*Florence Ruffins was born of ex-slave parents in DeKalb, Texas. She
talks of spirits, ghosts and spells, reciting incidents told her by her
father and mother, who were supposed to have the "power and the spirit."
She lives with a daughter at 1020 W. Weatherford St., Fort Worth,
Texas.*
"Does I believe in de ghosties? I shos does and I tells yous why I knows
dere am ghosties. First, I's hear and see dem and lots of other folks
I's talked to has. Den my pappy and my mammy both could see dem, and dey
has special powers, but dey was good powers. Dey has no use for de evil
spells all all sich.
"In de old days 'fore surrender de cullud folks talks 'bout ghosties and
haunts, but since education am for de cullud folks, some of dem larns to
say spirit, 'stead of ghost. Now dey has de church dat say de preacher
kin bring de ghost--but dey calls it de spirit--to de meetin' and talk
with 'em. Dat am de spiritualist-tism church.
"I's tellin' you de things I hears my mammy and pappy tell, and some I's
seed for myself. What I seed, I kin be de witness for and what my mammy
and pappy says, I kin be de witness for dat, 'cause I's not gwine lie
'bout what de dead people says.
"Dere am only one way to best de ghost and it am call de Lawd and he
will banish 'em. Some folks don't know how to best 'em, so dey gits
tan'lized bad. Dere a man call' Everson, and he been de slave. De ghost
come and tell him to go dig in de graveyard for de pot of gold, and to
go by himself. But he am 'fraid of de graveyard and didn't go. So de
ghost 'pears 'gain, but dat man don't go till de ghost come de third
time. So he goes, but he takes two other men with him.
"Everson digs 'bout five foot, where de ghost tolt him to, and he spade
hit de iron box. He prises de cover off and dat box am full of de gold
coins, fives and tens and twenties, gold money, a whole bushel in dat
box. He hollers to de two men and dey comes runnin', but by de time dey
gits dere, de box am sunk and all they can see is de hole where it go
down. Dey digs and digs, but it ain't no use. If him hadn't taken de men
with him, him be rich, but de ghost didn't want dem other men dere.
"In dat dere same country, dere am a farm what sho' am hanted. Many
famlies tries to live in dat house, but am forced to move. It am sposed
de niggers what de cruel Massa on dat farm kilt in slave times, comes
back to tan'lize. De ghosties comes in de night and walks back and forth
'cross de yard, and dey can see 'em as plain as day. Dere am nobody what
will stay on dat farm.
"My pappy am comin' home on de hoss one night and he feel like someone
on dat hoss behin' him. He turn and kin see something. He say, 'What for
you gits on my hoss?', but dere am no answer. He tries to touch dat
thing, but he pass his hand right through it and he knew it a ghost, and
pappy hops off dat hoss and am on de ground runnin' quicker dan greased
lightning. Pappy sees dat hoss, with de hant on him, gwine through de
woods like de deer.
"Right here in dis house, a person die and dey spirit tan'lize at night.
It come after we goes to bed and patters on de floor with de bare feet
and rattles de paper. Dat sho' git me all a-quiverment. I has to get de
Bible and call de Lawd to banish dem. But I seed de shadow of dat ghost
often and it am a man ghost and it look sad."