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Biscoe, Arkansas
Age 65
"I was born close to Magnolia, Arkansas.
"My mother was Harriett Marshal. Her old mistress was a Marshal. She was a widow woman and had let all her
slaves go out to her children but mama. Mama was her husband's chile, what she tole mama. They come here from
Atlanta, Georgia visiting her married daughter. They was the Joiners at Magnolia, Arkansas. She brought mama and
on her way back home to Atlanta she died. Her daughter brought her back and buried her in Arkansas and kept
mama.
"Mama said they was nice to her. They wouldn't let her keep company with no black folks. She was about as white
as white folks. She was white as my husband. Her mother was light or half white. My own papa was a black man.
"The Joiners and Scotts visited down at Magnolia among themselves but they didn't want mama to marry in the
Scott family (of Negroes). But the white folks was mighty good friends. Mama took care of the children. They was
in the orchard one day. Papa spied mama. He picked up a plum and threw at her. She say, 'Where that come from?'
He stooped down and seen her under the limbs. They was under another plum tree. Papa got to talk to her that day.
The old mistress wouldn't 1st her out of sight. Papa never could have got her if Mistress Marshal had lived.
"Mama had three or four sisters and brothers in Atlanta, and her mother was in Atlanta. Her parents were Bob and
Lucindy Marshal.
Bob was Lucindy's master. Mama told old mistress to bring Harriett back and she promised she would. That was
one thing made her watch after her so close. She never had been made a slave. She was to look after old mistress.
"After she died mama's young mistress let papa have her. He mustered up courage to ax for her and she said, 'Yes, L
(for Elbert), you can have her.' That was all the marrying they ever done. They never jumped over no broom she
said. They was living together when she died. But in slavery times mama lived on at Judge Joiner's and papa at
Scott's place. One family lived six miles east of Magnolia and the other six miles north of Magnolia. Papa went to
see mama twelve miles. They cut through sometimes. It was dense woods. Mama had one boy before freedom. In all
she had three boys and four girls.
"The Scott and Joiner white folks told the slaves about freedom. Papa homesteaded a place one mile of the
courthouse square. The old home is standing there now.
"Papa said during the Civil War he hauled corn in an ox wagon. The cavalry met him more than once and took
every ear and grain he had. He'd have to turn and go back.
"He said when freedom come, some of the people tole the slaves, 'You have to root pig or die poor.'
"My great-grandpa was sold in South Carolina. He said he rather die than be sold. He went up in the mountains and
found a den of rattlesnakes to bite him. They was under a stone. Said when he seen them he said, 'Unher! You can't
bite me.' They commenced to rattle like dry butter-beans. He went on and dressed to be sold. Master Scott bought
him and brought him on to Arkansas. He had to leave his wife. He never got back to see her.
"Grandpa had to come leave his wife. Eo married ag'in and had five sons and a girl. They was Glasco, Alex,
Hilliard, Elbert, Bill, and Katharine. They belong to Spencers till the Scotts bought them but all these children was
his Scott children.
"My uncle's wife belong to white folks not Scotts. Scotts wouldn't sell and her folks wouldn't part from her. They
moved down in Louisiana and took her and one chile. Uncle run away to see her. The Scotts put the hounds after
him and run him two days and two nights. He was so tired he stopped to rest. The dogs come up around him. He
took a pine knot and killed the lead dog, hit him in the head and put him in a rotten knot hole of a hollow tree been
burned out and just flew. The dogs scattered and he heard the horns. He heard the dogs howl and the hoofs of the
man's horses. The old master was dead. He didn't allow the boys to slash in among his niggers. After he died they
was bossy. Uncle said he made his visit and come back. He didn't ever tell them he killed the lead dog nor how
close they come up on him. He said they was glad to see him when he come back. His wife was named Georgana.
"After freedom grandpa named himself Spencer Scott. He buried his money. He made a truck garden and had
patches in slavery both in South Carolina and at Magnolia. He told me he had rusty dollars never been turned over
since they made him come hers. He left some money buried back there. We found his money on his place at
Magnolia when he died. He tole us where it was.
"One night he was going across a bridge and taking a sack of melons to Magnolia to sell in slavery times. A bear
met him. He jumped at the bear and said 'boo'. The bear growled and run on its way. he said he was so scared he
was stiff. They 1st them work some patches at night and sell some things to make a little money. The ole master
give them some money if they went to the city. That was about twice a year papa said. He never seen a city till years
after freedom. His pa and grandpa got to go every now and than. Magnolia was no city in them days.
"It is hard to raise children in this day and time. When I want on the Betznar place (near Biscoe, Arkansas) my son
was eight years old. He growed up along side Brooks (Betzner). I purt nigh talked my tongue out of my head and
Brooks' (white boy) mother did the same thing. Every year when we would lay by, me and my husband (white
Negro) would go on a camp. Brooks would ask me if he could go. We took the two of them. (The Hawkens boy is
said to be a dark mulatto--ed.) He's a smart boy, a good farmer down in Lee County now. He married when he was
nineteen years old. It is hard to raise a boy now. There is boxing and prize fighting and pool halls and that'snot right:
Times are not improving as I can see in that way. Worse than I have ever seen them."
Interviewer Mrs. Bernice Bowden"
