SLAVE NARRATIVES - Library of Congress

El Dorado District
oUOvi4 FOLKLORE SUBJECTS o*J-±
Name of Interviewer Pernella Anderson (Colored)
Subject NEGRO FOLKLORE - UNCLE JAMES TUBBS _
Story - Information (if not enough space on this page add page)
*Well ah wuz born second year after surrender* Some say dat makes me
72 years old* Mah mayr only had two boys. Ah am de baby* My pa wuz name
Manger Tubbs. I wuz a purty bad boy* When ah wuz one* Ah use ter hunt*
Use ter catch six and eight possums in one night* Ah use ter love tar fish*
Spunt er many a nite campin and fishin* An playin marbles wuz a wonderful
game in mah days yo knows* Fokes wuz en so wile den*
Ah recollect one night we went coon huntin and de boys wuz wanderin
roun and got lost* Some of de boys wuz wanderin roun tryin to git out and
couldn 1 so ah said: *Dar de seben star yo all jes wait and let B» fine de
way out and dey say all right," "We gwina trus yo to fine out a way out.*
Went on bout 200 yards and struck our fiel*. We crawled under fence and
went on, struck our coan (corn) fiel*. Den dey all reconcile wha dey is
and ah had a big laff. "When ah wuz a boy ah use to drink a little whiskey*
Finally ah said that would be mah ruin* Aftah ah got oldah ah jess decided
ah f d quit. Ah nevah did do no hahm the Parents didn f t raise me ter drink,
ah jes taken up the habit mahself. Ah use ter steal Grandma's aijrs, HeiHei
She use ter go ter church and tell us not to bother anything and fore she
got out er sight we'd done gone in de hen house. We boys git dem eggs and
git on out in our play thicket and roast em and eat em and you know grandma
found out where we roast dem aigs at, and *hooe if she didn 1 Whup us. HetHei
You know the wurs' race ah evah had in mah life ah wuz comin on fum Spear Se-
ville and two coach whipper wuz layin side de road and you know dem things
run me ooo-eee till ah got tuh a stream and you know ifn hit had not bee fer
dat watah dem things woulder caught me*