9
I~NTERVIEW

WILEY CHILDRESS

808 Gay St.

Nashville, Tennessee

	“I‘se 83 Y‘ars ole en wuz bawn a slave. Mah mammy

b‘longed ter de Bosley‘s en mah daddy b‘longed ter de Scales.

	“W‘en Miss Jane Boxisy ma‘rled Marster Jerry Scales, me en ~ti~h mammy, br“eÏ~ en slstab wuz gib ter Miss Jane.“

	“Dunn‘ de war mab Missis tuk xnah mammy en.-us chilluns wid her ter de mount‘ Ins ‚ till de war wuz gon‘ . Did‘ nt see no soldiers. Don‘t mömber now nuthin‘ ‘bout dem Klu Klux men en don‘t member de oie songs er ‘bout slaves votin‘ .„

	“Dunnà ‘bout de young persons, white ex‘ black, dey ez : all so wildnow.“ -

	“W‘en we all~wuz freedwe had nuthth en no placeter go, • so dat. mah marrirnylived wid. oiirMlssis five y‘ars longer.“

	~	“De only störydat I member rnah people töle me ‘boutwuz on Fedd, a slave on de next plantation. He wuz abig man en wuz de strongest man noah dat part ob de kuntry. He wouldin‘ ‘low nobody ter whup ‘in. De ~1arster framed ‘1m by tellin‘ ‘im ter bring his saddle hoes en w‘en he kum wid de hose several men ‘peahrd en tole Fedd dat dey wuz gonna whup ‘im. He struek one ob de mans so hahd dey had ter hab de doctuh. De Marster said let ‘im ‘lone he‘s too strong ter be whùp‘d. I‘ll hab ter shoot t\~.rn. One time Fedd run ‘way en de white men whar he stopped know‘d

T f hé wi~~ a good fighter en made a ~25O.OO bet dat nobody could lick

t im. A nigger fum de iron wuks Thught Fedd en Fedd won. De iron ~*u1cs nigger wuz kiltright der~,
~ ~\	li