raight
over dar and lay my hand on Maria and rid her of dat misery dat she sont
word was ailing her all dis spring. Don't make no diff'uns whar you
hurts--woman, man or suckling babe--if you believes in de holler of my
hand, it'll ease you, allus do it. De Bible say so, dat's why it be
true. Ain't gwine to tell you nothing but de truth and de whole truth,
so help me Jesus. Gone 65 years, I is been born agin dat long; right
over in Padgett's Creek church, de white folks' church, dat's what de
Lawd tuck my sins away and washed me clean agin wid His blood. Dat's why
I allus sticks to de truth, I does.

"Dey all 'lows dat I is gwine on 89, and I has facts to believe it am
true. I 'longed to Marse Jesse Briggs. Did you know dat it was two Jesse
Briggs? Yes sir, sho was two Jesse Briggses.

"What I gwine to relate to you is true, but in respect to my old Marse,
and in de case dat dem what reads dat book won't understand, you needs
not to write dis statement down. My marster was called 'Black Jesse',
but de reason fer dat was to keep him from gitting mixed up wid de other
Jesse. Dat is de secret of de thing. Now dat's jes' fer your own light
and knowledge, and not to be wrote down. He was de blacksmith fer all de
Cross Keys section, and fer dat very thing he got de name by everybody,
'Black Jesse'. I allus 'longed to dat man and he was de kindest man what
de countryside had knowledge of.

"In Union County is whar I was born and raised, and it's whar I is gwine
to be buried. Ain't never left de county but once in my life, and if de
Lawd see fitten, I ain't gwine to leave it no mo', 'cept to reach de
Promise Land. Lawd! Lawd! De Promise Land, dat's whar I is gwine when I
leaves Union County. Dey carried me a hundred miles to cure a sick
woman, onliest time I ever left Union County. I loves it and I is fit
throughout and enduring de time dem Yankees tried to git de county, to
save it. What is I gwine to leave it fer? Mr. Perrin and all de white
folks is good to me since my marse done gone and left his earthly home.
And he is waiting up dar wid Missie to see me agin. Dat I is sho of.

"Listen brother, de Lawd is setting on His throne in Glory. He hear
every word dat I gwine to tell you. Folks fergits dat when dey talks
real often sometimes, don't dey? I put my hand on any 'flux' man or
woman and removes de pain, if dey have faith in my hand. I don't tell
nothing but de truth. I was born on Gist Briggs' plantation in Union
Coun