Nancy Parry interview with J. T. Ledbetter, Ruce Dekle, and Virginia Dekle

The John Burrison Georgia Folklore Archive recordings contains unedited versions of all interviews. Some material may contain descriptions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There are instances of racist language and description, particularly in regards to African Americans. These items are presented as part of the historical record. This project is a repository for the stories, accounts, and memories of those who chose to share their experiences for educational purposes. The viewpoints expressed in this project do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The Atlanta History Center makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interviews and expressly disclaims any liability therefore. If you believe you are the copyright holder of any of the content published in this collection and do not want it publicly available, please contact the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center at 404-814-4040 or reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. In the interview, Lewis T. (J.T.) Ledbetter, the first mayor of Ducktown, Georgia, tells how he renamed the town. It was originally named Harmony, but the mail was mixed up with another Georgian town by the same name, so he changed it to Ducktown. Next, he recalls when he was kidnapped by convicts who forced him to drive them to Atlanta. As a cotton salesman, J.T. recounts the process of buying and selling cotton. He then tells a story of a boy from the Jones Mercantile Company who lost the money he was supposed to pay Ledbetter for cotton. Ledbetter then tells stories about his father, who was a Confederate cavalryman in the Civil War. Specifically, he discusses how little his father had to eat, him being covered at night with a blanket of snow while he slept, his attendance at the Appomattox Court House when the Confederacy surrendered, and about Sherman's March to the Sea. The interview then cuts to the second interviewee, Bruce Dekle, who explains the Easter Bunny's origin. In this version, Miss Spring chases off Jack frost and the North Wind and the bunny updates all the children by leaving nest with a bird's egg and flowers on the doorstep of each child. In the third part of the interview, Virginia Dekle describes her grandmother's recipe for liver pudding. She then retells a Brer Rabbit story told to her by her uncle about the Tar Baby and Brer Fox. Her third story is a ghost story about a deceased man with a golden arm which his brother tried to steal after his death. Lewis T. Ledbetter (1877-1971) was born in Georgia to George Ahymus Ledbetter (1847-1932) and Margaret Jane Evaline Ledbetter (1850-1944). He became the Postmaster of Harmony, Georgia, in 1801, which he later renamed Ducktown. He married Loma Ledbetter (1878-1950), and the couple had six children: Lily (1901-?), Hewlett (1904-?), Dean (1919-1968), Margret (1912-?), Herbert (1915-1995), and Lewis T. Jr. (1908-1944). Bruce Deckle (1956-) was born in Georgia and lived in Atlanta. Mrs. Virginia Dekle, a stenographer also lived in Atlanta. Additional biographical information is not known. .... MR. J. T. LEDBETTER }w. Ledbetter:, Would yaccommence about th ' time that I moved here, an' I marri ed an" moved here,? Louis: That'd be fine) yes sir. Nancy: Tell us ho,,, Ducktown got its name. Mr. Ledbetter: Alright. When uh, when I moved here, hIt was. called, uh, Harmony--Harmony Post Office. And uh there was a new Harmony in Georgie at that time--Post Office., an I th " mail would git mixed. An' I was postmaster. An' so I wrote th ' Department an' told 'em I'd like to change th' name, if it could be dona. An'"they wrote me back it could be an" what did I want to call .. it... An' at that time we had a couple 0' people that lived--two families...-and that both had a big gang 0' ducks.apiece. An' uh so I just wrote "em back to. call it Ducktovm. An" they give, me; th' name, Post Office: then,: uh, Ducktown. An' it's still that today, but it stayed that 'till the rural routes took over. An'se th' little place here, we had it incorporated an" uh had a mayor an' councilmen an' uh a little police house~ an' we arrested folks an" put 'em in it fer gettin' drunk an' things like that. Ant carried that on for a long time. An' so that all went dead, but. hit "s still incorporated i' th' folks "lanted to plit it back to '''ork. An" so that"s about all in that lina I would know. Louis: So you actually named the town. Mr. Ledbetter's daughter:: He's been a-runnin" a store, Pa, ain't it sixty nine years? Louis: Sixty nine years?':? Mn. Ledbetter's daughter: Oh, 0' course not in that same building, but they had to tear it down when they paved th " road. Mr. Ledbetter: I moved, I moved here in uh in ninteen an', eighteen r an' ninety-nine. In September, eighteen and ninety-nine. Put:up a little grocery store. Run it fer seven years, an' then I sold out to Jones Mercantile Company, an" worked fer them then fer .... twenty-seven years, buyin' cotton anI sellin" fertilizer. Then in twenty-eight I worked four months and seven months--four years and seven months workin' on th' electric--gettin' "lectricity here.' An' uh we uh got th I' first lights, here in--in uh ninteen and thirty-eight--June., A, hunderd an' sixty-eight families got lights An'i it I S gro\ved from that up 'till now. An'i uh I only worked four years anI seven months, an' qUit anI come home an' still been a-runnin l: a little store ever since. Lolli-s: I see., ~~. Ledbetter: You can have this: :..:t..__ . While I was at work on th" R. E. A. line' I was kidnapped., Louis: You were kidnapped 1 Mr. Ledbetter: I was kidnapped on top 6' thl mountain~-Sblly's: mountain--me an' my son-in-law. v-le'd been at work that dayan' "ad started home, an' and met soma-convicts; that had broke out. An they tuk our car an' made us go with 'em. An' they kep' us from about uh five o'c'lock "till three ol'clock. They drove us' from here to Atlanter. We parked in some part of Atlanter uh in behind th' estr--th' Ful--the Fulton Cotton Mills, 'I think it was. It 'us on Memorial Drive or sommers right close to it. An" we stayed parked there 'till three 0 'clock. An I' at three olclock these men that had us under pris--in prison, gun on us told us to stay there a half an hOur, an' then we could go home. They didn't ast us fer any money, ner didn lit uh try ,ter keep our car er nothin I'. An" they turned us loose:, an' we stayed there a half an hour after they left us. An' I found th' way over to to uh Bank--no it ain't. BaHkhead. What's th' name of it--Georgia Baptist--what ' s-..; </. Mr. Ledbetter's daughter: It's on uh, oh, oh Boulevard. -- Hr. Ledbetter; Yeah. I found th I' way to Boulevard an I when we got there I knowed where I was at. So I come on across to Buckhead ani there was 8:., uh, oh uh automobile, shop there open. An I went an got a phone', called up home an' told em' that I'd be' home as soon as I could drive--that we .,as; safe hadn't been hurt, ner nothinI'. An I when we got up here they had th " whole list--whole country up here a-huntin' for us. Had ever car they could har an, ha, ride th' country over a-huntin for us. Louis.: Yes sir. Well, w.ore"y,.ou,:,theinayorfof Duckto\m?? Hr. Ledbetter: But we--part 0' th' time an we, 'ud "lect new ones you know, ani we--we stayed 'corporated I guess fer fifteen-twenty y~ars. There 'us half a dozen different mayo~s. I was first one,. At this point, we asked Mr. Ledbetter if he wouldbsing a song like the ones that they used to sing when he was growing up. He said that he did not remember any, so we suggested a few that he might know. He refused, and his daughter (vIDose name I do not remember) informed us under her breath that the old man's health was not in any condition that would perIilit our begging him to sing after he had refused. Mr. L~dbetter then suggested another story that he might tell in place of singing a song. Mr. Ledbetter: Well, we was out--out a buyin' cotton, an had four or five men that helped him, but I done th' cuttin' an' th' bUdin' an' th' payin' for it. An" uh the Jones Company that I was buyin' cotton for uh sent me money an' checks to pay for it--blank checks; an' part 0' th' time they would send money. Ani that um, I l some days four or five thousand dollars. An' I'd pay it out that evenin'; soon as hit'd git here, and sent it by th' "lagon that hauled th' cotton down there. I had thirty- five wagons' uh, an' mules--t\-'O-horse \'lagons just this--th' neighbors that was doin' my haulin'--so much a bailor so much a hunderd. An' th' boy that was a bringin' my package--we called it a package- hit wa&money-that'd bring it eyer evenin', well he'd just go up to th' office an' ask ~13Iil if there was any package a-comin' to Ducktown.. An~ say ~eah', an' they'd reach over--they done had it fixed, an' hand it to him., An' he just put it in th' wagon, an' come on then an' so one day abo.ut two miles an' a half--' bout two mile~r down th" road he lost that package.. There was a lady a-standin' in p~t doaIr, an' seen th' wagons gain' by, an ,. she seen somethin r drop out of one of th" wagons, behind. An " so uh she rUn )lP there to th' road to see what it Was an" get it., An' it was my package wi th about uh four thousand dollars in it. She got hit an' run back to th' house an' called me' up an told me that,th\,boYc that had th' package lost it dO'in thar to her house, an' that she had it. Well, my oldest boy was about uh ten year old, an' he had a bicycle~. An' so I just called him as soon as I. got to work an~ told him to get on th' bicycle an' run down thar Miss; Holbrookses; an' git m~"package; that th' boys had lost it. So he passed 'em as; they went down, ya know, an ,. met 'em in th' wagon. ;He just run by an,. run on dO'in thar an' got that package; come on back by an ,; still passed 'em again before they got here.. Got here ell' give~ it to me, an' th' people that I had bought cotton that day for was waitin' for their ~oney. So I just opened it soon as I got it. an' went to payin' 'em, an' uh by th' time th" wagon got here with my money, supposed to, he di~~'t have it--butI had done got it an' done spent it"nearly all. -. Louis: Was he scared? Mr. Ledbetter: Th' boy? Louis: Yes sir. Mr. Ledbetter: He didn't--he didn't have time to worry. When he got here an' didn't have it, I done had it. Louiffi asked Mr. Ledbetter if he had ever heard his father speak of events that took place during the Civil War. Mr. Ledbetter: One time I heard my father tell about be~n' in uh in th' Army. He was in the uh, in the Cavalry--rode horses', Louis: Yes sir. Hr. Ledbetter: They tuk up camps; one night an' uh 'rect1y after they tuk up camps uh they got word that th "--from uh th' general to be at a certain place tl:l";;uei;t,<clIIornir'i', at a certain time to have tha t Army to be at thi s place. An" it would take 'em all night to git thai'. An' so they had to s:tart, An" they went to their headquarters an" drawed 'em somepin' to eat--to eat on that night. An' they give 'em a half a bushel 0' soda crackers: apiece. An ,: they set on tha t horse wi th a gun an' uh their baggage, an' their crackers; an' rode an' ate all night., An" he said th' next mornin' when come breakfast time he 'us. about perished. He'd eat th' crackers all night. Now I'll tell you about th' time they got snowed under. Well, they just camped out that night an' out in th' ,,!Oods in the old field an' uh he just rolled up in this blanket, an' uh next mornin' when he woke up an' sort 0' got his head out, ever thing "'as covered up VTi th snow!. He couldn't see nothin', onI y just little mounds--man 1ayin0 under his blanket. Said that they was perfectly warm as they could be under them blankets. Louis:: Do you remember what Cavalry unit he "las in? Mr. Ledbetter: No, I don't. He was at th' Appomattox Court House when they surrender. An' he was on'y in th" Army t,~ . years. He went in at sixteen an' come out at eighteen. Hr. Ledbetter's great granddaughter: Well, what'd he let 'em surrenderc:for? Nr. Ledbetter: Just about gettin "'~em all killed out. He ,vas along--well I don't knOtv. just where he was at, W I've heard him tell about 'em goin" through Atlanter, an' then Sherman goin' on down through Georgie;a-tearin~up th' state an' then comin' back around by Savanner an' back up th" coast,You know. That's all that they done--the North was just tear up everthing ~~ey could--damage everthing they could get a hold of. Louis: You remember anything in particular about what he had to say about that? Mr. Ledbetter: No, no I don't remember. -. THE EASTER BUNNY. TRADITION Nancy: Now Bruce can tell us how the Easter Bunny started. Bruce: One day these children 'went looking for spring but they couldn't find it. They went out for several days arid kept going. Finally they gave up. Jack Frost and the North Wind were still--When they went looking, the forest was very cold and the frost was hi ttering their noses. After a few days;, Miss Spring went--came. But the children did not go back into the woods because they couldn't find spring. As soon as Jack Frost and the North Wind saw Miss Spring corning, they ran away. The childred had no way of finding out that spring had come, so Miss Spring asked the ra~-asked many animals. if they would go and tell the children. The robin~said no because she was bUilding her nest. The bear said no because he had nothing to eat an' he had to fill himself up. Finally she asked the rabbit. The rabbit; started to say no, but he said yes because he knew that the children loved him. He asked Miss Spring how he lrould communicate with the~children. So they made him a big basket and filled it ,nth birds' eggs. He went along at night so the dogs couldn't get him, and left a small-~~ egg at each door with a--in a small nest. When the childred woke up, they saw the egg at the front do--steps. They ran out into the woods and saw the spring. Nancy: Well, wasn't there something about 'ern puttin' a flower in the eggs? Bruce: Uh, yes, tfiey put flowers on the eggs an they put a violet in each nest. And when they went into the woods they listened to the birds chirp and sing, and they smelled the flowers blossoming. This is how the Easter Bunny started out. Nancy: 'here did you learn that story, Bruce?J Bruce: Well, I remember some farm men down in South Georgia telling me that story LIVER PUDDING Virginia: Hm-! \'lOuldyou like to make SOIile liver pudding like, your great grandmama used to make?? ~~e left this recipe with me an' an' it's real good. You take one hog liver, you boil it 'till it's goozi. 'n" tender. Then you grind it up an' you weigh it. Than you start mixin':, an' you add equal portions, or maybe just a little bit less than equal of liver, cornmeal, an' good 01' cracklins, an' a medium size- onion. You grind it all together an' take your hands an' then you squish it together 'till it's mixed up good. Then you season it with salt and pepper. Now: be sure you use black an' red pepper to git de right seasonin". < Then you take some casin'swhat you've been out an' cleaned good an' boiled an' got all ready, ~' you stuff it in de casin's, an' you--course you have to tw1.st up th" ends of the casin" so it won't leak out. You dr~p it down in a pot full 0' boilin' water--youcan use your wash pot, you know that's the way they used to do it. An' when th' ,qater comes"to.,a'.>bOil again, let it boil just a few minutes. Then you "take it up, course it'll have to drip a little bit to get thatYMater off of it, th.en you just store it in th~ refrigerator, an' then you just take out what you want to use, an' put it in th' oven an' heat it up good, an' you can let it brown--it'll git little bit crisp in th' casin'. An" that's all you dO--You just serve it. THE TAR BABY Virginia.: This is the tale that Uncle Remus told of the tar baby. By_ 'm' by one day atterol' Bre~ Fox been doin' all he could~fo t' catch Brer Rabbit1 an' Brer Rabbit been;'.doin' all that he could'fd~' to keep 'im from it, Brer Fox say to hisself,: that. he'd put up a game on Brer Rabbit. An"the ain't no mo "n" got the words out 0' his, mouth 'tll 01' Brer Rabbit come a-lopin' up th' roadlookin jes' a. as' plump an' so fat; an" sassy,as hoss in a barley patch. "Hold on dar, Brer Rabbit., 11' say s Brer Fox, says he. "I ain't got no time, Brer Fox,'" says Brer Rabbit says he, sort 0' mendin' around in his licks. "I \\Tant to have some' confab "Ii' you, Brer Rabbit," says Brer Fox, say s he. ":P>.ll Tight, Brer Fox, but you better holler f' or~ "here you stand,. I'm monstrous full 0' th' fleas this mornin' ,,,. says Brer Rabbit, says he'. "I seed Brer B'ar yesterdaY,"'o,says BraI'.' Fox, says he, "'an" he sort 0' raked me over th' coals cuz you an' me, we ain't been friends an' livin' neighborly, an' I tal' 'im that I'd see you." So then Brer Rabbit scratched one ear ,iit' 'i~ \mole hindfoot sort 0' jub'usly, then he ups an' he says:, says he, "All a-settin' Brer Fox, s'posin' you drap round tomorrow an' take dinner with me. We ain't got no g~at doin's at our house, but I ~spect th' 01' 'oman an' th' chilluns: can sort 0'- scrabble 'round an' git up somethin , that'll kind 0' stay with us." "I'm 'greeable, Brer Rabbit,'" says Brer Fox, says he. "Then I "11 'pend; on you, II' says Brer Rabbit., says he. Nexy day:Mr. Rabbit. and !'liz Rabbit got up.'isoon ''fo day, an' dey raided a garden 'like Hiss SallyI s out dalr, an' git some" cabbages In l' roastln'ears: ''n l' some Isparagrass. They fix up a smashinl' good dinner. By I'm' by one at thl' little rabbits play'in l out thl back yard come runninl' in hollerin l', uOh, Hama, I seerl Hr. Fox a-comin'. II. Then BreI' Rabbit, he took thl chillun by th' ears; n r he make 'em sit down, an" den him an~', Niz; Rabbit; sort 0' dally 'round wai tinI' f!'h~;fBrer Fox. An' theYo'keep on \iai tin I, but no BreI' Fox ShO\iS up. AI'ter while, BreI' Rabbit goest' tn" do', peek out, an" 'there stikin' f'om under th'--behin' tn' corner ,,,as j:;li' tip end of BreI' Fox"s tail. Then BreI' Rabbit shot th' door n" sot dpwn n' put his paws behin' his, ears" n" he begin t" sing: uDe place- "There "bouts you spill de grease, right thaI' yer bound to slide, ant "ThaI' you find a bunch a' hal', YOU'll shorely find some hide~ Next day BreI' Fox sont word by Hr. Hink ii' 'scuse hisself 'cause he was too sick 1'0 1 to come, n' he asked BreI' Rabbit to collle nt' take dinner wid him, hI BreI' Rabbit said he was 'greeable. By~~m by BreI' Rabbit, he sort a' brush up n' saunter do"m t l BreI' Fox's house n I when he got dar he heered somebody groanin'. AnI he look in de do' anI dar he see BreI' Fox settin' up in a rockin' char all \-TrOp up wi' flannel, an' he looks mighty 1tTeak. BreI' Rabbit look alllTound, he did, but he didn't see no dinner. Th' dish pan 1tiaS sittin" on tnl table n' clos,e by 1tiaS a kyarvin' knife. "Look like you gonna have chicken 1'0 1 dinner, BreI' FOX,II says BreI' Rabbit, says he. IIYes, BreI' Rabbit, they're nice n' fresh n' tender,1I says BreI' Fox. Then BreI' Rabbit sort 0' pull Iis mustarch n' say, llOOt you ain't got no calamus root, BreI' Fox. I done got so now: I can't eat no chicken "sept wha I s seasoned up \oJi' calamus root. II An" wid that he leeped out th' do' n" dodged 'mong th' bushes B sot dar \vatchin' fo' Brer Fox. "'He didn't watch long 'cause Brer Fox done flung off that flannel, fly out th' house, git ... close as he could t" Brer Rabbit. Brer Rabbi t holler out, "Oh Brsr Fox, I'll jes" put your calamus root on di s here stump. You better come n' get it while it's fresh, too. So off Brar Rabbit S gallop~ to his house. An' Brer Fox: can't catch him. An' i'That's more, he ain't gwine tar. One time he almost caught him. He come so close~-sho's you born, he did. One day a'ter Brer Rabbit fooled ':l.m wi' th' calamus root Brer Fox went to work. Got 'im some tar n" he mixed it up wi' some turkentine, n' fix up a contraption what he called a tar baby. Then he took this 'ere tar baby n" :th'-big','i'oad n' he layoff in th' bushes: so he could watch. But he didn't hatta wait long 'cause here come Brer Rabbit pacin' dOvm th' road jest as sassy as a jay bird. Brer Fox he lay low~ Brer Rabbit coma prancin' along n' he spied th' tar baby, n~ he come up to 'im, looked at ':l.m, an' he said, uNo"nin';" says he. "Nice weather this "mo' nin' ,'" say s he. But tar baby ain"t sayin' nothin' Brer Fox he lay low. "How does, yo' symptoms seem t' be tliis mo'nin'?" says Brer Rabbit says he. Brer Fox he winked his eye slow an' lay low but. th' tar baby she ain't sayin' nothin'. "How you come on then, is you deaf?" says Brer Rabbit says he, " "cause if you is, I can holler louder," says he. Tar baby she stay still; Brer Fox he lay low. Then Brer Fox he sort 0' chuckle in his stomach when he Hear tar baby ain't sayin nothin'. "I gvline to learn you tfo~o "spectable folks if it's th' las' ac',"i says Brer Rabbit,says he, "if you don't ta.1I:e off that hat n ~ tell me liiddy, i'm g>.ine t' bus' you wide open, ", says he. Tar baby, he sat still, n' Brer Fox"he lay low. Brer Rabbit keep on askin' him an' tar baby keep on sayin' nothint., 'till present'y ... Brer Rabbit draw back vli' his fist, he did nt, blip, heo tuk her side th' head. Right dar's where he broke his molasses jug. His fist stuck an' he can't pull loose. Th" tar helt him, but tar baby she stay still n" Brer Fox he lay low. "If you don' let me loose I'm gwine t' knock ya again," says Brer Rabbit says he. An' wi" that he fotch up an' whip t'ot'er hand an" that one smck too. Tar baby she ain't say nothin' ant. Brer Fox he lay lovl. "Turn me loose 'fa' I kick th' nat'ral stuffin' out at you," says Brer Rabbit says he, but tar baby she ain't sayin' nothin'. She just helt on an' Brer Rabbit lose th' use a' th' foot in th' same way. Brer Fox: he' lay low now,. Then Brer Rabbit squall out that if th' tar baby didn't turn him loose, he'd butt her cranksided. An' then he butted, an' his head got stuck. Then Brer Fox he sauntered forth lookin' as i~~ocent as yo' mammy's mockin' bird. "Hiddy, Brer Rabbit,'" says Brer Fox says he, "'you look sort 0' stuck up this mo'nin"," says he . An' then he rolled on th' ground an' he laughed an' he laUghed 'till he couldn't laugh no mol. "I J"llpElct yOU'll take dinner vli' me thlts time, Brer Rabbit. I done laid in some calamus root, an I ain't gwine take no 'scuse," says Brer Fox says he. '. Did th' fox eat th' rabbit?'? Well, I knm. you vlant to know, but that's all th' fer th' talegoes~ He mought, n t then ag'in he moughn't. Well, he knew he was powerful sick THE GOLDEN ARM Virginia:: This tale, is; about two brothers'. Now usually they fig.ht, during their lifetime" but: this was; sort of a fight when one waS gone. Now, they were named Jim and Ted, an" they lived back in th' mountains of West Virginia near the forks of the Big Sandy. Now, Ted, well, had a peculiar thing about him--he had a golden arm. He was born with it. An' 'course he had trouble keepin' his arm;: he had people try to cut it off. But he managed alwaysto get away. Back in sixty-five, they had a real cold winter and Ted came dO\in with double,-pneumonia. w so he called Jim~an' he says to him, I~Jim, bury me beside,Maw Ted agreed that he would. Well, sure 'nough Ted died, so Jim drug him feet first up th' hill, an' he dug a hole, an" he dumped him in it. "/ell, he went back doWn th' hill an' th' further back down th' hill he got, the more he'd think about that golden arm. "That thing is worth a lot of money. I'll just sneak back up there some night after dark an" get it." Well, he couldn't mal,e up his mind to do it, but he couldn't forget about that golden arm. ';L Well sometime a little bit later on he sneaked up there, an' he dug an' he dug 'till he uncovered old Ted. He cut off the golden arm and he carried it to the house and he put it under his pillovl. Then he \vent to bed. Well, in a little bit the clock struck bong, bong, bong-t\ Velve l;imes,','an' it <TOke Jim up suddenly. Oh, he had an icy feeling all over him. Feeling that somethin , was wrong, he ran out th' house an' up th' hill to Ted's grave. Everything was '. .. still an' so he started back down th' hill. Running, he got part way back down til' hill he heard a moaning voice, "I want my golden arm back." Well, he was frightened an' he ran down th" hill--took his breath away. He got 'bout half way down, he slowed down. Again Ile Ilear'c1. , n\' iehre' s my golden arm7" At th' bottom 0' th' hill he h'eard, "Where's my golden arm7~ An" on th ' porch he heard, "1;Jhere's my golden arm?" Well, he was frightened to death. He flew in the bedroom, an' he sla.nfed thl door an' ;illel locked: it. He just fel t like he'd be safe there. Well, he saw some thin I. mavin' tmvards him an" there sure 'nough ,.as th' golden arm mavin' over towards him. It came on an' on. So "e-got th' shot gun right quick an' he shot it, but still it came.. It had him around th' neck, an' it locked him up in a tight grasp an' began to crush him;- an" .nth a crash he went to th' floor, stone dead. Th" next mornin' th' sheriff 0' th' county was makin' his rounds an' he saw an odd sight--he thought. Looked like a woman haulin" a IlR n by his heels up th' hill. An' he thought, "Well, she's digg in' a hole, dumped th' man in it.'" So he spurred his horse that way. But when he got there, there "las no woman. She had left some ma~ks scrawled in blood upon a grave.. An' you can bet your life th' sheriff was never around that part any more A PDF transcript exists for this recording. Please contact an archivist for access. Professor John Burrison founded the Atlanta Folklore Archive Project in 1967 at Georgia State University. He trained undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in his folklore curriculum to conduct oral history interviews. Students interviewed men, women, and children of various demographics in Georgia and across the southeast on crafts, storytelling, music, religion, rural life, and traditions. As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information, which places us in a position to choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials accurately. Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment. We often re-use language used by the former owners and creators, which provides context but also includes bias and prejudices of the time it was created. Additionally, our work to use reparative language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete is ongoing. Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or description please let us know by emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.