*Interview with Clay Smith,*
*Hannibal, Missouri.*
_Clay Has Vivid Memory_
Clay (Carrie) Smith, now living at 612 Butler Street, Hannibal,
Missouri, was born in slavery shortly before the Civil War on the farm
of Joe Maupin about five miles west of Hannibal. Her present residence
on Butler Street is part of the way up the hill overlooking Mark Twain
Avenue (formerly Palmyra Avenue) and facing Cardiff Hill. Her mother's
home was on Palmyra Avenue. Her mother's name was Luckett. Following is
Clay's story as she told it:
"I was borned right here in Marion County. Dere was ten of us children
in de family. We belonged to Joe Maupin and Sarah Ann Maupin. We called
Mrs. Maupin 'Miss Spatsie'. Mother was brought here by de Maupins from
Virginia. Father was born near New London in Ralls County. He belonged
to de preacher priest. He was one of dose hardshelled, ironsides
Baptists. Father run away to Illinois during de war and we ain't never
saw him again.
"Three of my sisters was bound out to de Maupin children when dey was
married and dey done moved somewhere in Monroe County. I knowed of only
one slave in our family dat was sold, and dat was my Aunt Harriet. She
was sold on de block down on Fourth Street right here in Hannibal. I was
only five or six years old den.
"After de war my mother worked for Mr. Maupin for three years. Mother
bought a house on Palmyra Avenue here in Hannibal den, and Mr. Maupin
would help mother to make de payments by giving her work.
"Dere was only a few houses down on Palmyra Avenue den. Old Mrs. Vail
had a hotel, or tavern dey called it in dem days, over across de street.
Beyond de hill (Cardiff Hill) was all woods and we could see bears and
deers and tigers over dere. (Of course this is untrue. That was Mark
Twain's playground years before.)
"Dey didn't raise children den like dey does now. Dey don't mind at all
now. When we was across de street and didn't mind we got a whippin' so
dat we would fall over in de brush and when we come home we got another
whippin',--we always got two whippins. Nowadays de youngsters runs
'round all over de town and dey don't pay no mind to nobody.
"Over on dat hill was a pes' house where dey took people with smallpox.
Dey died thick and dey hauled 'em away at night. Dey carried torches and
hauled 'em in wagons. When dey took someone by to the pes' house, old
Man Cogner would go ahead and holler, 'Smallpox!' We would all run and
hide 'cause we was scared. Dat was five or six years after we moved
here.
"Dere was no houses 'round here den, but now I look out and see what de
Lord has done. De Bible say de new would take place of de old and things
would be changed.
"I worked in de old hotel down dere 'cross from de depot. It was de
Ketrens Hotel den, for about fourteen years, and den I worked for de
Claytons for about thirteen years. I can't do nothin' now, 'cause I is
too old. I gets a small pension. Dis is my house, but dey is a mortgage
on it and dey might come and take it away from me. I belongs to de
Baptist Church on Center Street, but I don't go very often no more. My
brother lives with me. He is dat one-legged man you sees in de City Park
most of de time. He gets a pension, too. My oldest brother died last
week. He was blind."