Bollinger Co.
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(Con’t, Interview , Geo. Bollinger (ex-slave)

Dey must a heerd about de chest o’ money he had buried. Dey try to make him tell, ;but he 
wouldn’t. Den dey put ‘er rope ‘roun’ his neck an’ pulls him up. Den dey lets him down; but he wouldn’ 
tell no how—so dey finished him.
Yes, de’ nigger buyers ust’a cum roun’ our place. It was sight to see! Dere ‘ud be rebbe five ‘er six 
men a’ridin’ fine hosses ‘an a-drivin’ a whole flock ‘er slaves along de rode; jes’ like stock, all chained 
togedder.
On time dere wuz Pete Smith, ‘Ole Tom’ Johnson, an’ Fred an’ Sam Daughery; all’ niggar 
buyers—dey wuz at our place, an’ dey wud all sit dar, an’ us slaves had to stan’ up in front o’ ‘em, an’ 
dey’d bid on us. I ‘members I wuz full chested an’ dey laid a stick across my chest to see how straight I cud 
stan’. ‘Ole Pete’ Smith quz gonna’ buy me; but my young folks begged ‘Massa’ not to sell me, cause we’d 
all played togedder---so he didden’ sell me.
But dey wuz gonna buy my ‘pappy’ an take him way off, but, my ‘pappy’ was smart. He had 
made baskets at night an’ sold ‘em when he cud, ‘en saved de money—dat night he goes to de fireplace an’ 
lifts up a stone; an’ out o’ de hole he pulls out a bag a’ money an’ he runs away. I ain’t never seed my 
‘pappy’ since. Las’ I hurd a’ him he was in “Indiana.’ When Mista Lincoln made his Proclamation; (dat 
wuz ‘fore de war wuz over,) young Massa’ Dave set us free. He gave us a yoke of oxen an’ a wagon’ ; full 
o’ everythin’ we needed. Der wuz a feather bed ‘en quilts an’ meat an’ purvisions—an’ he sent us into de 
Cape—an we been livin’ roun’ here ever since.
All my white folks is daid ‘cept ‘Missie Kattie’, an’ do you know, some year back; she cum to see 
me. Yessir; her car druv up, right der, to de sidewalk, an’ she made all her grandchillun get out an’ shake 
han’s wif me. She sho’ wuz a fine woman!
‘Klu Klux?’ Yes, dey quz aroun’ sometime’, but dey didden bother ef you mind your own bizness. But de 
darkies better not congregate; buas day shore take ‘em out an’ flag’ em. If dey kotch you at a neighbor’s 
house atter dar, you shore better have a pass fum yo’ “Massa’