I
played with his girl. We was about the same size. Her name was Annie
Mathis. He was a Mathis. He was a blacksmith too at Monticello and later
he bought a farm three and one-half miles out. I was raised on a farm.
Papa died there. I washed and done field work all my life. Grandma
married Bob Mathis.
"Our owner was Sam and Lizzie Allen. William Allen was his brother. I
think Sam had eight children. There was a Claude Allen in Monticello and
some grandchildren, Eva Allen and Lent Allen. Eva married Robert Lawson.
I lived at Round Pond seventeen or eighteen years, then come to Forrest
City. I been away from them Allen's and Mathis' and Gill's so long and
'bout forgot 'em. They wasn't none too good to nobody--selfish. They'd
make trouble, then crap out of it. Pack it on anybody. They wasn't none
too good to do nothing. Some of 'em lazy as ever was white men and
women. Some of 'em I know wasn't rich--poor as 'Jobe's stucky.' I don't
know nothing 'bout 'em now. They wasn't good.
"I was a baby at freedom and I don't know about that nor the Ku Klux.
Grandpa started a blacksmith shop at Monticello after freedom.
"My pa was a white man. Richard Allen was mama's husband.
"Me and my husband gats ten dollars from the Old Age Pension.
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