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Reference: "Aunt" Ann Stokes, 91 years old negro, Caruthersville, Mo.
One or the most interesting characters of all Pamiscot County today is an old negro called "Aunt" Ann Stokes. She was born a slave "out hyar at Cottonwood Pint in 1844, a year ob high water". Nineteen thirty-six brings her to her ninety third year; all or which have been spent in Pamiscot County, except for an occasional visit to relatives. In the early years or her life she was known as "a good hard workin' nigger". Now she takes things more quietly, especially since she has lost her eyesight and can only hear when you shout very loudly. All day long she does very little, just "sits and rocks." For a very old woman she is certainly rine looking. Most old people are usually wrinkled. Aunt Ann looks to be only in her sixties.
A sort or creepy reeling comes to one in the presence or this old negro. She always leans close to you as she speaks, lays her hand on your arm, now and than pointing her ringer. Once and awhile she smiles snowing her few remaining teeth in grain ration. She speaks slowly in a high voice not at all shaky. Every story she tells is glorilied and exaggerated. She is anxious to talk and likes to have visitors. Never does she fail to mention her first "schoolin'"; she tells, "I learnt my alphabet in de middle ob a field unnerneath a 'simmon tree. My cousin teached me, you know we weren't 'lowed to had books in dem days. They didn't want us to know nothin'". When you mention the war between the States, you have hit a favorite subject of here. Especially, coss she pride herself on her war stories.
At Cottonwood Point she remembers standing on the bank of the river to "see transpots goin' south. Done busted through up north here. Tom de steam ob de boats we was uz wet us ir we'z a-standin' in a shower ob rain. Sa many soldiers dat day was all standin aroun de pilot houses. Dey was goin' tu Fort Pillar on a hill in Tennessee. Each a shootin as day was when dey turn dem cannons loose. Ize tol dat fur three mile down de river you couldn't tell ir it's blood or water.
"An ol' soldier tol' me how dey capture Vicksburg. Dey put a man on a ol' skint-up mile an senu him to de fort to spy. When he got thar he say he's a-runnin' way fom de Yankees. He's so pitiful lookin' an' so naked he couldn't hide his nakedness: so dey took him in. He stay aroun' de fort fur three days lookin' at everthing. He seen how it was all fixed. Den one mornin' he come up missin' and dey try to git on de track ob him. But it warn't no use 'cause one mornin' de man who'd been on de ol' skint-up mule come back wid sum Yanks an took de fort."
"You cua allas hyar de Yankees at Kennett or Hornersville wen day's aroun'. One day Ize over to see Melindy and I say: 'Melindy, does you all hyar sompin? Soun' like de Yankees, look out de winder and see ir you sess anything.'
She say, 'I don' see nothin'. Dey ain't no Yankees aroun' hyar.'
Well, I jest sit thar 'till I caint stan' it no more. I gets up and looks out de winder myself. Thar dey come down de roan and I knows theys Yanks 'cause I see de blue ob de coats. Pretty soon dey ride up to de house. Dey yell out: 'You all got any Currilers aroun' hyar?'
Me an' Melinay stan' in de doah I say, 'Melindy you go out dar an tell 'em.'
Melindy start across de yard wen de leader yell, 'I don' want you! De trur ain't in your yaller body.' (Melindy was a mulatto girl) 'Hey! you, you other girl, come hyar!'
'Yes suh,' I say an walk out de doah in de yard.
'Got any Gurrillers aroun' hyard?', he yell.
'No suh! 'sez I, 'Taint none aroun' hyar.'
'Know Mr. Douglass?', he say pointin' his ringer to a house 'cross de prairie.
'Yes suh,' siz I, 'I knows him wen I sees him.'
'Has he got any Gurrilers thar?'
'I don't know, suh.'
'Wal, thars a collau girl thar ain't they?'
'Yes suh, but I don' go round her no mo. We ain't speakin'. Reckon I ain't been on Mr. Douglasses place foah six month. I don't know nothin' bout it. You all better go see fur youahsevs.'
He leab den an rice ovah to Douglasses place. I seen Bud come out in de yarn. He call Bud ovah to de fence and talk to him. Bout dat time I see men comin' out de bake ob de house an chargin' ovah de fence into de thicket whar un't nothin' but lots ob trees, tare blanket, an blackberry bushes. Right ben and dare dey had a scrummage. De Yanks set nire to ever' buildin' on de place. De blaze was a-goin' up to de elementa! Not a thing did they take out ob as house ceptin' feather bed for a wounded Yankee.
Mr. Douglass, he hear about as shootin'. He tuk to de woods an stay rur a spell.
"I ain't had nothin' scare me so bau as one time I went down to de lot to feed. A big ol' black cat run right in font ob me and jump up on de corn. Dar he sat; sech a big cat, good big twice! Wal, it scairt me so I started to bleadin' at de nose. I come back home as las as I could. The ol' Doc ne couldn't stop it, I couldn't stop it, seem like nobouy can stop it. My blood blea much it look as color ob sassfrass tea. De ascona day Emma, she my daughter say. 'De Mack cat done gone. I cain't fin' it nowhere.'
Don my nose stop bleadin!'"
"What's a cure fur Rheumitize you say? They's jus one cure for dat. I knows! Ain't I had it so bed I couldn't raise up to stop ovah a fance raly Take a raw irish potato and pack it in your pocket. One day Ixe walkin' down de street an I meets Mr. Buffman. I say, 'Mr. Buffman, now's your Rheumatixe?'
He say, 'Ain't Ann, 'taint no better. I thinks I go down to Hot Springs fur a spell.'
'Humph,' says I, 'Don' you go way down dar to git well. You don't hab to do dat. You git you a raw frish potato and carry it wid you all de time. Wen you change yoah pants, change dat potato ober to de clean pants. Wen de potato git dry clean through, you won't hev no more Rheumatize.'
Nex' time I see him he sey hez line. Now ain't dat proor enough dat potatoes curs Rheumitiam?"
"One mawnin' I gets up to make a riah in de stobe. It's fearful cold an de moon is still a-shinin'. I put on my coat an start to work. While de stove am neatin' up I looks out de winder. I see sompin' queer lookin' out in de garden, sompin' standin' 'bout knee high all bright and sniny. I wonder what kin' ob a ghost has got loose now. I takes a broom an sneaks out de doah. Kinda haf shets may eyes kaze Ize scairt to death. Wham! I hits dat ting an scatters it all ovan de place. Warn't nothin' but an ol' cabbage, a po frozed cabbage!"
"Does I know Ol' Mexico Cole? Yessum, I reckon I do. He us a dawk man, a tolable dawk man, wid black hair an dawk eyes. He us what you say a madium built man. Yessah, Ol' Mexico Cole! He was a doctah. I member de night he was on his way home wen de storm cum up. De lighten lightenea an de thunder thundered! Sho' was a powful storm! He'z a-ridin' along on his hoss wen all ob a sudden a big lim' done rall off a tree an smash him flat. Dat's mighty bad, I tell yo, mighty bad. Yessuh, Ol' Mexico Cole. I members him."
"One time he walk on a tradin' boat an he see a bottle rull ob sompin' he don't know what. He picks it up an smell a deep breaf. Dat really rrowed him out fur a spell. Dey had to give 'em a halr a bottle ob melted greasel Yessum,
I members Ol' Mexico Cole."
Two or Aunt Ann's ravorite songs are:
"By'm by don' you griebe atter me
(This line repeated four times)
Wen I'm gone don you griebe atter me
Wen I'm gone don you griebe atter meWen I'm gone don you griebe atter meBy'm by don you griebe atter me.De Lawu has prepared de way an has carried my soul away(This line repeated three times)By'm by don you griebe atter me.Wen I'm deau don' you griebe atter me(This line repeated three times)By'm by don' you griebe atter me.The second song is sung by a "mighty clevah woman" to her lover. The negro woman is at home rocking her baby,
her husband is sitting not far away. A weird little whistle is heard. The negro soman sings to warn her lover ordanger."Oh, de win's in de wes',An' de cuckoo's in de nes',No loogin' hyar roah you,By you baby by yoo.Oh, de devil's in de man,Cain't you unnerstan',No loogin' hyar foah you,By you baby by yoo.(Repetition or the rirst verse.)
