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A darkie, ninety years old, feeble, yet fat and jolly, Uncle Richmond, sits on the little porch of his bran' new house on the old Plank Road just at the edge of the old town of Cheraw and thinks of the past.
A slouching lazy dog: Uncle Richmond's wife, Sister Mary; a gran' chile coming in and out of the gate (latched by a chain on a nail); a perfume peddler interrupt as Uncle Richmond tells his stories which he himself also interrupts with his frequent chuckles.
Uncle Richmond, once a slave under William Ellerbe in Marlboro Co., remembers when steamboats plied along The Great Pee Dee River, remembers when he ran on the "Planter," the "Alice Clark," and the "Swan." He remembers the place the stage coach blew its "station blow" just before entering Cheraw on the old Plank Road which in town becomes First St. --- in stage coach days the main street, today the negro section of Cheraw.
Converted 73 years ago, Uncle Richmond or "Doc" was a preacher for 35 years.
"When I was converted somthin' struck me wide open. I seed two men wid basin an' towel. Dey say 'You travlin' rite'. Dey hab a wide book, turn a leaf or two ober an' as dey 'gins to rite, I'se put back to-gether an' am hole agin. Dey write my name in de book. Dey say 'Go in peace an' sin no mo'. Yo' sins hab been forgiven.' I'se seen de Holy Spirit many times; I'se seen visions ob de green fiels ob Eden, de people dere makin' happy move. An' I'se seen the sinner, Hamp Pleasure, when he die. He say 'Awe, Awe, an' rung de roun's outer de chair fo he die."
Uncle Richmon' pause and then tells other adventures.
"One tim' I was travelin' down to Gardiner's Ferry -- fifteen mile 'cross de riber -- 'Long come a wil' cat -- We fought at de bridge. He jumped ober my shoulder an' tear my coat. I hit him a lick dat knocked his heart outer place an' he die.
"Agin I was goin' to Gardiner's Ferry an' I hear somethin' behin' me sayin'. 'Dat Richmon''. Den de oder. 'No taint'. I look bac'. De fus say 'Den' I tell you so?' --- Dey was hants.
"Den' one time I was in de grabe yard. Dere wa two hant. dere an' dey say de sam'ting tree time: 'Dat Richmon'' an' "No taint'. Den dey clap dere han's an a pine tree, just alk' dis, tree time. I turn 'round an' den one say 'I tole you'
"Its wicked to fish on Sunday. Jeff use to fish ebby Sunday. People say to Jeff, 'You ough't fish ebby Sunday, Jeff.' But Jeff say 'Gota work in de week'. One Sunday he coched a fish wid fo' eyes. Jeff was scared. He neber fish no mo'. --- He die two months atter dat."
"Den dere was a man nam' Jim who hunt ebbery nite. One time win he was huntin', sometin' say to him 'Ebby nite hunt? Monday nite hunt? Tuesday nite hunt? Wednesday nite hunt? Thursday nite hunt? Friday nite hunt? Sadday nite hunt? Ebby nite hunt?' Den he say who he is speakin'. 'Jackey, Jackey, 'longs to ole 'state.'"
Once dere was a hanted house. None ob de ole people was libin'. Nobody could stay in de house. One night 'wen a man was dere a witch hant appear. He cut off tree ob de hants fingers an' she lebe. De man put de fingers in his pocket an' de nex' mornin' dere was rings on de fingers.
"Long com' a shoe-maker. He was tole he could have de house if he could stay dere. So he stay. He was makin' his shoes one night w'en a cat appear. De cat turn herself roun' and roun' fo de fire an' den reach out her foot at de man an' den run out de door. De man run behin'. He follow 'er to de swamp. She run in de hollow ob a tree. De man mark de tree. De next mornin' he go back dere an' dug up som' money. Dere was a note say to dig on tother side. Dere were mo' money. --- No mo' hants com' to dat hous' atter dat."
"Me an' some white men went to hunt hidden treasur' one nite. We dug 'til we had it up outer de groun'. Den com' a wil' cat wid horns on his head. De white mens run. I stay. Atter w'ile dey all com' back. Den dey say 'Les lef' dis place.' We lef'. --- It was dere do --- de treasur' --- Some mo' people com' an' got it. Dere was nine thousan' dollar."
"One time I had a male cow---mighty fitin' cow. He hooked a horse an' throwed him down. One day he knock' my brother, Elli thru de fence. One day we put de bull in a flat to cross ober de riber. He jump off an' swum cross an' ran 'bout two mile tryin' to kill ebery ting on de way.
"Sis Mary was runned by a bull once. She runned 'cross de fiel' an' pile rock on his head.
"Sis Mary's kin 'longed to ole Col. Cash---Dey was rich. Col Cash kill Ole Man Snow, Sis Mary's great uncle. Ole Man Snow help Col. Cash hide de silber 'fore Sherman com'. Den Col. Cash dress up like Sherman's soldier an' com' down to Ole Man Snow's hous'.
Col. Cash talk like de yankee, 'You know whare yo' marser hid de silber?' Ole Man Snow sey 'Yea, I kno' whare it tis.' An' he were gwine to tell. Col. Cash got mad wid Ole Man Snow an' say 'Git 'way from here 'fore tomorrow' mornin' or I kill you.' But w'en de col. com nex' mornin' to Ole Man Snow hous', Ole Man Snow standin' in de do'. Col. Cash shot him an' kill him. 'Cose he was Col. Cash own slave an' crazy not to go w'en Col. Cash tole him to lebe."
"My maser had 5,000 colored people an' no trouble feedin' dem. --Dere ware a snow in 1853--on de groun' 4, 5, 6, an' 10 feet deep. Snow stayed on de groun' three months."
(Fielder, Hampton, Project #1655, Stiles M. Scruggs, Columbia, S. C.)
