|
|
Old 'Aunt' Lonie Knox is a unique character around Anderson, S.C. Dressed in rags and tatters, she goes around to all the garbage cans, picking out scraps of food which she puts in various bags and boxes she carries with her. To see her, you would think she was the poorest beggar.
She is very suspicious, and extremely cautious in what she says, showing a very keen mind. Her shifty eyes betray her. After a few interviews with her you realize there is something she is trying to hide.
She owns four or five houses and is preparing to build another one right away. The contractor told the writer that when he built her last house for her, she counted out in one dollar bills the exact amount of what it cost to build the house. When asked how old she was, she seemed to be very uncertain. She says all she remembers is that during the Hampton "shamplane", she hollered, "Hurrah for Hampton."
She is deeply interested in the old age pension, but was told that she would have to prove her age. She would not talk of superstitions; the only thing the writer could get from her was this song:
"When I go to heaven, gonna live always;
Want to go to heaven, by and by,
To feast on the mild and honey and the wine;
And I want to go to heaven when I die."
(Lebby, R. Bee, Charleston, S. C., Jessie A. Butler, Interviewer, Charleston, S. C.)
