at. Dere was no jail for
slaves on our place but not far from dere was a jail.

"De Ku Klux Klan made everything pretty squally, so dey taken de orphan
chillen to Little Rock and kep' 'em two, three years. Dere was lots of
slaves in dat country 'round Rob Roy and Free Nigger Bend. Old
Churchill, who used to be governor, had a plantation in dere.

"When I was nine years ol' dey had de Bruce and Baxter revolution. 'Twas
more runnin' dan fightin'. Bruce was 'lected for governor but Baxter
said he'd be governor if he had to run Brooks into de sea.

"My young Massa, Jack Mobley, was killed in de war, is how I come to be
one of de orphan chillen.

"While us orphan chillen was at Little Rock dere come a terrible
soreness of de eyes. I heard tell 'twas caused from de cholera. Every
little child had to take turns about sittin' by de babies or totin'
them. I was so blind, my eyes was so sore, I couldn't see. The doctor's
wife was working with us. She was tryin' to figure up a cure for our
sore eyes, first using one remedy and den another. An old herb doctor
told her about a herb he had used on de plantations to cure de slaves'
sore eyes. Dey boiled de herb and put hit on our eyes, on a white cloth.
De doctor's wife had a little boy about my age. He would play with me,
and thought I was about hit. He would lead me around, then he would run
off and leave me and see if I could see. One day between 'leven and
twelve o'clock--I never will fergit hit--he taken me down to de mess
room. De lady was not quite ready to dress my eyes. She told me to go on
and come back in a little while. When I got outside I tore dat old rag
off of my eyes and throwed hit down. I told the little boy, 'O, I can
see you!' He grabbed me by de arm and ran yellin' to his mammy, 'Mama,
he can see! Mama, Owen can see!' I neva will fo'git dat word. Dey were
all in so a rejoicin', excitable way. I was de first one had his eyes
cured. Dey sent de lady to New York and she made plenty of money from
her remedy.

"Things sure was turrible durin' de war. Dey just driv us in front of de
soldiers. Dere was lots of cholera. We was just bedded together lak
hogs. The Ku Klux Klan come behind de soldiers, killin' and robbin'.

"After two or three years in de camp with de orphans, my kin found me
and took me home.

"My grandfather and uncle was in de fightin'. My grandfather was a wagon
man. De las' trip he made, he come home bringin' a load of dead soldiers
to be buried