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The plantation owned about twenty bloodhounds. The dogs were in charge of a slave, whose sole duties were to hunt predatory animals. Doc says that he has been forced to seek refuge in trees several times from angry bears, always selecting a small tree that a bear could not hug, so was unable to climb. The following is an incident which occurred on the Ogburn plantation, as related by Doc Quinn: “Late one ebenin’, me an’ anudder nigger named Jerry wuz comin’ home frum fishin’. Roundin’ a bend in de trail, whut do we meet almos’ face to face?—A great big ole bar! Bein’ young, an’ blessed wid swif’ feet, I makes fo’ de nearest tree, and hastily scrambles to safety. Not so wid mah fat frien’. Peerin’ outen thru de branches ob de tree, I sees de bar makin’ fo’ Jerry, an’ I says to mahself:“Jerry, yo’sins has sho’kotched up wid yo’dis time.”But Jerry, allus bein’ a mean nigger, mus’ hab had de debbil by he side. Pullin’ outen his Bowie knife, dat nigger jumps to one side as de bar kum chargin’ pas’, and’ stab it in de side, near de shoulder. As de bar started toinin’ roun’ to make anudder lunge at de nigger he notice de blood spurtin’ frum de shoulder.An’ whut do yo’ think happen’? Dat ole bar forgets all about Jerry. Hastily scramblin ’aroun’,he begins to pick up leaves,an’trash an’clamps dem on de wound, tryin’ to keep frum bleedin’ to deaf. Yo’ ax did de bar die? Well, suh, I didn’ wait to see de result. Jerry, he done lef’ dem parts, an’ not wantin’ to stay up in dat tree alnight by mahself, I scrambles down an’ run fo’ mile home in double quick time!” Monroe County Burgess, Jeff Clarendon, Arkansas Age: 74? Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson [M:8: pt. 1: 334–35] “I was born in Granville, Texas. My master was Strathers Burgess and mistress Polly Burgess. My master died ’fore I was born. He died on the way to Texas, trying to save his slaves. Keep them from leaving him and from going into the war. They didn’t want to fight. His son was killed in the war. My folks didn’t know they was free till three years after the war was over. They come back to Caloche Bay, the old home place. There was a bureau at De Valls Bluff. They had to let the slaves go and they was citizens then. My folks wasn’t very anxious to leave the white owners because times was so 243 Lankfordtext:Lankford / Final Pages 7/14/09 10:06 AM Page 243 funny and they didn’t have nowhere to go. The courts was torn up powerful here in Arkansas. “Heap of meanness going on right after the war. One man tell you do this and another man say you better not do that you sho get in trouble.It was hard to go straight. They said our master was a good man but awful rough wid his slaves and the hands overseeing too. Guess he was rough wid his family too. “Times is hard with me. I get $10 pension every month. I got no home now. I got me three hogs. I lives three miles from here (Clarendon). “If I wasn’t so old and no account I’d think the times the best ever. It’s bad when you get old. I jess sees the young folks. I don’t know much about them. Seems lack they talk a lot of foolish chat to me. I got a lot and a half in town. They tore down my house and toted it off for fire wood. It was rented. Then they moved out and wouldn’t pay no rent. They kept doing that way. I never had a farm of my own. “I was good with a saw and axe.I cleared land and farmed.Once I worked on the railroad they was building. I drove pile mostly. Farming is the best job and the best place to make a living. I found out that myself.” Cotton, T.W. Age: 80 Helena, Arkansas Interviewer: Irene Robertson [M:8: pt. 2: 39–41] “I was born close to Indian Bay. I belong to Ed Cotton. Mother was sold from John Mason between Petersburg and Richmond,Virginia. Three sisters was sold and they give grandma and my sister...

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