tion,
and on Saturdays dey danced till 12 o'clock midnight. Sometimes dey
danced jigs, too, in a circle, jumping up and down. In dese times de
young folks dance way into Sunday mornings, and nobody to stop 'em, but
Marse wouldn't let his slaves dance atter 12 o'clock.

"Everybody believed in ghosts. Nobody would pass by a graveyard on a
dark night, and dese days dey go to cemeteries to do deir mischief, at
night and not afraid. Doctors used to have home-made medicines. Old Dr.
Brown made medicine from a root herb to cure rheumatism. He called it
'rhue'. He lived in what is now called Graveltown. His old house has
been torn down. He made hot teas from barks for fevers. He made a liquid
salve to rub on for rheumatism.

"When freedom come most of de slaves stayed on. Some man come here to
make a speech to de slaves. He spoke in Marse Fair's yard to a big crowd
of niggers and told dem to stay on and work for wages. When de Yankees
come through here, dey stole everything dey could git deir hands on. Dey
went in de house and took food and articles. Marse put guards around his
house to keep dem out so dey wouldn't steal all de potatoes and flour he
had for his slaves. Ku Klux went around de country and caught niggers
and carpetbaggers. De carpetbaggers would hunt up chillun's lands, whose
daddys was killed and try to take dem. Dat was when Judge Leheigh was
here, and Capt. Bone was postmaster. Dey was Republicans, but when de
Democrats got in power dey stopped all dat.

"When I married John Dorroh I had a big wedding. We married at de Harp
place in Newberry, jes' behind de big house, in a nigger cottage. White
folks and niggers come. I was known amongst de best white families
'cause I served as cook for dem. I was married by Rev. J. K. Walls, a
nigger preacher from Charleston.

"I think slavery ended through de work of Almighty God. My mother always
said dat was it. My daddy left here and went to Memphis when I was five
years old. He sent home $40. He was in de army wid Major James Baxter.
He took care of de guns and things of de Major."

Source: Isabella Dorroh (N, 75), Newberry, S. C.
Interviewer: G. L. Summer, Newberry, S. C. 11/22/27.

Project 1885-1
Spartanburg, S. C.
May 31, 1937
Edited by: Martha Ritter

FOLKLORE: EX-SLAVES

"I was born in Newberry County, S. C. below Prosperity on Capt. George
De Walt's place. My daddy and mammy was Giles and Lizzie De Walt
Downing. My daddy be