30753

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Interyleirsi‘	- ~ ~_~Mi~1!A ~‘8I~! ~ T ~

~	11‘80fl intei‘viewd ~ ~a~aiç8on~,~ He1en~., Arkansa~ø A~•~ ~


~	— — ~ — — — — — — — — ~ ~ - ~ — — ~ — ~ ~ — “Mother said I was born the eamo yar peace waa decisredo I waa born

befoi~s the Civil War close, I reckon. I waa born in Tunica, Miuiaaippi. Mother belong to kiatrese Coi‘nella and Master Yohn Hood. He coete frc Alabama in wagons and brought mother and whole Lot of ‘em, ehe said, to Tunics, Mississippi. My mother and fathr neyer sold. They told m that.

~1e said ahs waa with the aastsr and he give her to tathsr. ils aek hr did ehe want himend ask him if he want h•r. They lived on joint places. They elept together on Wednesday and Saturday nights. ifs etayed at HOOd‘ e plaà. on Sun~ay. Th•y Wa. owned by different maatsrs. They didn‘t never ~sy ‘bOut stepping over no broom. H~ was a Prince. Ihen he 4ted ehe married a man nsmd Rueaell. I never heard hsr asy what hie nama vas. My father vas Mathev Prinos. Th•y was both fisid hands. I never knoved my fathsr. I called ~ atepfather popper. I always did ~y mother.

	~sMother said her mastsr didn‘t tell them it was trssdc~. Other folks got told in August. They passed it ‘round aecretly. Soets Yankees cc~ asked if they was getting paid for picking cotton in September. They told their master. They told the Yankees ‘yes‘ ‘eau.. th.y was afraid they would be run off and no place to go. Thsy said Xastsr Hood paid th.~ mail for their work at cotton s.Uing time. E. nsvsr prcaiaed them nothing. ~i• said he never told one of thea to leav or to stay. H. let ‘em be. I reckon thay got fed. I wor cotton sack dress... It wasn‘t bagging. It was heavy stiff cloth.