Oklahoma Writers~ Project ~	-.4... 179



	Mi~bche11 was called first and. asked could he read. and. write. He was scared stiff. He said, “Naw—sir.“ Andrew was called and asked. He said, “Yes~sir. U He waz asked iffen Mitchell could. He said, „ Sho ‚ ‚ bettert n me •

The master told John Arnold, the patroller chief, not to bother oem. He gloried in they spuxik. ~hen the old master died, he left all of his niggers a home apiece. We had Ku Klux Kians till the government sent Federal officers out and put a stop to their ravaging and sent tem to Sing Sing.

	Doing the war my father was carpenter. His young master corne to him

I cause he was a preacher and asked him must he go to the front ar~& my father

told him not to go tcause he wouldn‘t make it. He wenton jest the saine and

when he come back my father Lad to tote him in the house ~cause h~ had one le~

t ore off. The Yankee s come thoo ~ ‚ ramshacked house s ‚ leave poor horses and.

take fat ones and. turn the poor ones in. the corn they left. They took ever-~

thing they could.. They cus s~ ~igger s who dod~.ged ‚ em for b eing fools and make

t em show t em everything they knowed. whar was.

	Our old master was mighty old and him and. the women folks cried when. we was freed, He told. us we was free as he was.

	I come to Oklahoma in. 1906. I come out of that riot in 1906. Some fellow knocked UI) a colored. woman or something and. we waded. right in and. believe me we macle Atlanta a fit place to live in. It is 011e of the best cities

in ~America.

	I married. Miss Einmalin.e Witt. I carried her to the preacher one of the colde st night s I ever rid.. I have three chillun and. don‘ t know how many grandehillun. ~r chillun is one a nurse, one In Arizona for his health and. the other doing first one thing and. another.

	I think Abraham Lincoln was the greatest human being ever been on