at. After we had toted
de books to de school house we'd go back down de road a piece and line
up and have the "gone-bying-est" fight you ever see. We'd have regular
battles. If I got licked in de morning I'd go home and rest up and I'd
give somebody a good licking dat evening. I reckon I caught up with my
fighting for in all my working life I have always worked with gangs of
men of from one to two-hundred and I never struck a man and no man
ever struck me.

Jim Williams was a patroller, and how he did like to catch a nigger
off de farm without a permit so he could whip him. Jim thought he was
de best man in de country and could whip de best of 'em. One night
John Hardin, a big husky feller, was out late. He met Jim and knowed
he was in for it. Jim said, "John I'm gonna give you a white man's
chance. I'm gonna let you fight me and if you are de best man, well
and good."

John say, "Master Jim, I can't fight wid you. Come on and give me my
licking, and let me go on home."

But Jim wouldn't do it, and he slapped John and called him some names
and told him he is a coward to fight him. All dis made John awful mad
and he flew into him and give him the terriblest licking a man ever
toted. He went on home but knew he would git into trouble over it.

Jim talked around over the country about what he was going to do to
John but everybody told him dat he brought it all on hisself. He
never did try to git another nigger to fight with him.

Yes, I guess charms keep off bad luck. I have wore 'em but money
always was my best lucky piece. I've made lots of money but I never
made good use of it.

I was always afraid of ghosts but I never saw one. There was a
graveyard beside de road from our house to town and I always was
afraid to go by it. I'd shut my eyes and run for dear life till I was
past de grave yard. I had heard dat there was a headless man dat
stayed there on cold rainy days or foggy nights he'd hide by de fence
and throw his head at you. Once a man got hit and he fell right down
dead. I believed dat tale and you can imagine how I felt whenever I
had to go past there by myself and on foot.

I saw lots of Ku Kluxers but I wasn't afraid of them. I knowed I
hadn't done nothing and they wasn't after me. One time I met a bunch
of 'em and one of 'em said, "Who is dis feller?" Another one said,
"Oh, dat's Gabe's foolish boy, come on, don't bother him." I always
did think dat voice sounded natural but I never did say anything