~-	3()74G ~
37
	Interviewer~.	Mra.BsrntceBowdea
	Person interviewed~	~rj~ Ricks
~ 517 i; 22nd Avenu•, Pine. Bluff, &rkansas



~	— — ~ — ~ ——~———————~——~~ — ~ ~ — a. ~ — “I was born in slavery times. I ‘member runnin ‚ from the Yankees when

they wanted to carry me off. ~uat devilin‘ n, you know, You know how little chillun was ‘bout white folks in them days.

	nI went to school three weeks and my daddy stopped me and put me to

work.

“Old master was named ~ius~ie Ricka. They named me after him, I think, “My mother said he was a mighty good master. Didn‘t ‘low his nigger.

whipped.

“Yes ‘ni, I was born and raised in Arkansas, down here in Calhoun County. nI had a chance to learn hit I was a rowdy. I wanted to hunt. I was a mighty huntsinan.

“I was a good worker too. IlLite folks was all stuck on me ‚ oaua I was a good worker.

“1 did rann work and t1~en did public work after the crops was laid by.

~t now I got too old to work.
)

“I seen the Ku Klux once or twice Nhen they was Ktt K1ukin‘ around.

Some ot ‚ em would holler .‘Kluk, kiuk, kiuk‘ I was Q~ite ~niall ‚ but I could remember ‚ em ‚ cause I was scared of ‚ em.

	nI farmed all my life till year before last. I was a good farmer too0
“I. used to vote yars 8GO. I voted Republican. Tee rna‘a~.