat he want all ob dem ter go tergedder, by families, an' not be separated. An' Marse Bill , he had 27,000 acres ob land in Robertson County, Texas dat he git fer fighting de Indians an sech. Marse Bill libed in seven miles ob Calvert, Texas an' dat's whar he brunged all ob us an' de supplies an' tools an sech. Us trabled in ox carts, ox waggins, an' hoss back an' de young 'uns an' mos' de niggers walked. Us was sot free on de road ter Texas. Us had camped one night an' some folks come an' talk wid Marse Bill . De nex' mornin' he tole 'Boys, you as free as I am.' Us was on de road ter Texas an' had camped by de side ob de road 'bout sixteen miles from whar us wus gwine. Marse Bill he say 'All dat want ter stay wid me can stay. All dat don' can go whar dey want ter.' Us didn't know noboddy, an' didn't hab noddin' an' us liked Marse Bill so all ob us stayed wid him. W'en us got ter he place us did 'roun' an' 'bout, cleared new ground, built cabins an' houses and fa'amed. Dar was 'bout three log houses all ready on de lan' but us had ter build more. Mammy an' her chillun stayed wid Marse Bill and dey was raised on he place. All ob de seven families stayed wid Marse Bill an' 'roun' him. My daddy was name Bill Wilson . Dar was er big fa'am in Louisiana. Mammy was er fiel' han' an' er good one. But she could cook and spin an' weave too. All my folks ar dead now. Dey raised cotton, corn, sugar cane an' fruit. Us made our own syrup an' sugar, clothes an' shoes. Dey had more fruit back dar dan us hab here. In Texas fer meny er year folks didn't hab no milk cows. But back in Louisiana, dey had plenty an' made butter an' cheese fer everybody.

Seberal years atter us come ter Texas, Marse quit de oxen case dey was too slow an' he git some mules fer ter plow wid. Dar warn't no Indians much w'en us got here. Dey say dey was bad out in Comanche an' Coryell Counties I hears de w'ite folks tell 'bout de skelpin' ob de folkses. All I ebber saw jes' want ter steal an' beg. Dar was plenty of wild turkeys, wild hogs, deer, birds, an' prairie chickens. On Marse Bill's place dar was three quarters. Ebery one had its barn an' mule, ox an' hoss lots. De big Marse an' he wife Mis' Deborah an' dere chillun lib in de quality quarters. Den de boss what come wid us from Louisiana, he mobed all he belongings ter Texas w'en he brung us ter Marse Bill , an' he had he quarters wid de barns, smoke house an' sich. 'Round Marse Bill's house was de blacksmif' shop, de big smoke house, an' er big house wid er chimbly in each end whar de wimmin spin an' weave, an Marse Bill he had him er little house fer he office too. De cook-house er kitchen was er two-room house side ob de big house wid er covered passage way ter de dinin' room. De milk house was de back part ob de cook house. Der was hams an' sides ob hog meat, an' barrels ob syrup, an' sugar, an' lard; bushels ob onions an' de 'tater house was allers full. Dey dug er big place an' put poles an' pieces ob cane an' lumber 'cros, like de top ob de house ter make er top, an' dey put dirt an' leaves an' banked de dirt 'roun' dis little house ter make a place fer de 'taters. Dey'd leabe er place ter crawl inter hit, but dey keep hit tight an' de 'taters dey keep mos' all de winter. Dar was hay ricks an' chicken roostses, an' big lye hoppers whar us put de ashes outten de fireplace. Come de rain an' de water 'ud run through de hopper in ter de trough under hit and us cotch de water dat was lye time hit run through dem ashes. De wimmin 'ud put old meat skins an' bones an' diff'ent kinds ob fat in de big iron pot out in de yard an' put some o' dat lye an' water an' bile de soap dat way. Den dey'd cut hit out time hit git cold an' put hit up on de smoke house shelves ter dry. Dat shore is fine soap ter wash dishes er clothes wid. Mammy 'ud wukk in de fiel' er in de kitchen an' den spin de thread fer clothes by candle lamp. An' dey used er bottle lamp. Dat was er rag er piece ob big string, stuck in er snuff bottle full ob taller er grease. Later on in de years, dey used coal oil in de bottles. An' dey would wrap rag 'round an' put hit in er pan ob grease, an' light dat fer er lamp. Dey used pine torches an' candles to spin by. Mammy 'ud spin an' weave fer her fambly an' fer Marse Bill's fambly. De w'ite Boss man had he quarters same as Marse Bill . Dar was big log cribs at all de quarters ter hold de feed stuff. Dar wuzn't meny cows no whar. Den de black folks had deir quarters. Dey had deir own garden 'roun each cabin. All us black folks had er few chickens, some hogs an' some ob us had er cow er two but w'en us furst come ter Texas dar war'nt no milk cows ner us. Dar was some peach trees scatter 'roun in Marse Bill' s fields but dey didn't hab orchards lak dey did in Louisiana. Not fer er long while. Yassum, each sarbant fambly had deir smoke house too, an' den dar was de big smoke house up at Marse Bill's quarters. Dar was lots ob 'possums in de woods an' crik bottoms an' are yet. Us 'ud go coon an' 'possum huntin' but mos'ly at night er w'en de weather wuzn't so good ter wukk in de fiel's. I likes corn bread an' greens, mos' eny kin' ob greens jes' so dey cooked good wid de hog jowls er strip bacon. Dat's what I been raised on. Us made lots ob lye hominy in dem days. Us shelled de corn an' de wimmin soaked hit an' cooked hit by de great big wash kettle full at er time. Yassum, hit would keep purty good in de winter, but hit took lots fer seven famblies ob sarvants an' two er three w'ite famblies. Marse Bill , he gwine er feed ebery one good on he place. Den us had de ash cake. Hit was made ob corn meal an' baked in de hot ashes. En durin' ob de Freedom War us made coffee out ob parched meal an' us made drip lye soap, an' de wimmin spun de cloth fer close an' knit all de socks. Us didn't buy so much till long atter de war. W'en us furst come ter Robertson County, us had log houses an' us made de beds. Dey was called "Georgia hosses"; us took two poles an' stuck 'em in de walls an' den tied de third pole 'cross ter make de foot ob de bed. Den us filled de ticks wid shucks from de corn er wid crab grass an' moss. Dey made good beds. Dar wuzn't no cotton fer beds fer de sarbants. Dar wuzn't no cotton gins fer a long time an' de cotton was picked f'om de seed by hand an' dat was slow wukk. De w'ite folks had fedder beds an' cotton beds an' wool beds. Mammy raised her son geese an' atter some years her had fedder beds too.

W'en us freed on de road ter Texas us was jes' 'bout sixteen miles from Marse Bill's place. He owned dis land 'fore he went ter buy us in Oashitaw (Ouichita) parish. My mammy sold or de block fer $2400 an' her chillun brung f'om $1,000 ter $1,400 each. Us was in fine condition an' us didn't hab no scars f'om gittin' whipped. Dat showed dat us was good wukkers. Mammy wuzn't stripped naked lak some ob de wimmin case Marse Tom Wilson he said dat was all foolishment. She had er dress dat was fixed so dey could see dat she didn't hab no scars an no disfiggerment an' wuzn't crippled. Marse Tom he allus had he w'ite Doctor wid us effen de ole wimmin couldn't git us well. An Marse Bill he did de same fer us atter Freedom. He say us free but us can sta an' hope him wukk he fa'am effen us wants ter. All ob de seven famblies what was sole togedder in Louisiana, dey stayed an' wuk fer Marse Bill an' stay 'roun him an' he fambly till dey all dai bof' w'ite an' cullud. I'ze de onles' one lef'.

Dey played de ring plays back in Louisiana an' in Texas to Us had music by de banjo an' odder things. Den dar was de co'n huskins er shuckin'. Dey was pile up 'bout er hund'ed er two er mebby three hun'erd bushels ob corn outside under er shed. Den at night us 'ud git togedder an' hab er corn shuckin'. No'm dar wuzn't no contests, us jes' shuck an' hab er big time er talkin' an' laffin' an' wukkin'. De feller what owned de corn he'd gib er big supper an' us 'ud hab all de whiskey us could drink. No'm warn't no trubble 'bout gittin' drunk case mos' eberyboddy could carry dey likker purty well. Den atter de corn was shucked an' throwed inter de crib, us hab er ring play. Fer music us had some body ter scratch on skillet lids, beat bones an' der banjo. Dar wud be f'om thutty to fifty people dar. Dey was all cullud. De w'ite man he furnished de corn, de whiskey an' de supper, an' de black folks, de shuck de corn an' play. Some time, dey stay all night. Dey'd build up a big fire an' dance on de groun' out doors er in er big barn. "Wind de ball Suzy" was one ob de ring plays. Dar wuzn't no money ter buy er muzic insterment. Us 'ud take pieces of er sheep's rib, er a cow's jaw, er a piece ob iron wid an old kettle er a piece ob wood, a hollow gourd an' er few horse hairs an' make er drum an' things ter make muzic wid. Some times dey 'ud git a piece ob de trunk ob a tree, hollowed out an' stretch er sheep er a goat's skin ober hit for a drum. Dese 'ud be from one to four feet high an' six to er leetle more dan er foot ercross. (About fourteen inches across from the description). Dar was in general two togedder ter play wid dar fingers er two sticks on dis drum. Nebber seed meny in Texas. Dey had 'em in Louisiana an' on our place in Texas. Dey 'ud take er bufferlo horn an' scrape hit out an' make er flute. Dat 'ud shore be heard er long ways off. Den dey 'ud take er mules' jawbone an' rattle a stick ercross its teef'. Dey 'ud sometimes take er barrel an' strectch er ox's hide ercross one end an' er man 'ud set astride de barrel an' beat upon de hide wid he hands, he feet, an' effen he git ter feelin' de muzic en he bones, he'd beat on de barrel wid he haid. Anodder man 'ud beat on de wooden side wid sticks. Yassum, us 'longed ter de chech. Now, didn't you know dat dancin' ain' such er sinful effen de feets ain' crossed? Yassum, us danced at arbor-meetin's but us shore didn't hab us foots crossed. W'en you hear de sarbants er singin' "Steal Away ter Jesus" dat's de signification dat dars gwine be a ligious meetin' somewhar dat night. De plantation owners 'fore an' atter Freedom dey don' lak dem 'ligious meetin's, so de sarbants jes' nacherley gwine slip off.

I voted till I was 'bout forty-five years old, den I jes' kinder got outten de habit. I hunted wid hog dogs fer 'possum an' rabbits an' coon an' squirrel. I'ze hunted erlong de Washita (Ouichita) back in ole Louisiana, an' erlong de Big Brazos in Texas. Dar warn't no lumber mills w'en us furst come ter Texas an' us split rails fer fences an' as dar warn't no shingles, us rived boards fer de top ob de houses. De chimblys was mosley made ob sticks an' dirt. Dar wuzn't meny rattlers (rattle snakes), but dar was plenty ob chicken snakes an coach whips. Dem whip-snaked, dey 'ud roll up like er barrel an' dey shore whip you to deaf effen dey cotched you. One time I was down in de Big Brazos bottom er huntin' an' er coach whip snake he git atter me. He run me 'bout er hundred to one hundred fifty yards. He jes roll heself inter er hoop an' here he come an' dar I went. No'm he didn't cotch me. Us had good eatin' in de ole days. Had bacon an' greens, sweet pertaties, collards an' sech. Us only got flour once er week, dat was on Sunday mornin'. Fer er long time atter Freedom hit was de same way. Sho' I 'members de road an' how it was er comin' ter Texas. Mos' ob de time dar wuzn't no road an' us had to cut one. An' dar wuzn't no bridges. Sometimes dar was er ferry, but mos' de time, you jes wade, swim er sink bes' as you kin. Back in Louisiana an' here in Texas, dar was a big bell in Marse's yard an' hit 'ud ring fer us ter go to wukk by an' ter stop by. Us had ter git ter wukk jes' ez soon as hit was light. De bell 'ud ring 'bout eleven thutty ob er mornin' an' us git back ter wukk in er little while an' wukk till dark. Mammy wukked in de fiel' in de day an' spun an' wove at night. On bad days an' in de winter, her did de mos' ob de spinnin' an' weavin'. Dar was a shoemaker on de plantation an' he made mos' ob de shoes. Dey was brogans wid one buckle, no shoe laces, an' dey had brass toes. I played erlong de Washita as I grew up. W'en us come ter Texas, us crossed de Red Ribber erbout whar Natichitoches is an' den us crossed de Sabine Ribber at Sabine town. Us come through Navasot (Navasota) an' through Bryan an' Hearne, on close ter Calvert.

I got married in er suit ob doe-skin jeans, ain't none lak dem now-er-days. I married Cornelia Horde . She wore a purty blue gingham dat de w'ite folks bought an' made fer her. Us had six chillun. Calvin , he was de oldes', he daid now. Den dar was Early , Mary , Fred , he's daid, an de baby, Frank . He's grown long time now. Ole Marse he had two chillun. Marse Will an' Mis' Mattie . She got married ter Doctor Selmon Rice of Marlin. Marse Will he on de ole place now. I dunno 'bout supe'stitions. But I'ze seen er lot ob strange things in my life. Hit was purtty hard in de ole times ter git er lot ob things dat you had ter have, but us has now. Salt was one ob dese things. Nuffin' tastes eatable lessen you hab er little salt. Effen dar was er salt close den dat's all right, but effen you didn't den dat was bad. I allus been tolt dat effen dar's salt scattered erbout de house dat is good. An' allus take salt de furst thing in er new house, 'fore eny thing else. Jes' set de salt box on de kitchen table. Den sprinkle some all ober de house. Effen you know dat some one is wukkin' er conjure trick 'ginst you, jes take some powdered brick dust an' scrub de steps real good. Dat'll kill eny spell dat de conjure done sot dere. De bes' watch dog you kin git fer hoodoo is er frizzly chicken. Effen you got one ob dese on de place, a person can res' in peace case hit will scratch up ebery trick laid agin its owner. Effen you see er frizzly chicken er scratichin' 'bout de place, hit's a shore sign dat you have been conjured. Er frizzly chicken come outten he shell backwards an' dat is why he de debbil's own. I'ze foun' dat er horseshoe allus brings good luck. Effen er chicken hawk sees er horseshoe, he jes' nacher'lly can't pick de chickens up in he claws.

De ole folks (slaves) allus tell me to make a cross inside my shoe ebery mornin' 'fore lebin' de house, den ain't no conjurer gwine git he conjure 'gin my foots. An' effen you wear your under clothes wrong side out den ain't noboddy gwine conjure you. Anodder way is ter put saltpeter in de soles ob your shoes. Effen you wear er little piece of de "peace plant" root in your pocket er in your shoe dat's pow'ful strong ergin' de conjure. Er piece of de Betsy bug's heart wid some silver money is good. Den effen you cain't git none ob dese, jes take er piece ob newspaper an' cut hit der size ob your shoe sole an' sprinkle nine grains ob red pepper on hit. Dar ain't no hoodoo gwine ebber ha'am you case he would hab to stop an' count ebery letter on dat paper, an' by dat time, you gwine be gone erway from dar. Effen you want to find de tricks what hab been sot, you jes' kill you er fat chicken an' sprinkle some ob de blood in de conjure doctor's lef' pa'am. Den take your forefinger an' hit dat blood till hit splatter. An' hit gwine splatter in de direction whar dat trick is hid. Den w'en you fin' de trick, sprinkle er little quicksilver ober er piece ob paper an' put de paper on de fire, an' dat trick gwine be laid forebber. Ole folks tole me how ter make er conjurer lebe town. Make up a hickory fire and let hit burn down to coals. Den you take up two live coals. One ob dese is gwine be you; an' de odder libe coal dat's gwine be de luck; an' de dead coal, dat's gwine be you enemy. Den you jes' keep awake till de rooster crows fer midnight. Dat am de end ob de day. Now you chunk de live coal, dat am you, torrds de south, dat's de warm country; den throw de odder live coal to de east. Now you knows dat noddin' cain't gi obber fia'h. Den throw de dead coal, dat's your enemy, torrerds de norf', dat's de cole country. Now, 'fore de week be out, dat conjurer, he'll be a-leabin' dar fer anodder place. Dar was er ole Injun who uset to hang 'roun Marse Bill's place er lot. He say de bes' way ter git de bes' ob de conjurer was ter git de clay from around de mouf' ob er crawfish hole, an some dirt from er red ant's hole. Mix dese an' wet hit wid whiskey er camphor. Den git some angle worms an' boil dem den add de worm water to de clay an' dirt. Effen you rub de conjured pusson wid dis he trubble done gwine erway. I don' know nuffin' 'bout no ghostes. But ole Mandy she done libed down near de edge ob de grabeyard. One mo'nin' she looked out torreds de well in de yard. Dis well had er crank ter pull de water up an' dar was a gourd dipper tied ter de well. Jes Dar was er kind ob grove ob trees kinder back ob de well. Jes ez plain ez could be she seed dat well crank er turnin' an' er turnin' an' de bucket ob water hit come up an' hit sot itself on de kurb. Den de gourd hit dipped itself in de bucket an' hit rize up lak ter er pusson's mouf'. Mandy she skeered so she cain't holler, ner move. She jes' stan' an' look. De dipper put itself' back in de bucket an' den dar was er awful whirring noise all through de trees, den dar was nuffin' more. I'ze heard ole Mandy tell dis many er time. She done move f'om dat place dat day an' won't noboddy ebber lib dar no more.