Mildred Heard
From:
Georgia Narratives, Part 2
EX-SLAVE MILDRED HEARD.
The following interviews were obtained from Mildred Heard, a young woman
who has lived in the country most of her life and might easily be
described as a child of nature. Although a full grown woman and the
mother of two children she seems much older than her years, this is true
I believe because she has always lived among much older people. She is
fairly intelligent and expresses her thoughts clearly and without
hesitation. Quite a few of the stories related here were handed down to
her from the older residents of the settlement. These stories are
related in her own words.
Animal Behavior--Cows "I have always lived around animals and used to
spend whole days in the woods; but first I want to tell you about a
story concerning cows; and this is the trufe too. Every New Years night
when the whistles begin to blow, cows get down on their knees lift up
their front legs and make a mumbling noise. This is true cause one night
I made it my business to be around some cows when the whistles begin to
blow and sho nuff they got down on their hind legs and started making
that noise. I was so fraid I ran all the way home.
"I also remember we had a cow that would eat clothes. My grandmother took
in a lot of washings and one day after she had hung out Mrs.
Richardson's clothes she (the cow) ate up most all of the clothes.
Grandma whipped her and had to pay the white lady for the clothes but
that cow kept on eating clothes. A lady told us to sprinkle red pepper
on the clothes and that would break her up. Sho nuff we did it and she
kicked her heels over her head; but we never had any more trouble with
that cow.
"Maybe, you don't know it but cows are funny about the water they drink
especially cows raised at a dairy. If water is placed in a tub for a cow
and you stick your hand in the water they will not drink it. I have done
it and I know it to be true. The cow don't have to see you but the
scent from your hand is in the water".
=Birds=
"If a bird leaves her nest and flies away and you take her eggs out of
the nest and put them back the bird can tell it the minute she returns
to her nest; and she will not have the nest on the eggs again. I tried
this once to see if it was true. I moved the eggs from a birds' nest and
placed them back and then I hid behind a tree to watch sho nuff the bird
came back to her nest she looked at the nest and the eggs a long time
and flew away. Every day I would watch; but she never returned to that
nest."
"Once a little red bird got hurt and I caught it and nursed it back to
health and this bird began to act just like a pet. When I saw the bird
was well enough to leave I tied a red string around it's leg so that I
would know it if I saw it again. After that for three years my little
bird used to fly back and sit on the steps until I would feed him and
then he would fly away. My bird came back until it was caught by a cat.
I was so sorry when my bird died I cried and buried it in the back
yard."
=Snakes=
"I have walked through the woods and almost stepped on different kinds
of snakes. I wouldn't be afraid cause I would know that unless the snake
is in a quirl, that is, in a pose to bite you, he wouldn't bite you. If
you smell a water mellon scent in the woods you know right then that a
black snake is around. If the scent is like a honey suckle a highland
moccasin is around somewhere. A rattlesnake smells like a billy goat.
Always remember a snake can't bite until it gets posed neither can a
snake bite you in the water. Some snakes lay eggs and hatch their young.
A mother snake always protects her baby snakes by swallowing them if
danger comes around." Grandma told me once that they were cleaning out a
large hole for a baptizing pool; and saw a mother snake swallow about
ten baby snakes. After they killed the mother snake they pulled out the
10 babies.
=Fowls=
We had a rooster that was raised from a biddie and for 5 years this
rooster practically lived in the house and would not sleep any place but
on the foot of the bed.
"Chickens get used to certain people feeding them and you can't get them
used to others, that is, it was true concerning my cousin. He had a lot
of chickens and he used to feed them every day. My cousin took sick and
died and after that his chickens would not eat anything given them by
any one else. One by one the chickens died. My Aunt said his spirit came
back for the chickens".
=Bees=.
"This is a true story concerning bees that belonged to my aunt Caroline
Hooper. Aunt Caroline died and left 10 hives of bees. We noticed they
kept going away and would not return. One day a lady named Mrs. Jordan
asked if anyone had told the bees that Caroline was dead; and we told
her no, "Well" she said, "go out to the hive and say to the bees
Caroline is dead and that they will have a new owner." My uncle told the
bees that they belonged to him now that Caroline was dead. After that
none others left the hive."
Mildred Heard continued giving short facts concerning different
animals.--"If you run a rabbit out of his bed and shoot at him I don't
care if you run him five or more miles he will come right back to the
same place." "Buzzards are born as white as snow but turn darker as they
grow older. Another fact concerning buzzards is that they will eat any
carcass except that of a mad dog, he will walk around the body of a dead
mad dog and then fly away."
"I remember once we had a cat that was the pet of every one in our house
so when she gave birth to kittens she went in the chifforobe and when we
let her out we didn't know she had left kittens in there. Naturally they
died and we buried them in the back yard. Everyday this mother cat would
go to their grave and whine, finally she left home."
The following stories relate to
=Birthmarks=
As previously mentioned Mildred Heard has two small daughters and the
story of birthmarks begins with her own experience concerning them. "My
oldest Child Tina is marked by crying. I don't care how much you whip or
beg her to stop crying she will not stop until she gets ready. During
the time I was pregnant my aunt died and I went to the funeral and
before I knew it I found myself crying and unable to stop.
"My youngest child Georgia is marked by a monkey. This mark is the
result of a visit to Grants Park during the time I was pregnant. As I
stood with the white baby I was nursing at the time a monkey fell and
when he got up he started scratching his back. It all looked so funny I
began to laugh. When Gloria was born her bead resembled a monkeys in
shape and on the lower part of her back she had red marks and was very
hairy. I was afraid she would never change but as she grew older the
marks and the hair disappeared." note--I glanced at the child and it is
quite true that the shape of her head slightly resembles that of a
monkey.
The next stories were related by Mrs. Heard. Mildred's grandmother. "I
know a white 'oman that lives in Thomasville now that marked her child
by a horse. This 'oman got tickled at a horse with his tongue hanging
out. When her baby was born he had feet and hands jest lak a horse and
she nebber would let any one see this child's feet.
"Another 'oman, Alberta Turner, got scared of a turtle while she wuz
fishing and right now her child got feet that spreads out just like a
turtles and he walks with his feet straight out that way.
"Aunt Eattie Coffee who lives in Macedonia, Ga., had a baby born with 4
teeth that looked jest like pearls. The doctor told her that the baby
would shed those teeth and if she lost 'em the baby would die.
"He told her to be sure and watch the baby and to give him the teeth
when they came out. Sho nuff them teeth came out but they never knowed
where they went and that baby she died".
Next:
Robert Heard
Previous:
Emmaline Heard
