"And these here frizzly chicken are good luck. If you have a black frizzly chicken and anybody put any poison or anything down in your yard, they'll scratch it up."
Interviewer: Mrs. Bernice Bowden
Person interviewed: Jeff Davis
1100 Texas Street, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Age: 85
[May 31 1938]
"What's my name? I got a good name. Name's Jeff Davis. Miss Mary Vinson was some of my white folks.
"Oh Lord yes, I was here in slavery times—runnin' around like you are—ten years old. I'm eighty-five even.
"Soldiers used to give me dimes and quarters. Blue coats was what they called 'em. And the Rebs was Gray.
"Yankees had a gun as long as from here to there. Had cannon-balls weighed a hundred and forty-four pounds.
"I'm a musician—played the fife. Played it to a T. Had two kinds of drums. Had different kinds of brass horns too. I 'member one time they was a fellow thought he could beat the drum till I took it.
"Had plenty to eat. Old master fed us plenty.