Alice Bradley
From:
Georgia
FOLKLORE INTERVIEW
ALICE BRADLEY
Hull Street near Corner of Hoyt Street
Athens, Georgia
KIZZIE COLQUITT
243 Macon Avenue
Athens, Georgia
Written by:
Miss Grace McCune
Athens, Georgia
Edited by:
Mrs. Leila Harris
Editor
Federal Writers' Project
Augusta, Georgia
[APR 20 1938]
[TR: These two interviews were filed together, though not recorded at
the same place or time.]
Alice Bradley
Alice Bradley, or "Aunt Alice" as she is known to everybody, "runs
cards" and claims to be a seeress. Apologetic and embarrassed because
she had overslept and was straightening her room, she explained that she
hadn't slept well because a dog had howled all night and she was uneasy
because of this certain forerunner of disaster.
"Here t'is Sunday mornin' and what wid my back, de dog, and de
rheumatics in my feets, its [TR: 'done' crossed out] too late to go to
church, so come in honey I'se glad to hab somebody to talk to. Dere is
sho' goin' to be a corpse close 'round here. One night a long time ago
two dogs howled all night long and on de nex' Sunday dere wuz two
corpses in de church at de same time. Dat's one sign dat neber fails,
when a dog howls dat certain way somebody is sho' goin' to be daid."
When asked what her full name was, she said: "My whole name is Alice
Bradley now. I used to be a Hill, but when I married dat th'owed me out
of bein' a Hill, so I'se jus' a Bradley now. I wuz born on January 14th
but I don't 'member what year. My ma had three chillun durin' de war and
one jus' atter de war. I think dat las' one wuz me, but I ain't sho'. My
pa's name wuz Jim Hill, and ma's name wuz Ca'line Hill. Both of 'em is
daid now. Pa died October 12, 1896 and wuz 88 years old. Ma died
November 20, 1900; she wuz 80 years old. I knows dem years is right
'cause I got 'em from dat old fambly Bible so I kin git 'em jus' right.
One of my sisters, older dan I is, stays in Atlanta wid her son. Since
she los' one of her sons, her mind's done gone. My other sister ain't as
old as I is but her mind is all right and she is well."
"I wuz raised in Washin'ton, Wilkes County, and de fust I 'members was
stayin' wid Miss Alice Rayle. She had three chillun and I nussed 'em.
One of de boys is a doctor now, and has a fambly of his own, and de las'
I heared of 'im, he wuz stayin' in Atlanta.
"I'se been married' two times. I runned away wid Will Grisham, when I
wuz 'bout 14 years old. Mr. Carter, a Justice of de Peace, met us under
a 'simmon tree and tied de knot right dar. My folks ketched us, but us
wuz already married and so it didn't make no diffunce.
"I lived on a farm wid my fust husband, and us had three chillun, but
dey is all gone now. I 'members when my oldes' gal wuz 'bout 2 years
old, dey wuz playin' out on de porch wid dey little dog, when a mad dog
come by and bit my chillun's dog. Folks kilt our dog, and jus' 'bout one
week atterwards my little gal wuz daid too. She did love dat little dog,
and he sho' did mind 'er. She jus' grieved herself to death 'bout dat
dog.
"Atter my fust husband died, I married Rich Bradley. Rich wuz a railroad
man, and he went off to Washin'ton, D.C., to wuk. He sont me money all
de time den, but when he went from dar to Shecargo to wuk I didn't hear
from 'im long, and I don't know what's happened to 'im 'til now, for
it's been a long time since I heared from 'im.
"I loves to run de cyards for my friends. I always tells 'em when I sees
dere's trouble in de cyards for 'em, and shows 'em how to git 'round it,
if I kin. None of de res' of my folks ever run de cyards, but I'se been
at it ever since I wuz jus' a little gal, pickin' up old wore out
cyards, dat had bean th'owed away, 'cause I could see things in 'em. I
'members one time when I wuz small and didn't know so good what de
cyards wuz tellin' me, dat a rich man, one of de riches' in Wilkes
County, wuz at our place, I tol 'im de cyards when I run 'em. I saw
sompin' wuz goin' to happen on his place, dat two colored mens would be
tangled up wid, but I didn't know jus' what wuz goin' to happen. And
sho' 'nuff, two colored mens sot fire to his barns and burned up all his
horses and mules, de onlies' thing dey saved wuz one ridin' horse. Dey
ketched de mens, and dey served time for what dey done. One of 'em died
way out yonder where dey sont 'em.
"I 'members one white lady way out in Alabama sont a note axin' me to
run de cyards for her. I runned 'em and got one of my friends to writer
her what I seed. Dey had run bright and dat wuz good luck. One time I
runned de cyards for two sisters dat had done married two brothers, and
de cyards run so close kin date I wuz able to tell 'em how dey wuz
married and dey tol me dat I wuz right.
"And jus' a few days ago a old man come to see me thinkin' dat he wuz
pizened. When I runned de cyards, I seed his trouble. He had been
drinkin' and wuz sick, so I jus' give him a big dose of soda and cream
of tartar and he got better. Den I tole him to go on home; dat nobody
hadn't done nothin' to 'im and all he needed wuz a little medicine.
"I told Mr. Dick Armell of how he wuz goin' to git kilt if he went up in
his airyplane dat day and begged him not to try it but to wait. He
wouldn't listen and went on and got kilt jus' lak I tole 'im he would.
I runned de cyards for Mrs. Armell lots of times for I liked 'im, and he
wuz a fine man. I runned de cyards for 'im one time 'fore he went to de
World's Fair, and de cyards run bright, and his trip wuz a good one jus'
lak I tole 'im it would be.
"All de old white folks dat I wuz raised up wid, de Hills from
Washin'ton, Wilkes, is gone now, 'cept I think one of de gals is wukin'
at de capitol in Atlanta, but she done married now and I don't 'member
her name."
Alice excused herself to answer a knock at the door. Upon her return she
said: "Dat wuz one of my white chillun. I wukked for 'em so long and one
of 'em comes by every now an' den to see if I needs sompin'. Her ma done
had a new picture of herself took and wanted me to see it. Dey sho' is
good to me."
Alice doesn't charge for "running the cards." She says she doesn't have
a license, and is very thankful for anything that visitors may care to
give her. She will not run the cards on Sunday. "Dat's bad luck," she
said. "Come back some day when tain't Sunday, and I'll see whats in de
cyards for you!"
Kizzie Colquitt
Old Aunt Kizzie Colquitt, about 75 years old, was busily washing in her
neat kitchen. She opened the door and window frequently to let out the
smoke, saying: "Dis old wore out stove don't draw so good." Her hands
and feet were badly swollen and she seemed to be suffering.
"I'll be glad to tell all I kin 'member 'bout dem old times," she said.
"I wuz borned durin' de war, but I don't 'member what year. My pa wuz
Mitchell Long. He b'longed to Marster Sam Long of Elbert County. Us
lived on Broad River. My ma wuz Sallie Long, and she b'longed to Marster
Billie Lattimore. Dey stayed on de other side of Broad River and my pa
and ma had to cross de river to see one another. Atter de war wuz over,
and dey wuz free, my pa went to Jefferson, Georgia, and dar he died.
"My ma married some nigger from way out in Indiana. He promised her he
would send money back for her chillun, but us never heered nothin' from
'im no mo'. I wuz wid' my w'ite folks, de Lattimores, when my ma died,
way out in Indiana.
"Atter Marse Bob died, I stayed wid my old Missus, and slep' by her bed
at night. She wuz good to me, and de hardes' wuk I done wuz pickin' up
acorns to fatten de hogs. I stayed dar wid her 'til she died. Us had
plenty t'eat, a smokehouse filled wid hams, and all de other things us
needed. Dey had a great big fireplace and a big old time oven whar dey
baked bread, and it sho' wuz good bread.
"My old Missus died when I wuz 'bout 6 years old, and I wus sont to
Lexin'ton, Georgia, to live wid my sister. Dere wuz jus' da two of us
chilluns. Den us wukked every day, and went to bed by dark; not lak de
young folks now, gallivantin' 'bout all night long.
"When I wuz 'bout 14 I married and come to live on Dr. Willingham's
place. It wuz a big plantation, and dey really lived. When de crops wuz
all in and all de wuk done, dey had big times 'round dar.
"Dere wuz de corn shuckin' wid one house for de corn and another house
for de shucks. Atter all de shuckin' wuz done, dere wuz eatin' and
dancin'. And it wuz eatin' too! Dey kilt hogs, barbecued 'em, and
roasted some wid apples in dey mouf's to give 'em a good flavor, and
course a little corn likker went wid it. Dey had big doin's at syrup
makin' time too, but dat wuz hard wuk den. Makin' syrup sho' wuz a heap
of trouble.
"Later us lived wid de Johnson fambly, and atter my old man died, I come
to dis town wid de Johnsons. Dere wuz three chilluns, Percy, Lewis, and
a gal. I stayed wid 'em 'til de chilluns wuz all growed up and
eddicated. All my other w'ite folks is gone; my sister done gone too,
and my son; all de chillun dat I had, deys done daid too.
"Now I has to wash so I kin live. I used to have plenty, but times is
changed and now sometimes I don't have nothin' but bread, and jus' bread
is hard to git, heap of de time.
"I put in for one of dem old age pensions, but dey ain't give me nothin'
yet, so I jus' wuk when I kin, and hope dat it won't be long 'fore I has
plenty again."
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