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STATE
NAME OF WORKER
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
Forms to be Filled out for Each Interview
FORM A
'Circumstances of interviow
NOW YORK
LEVI C. =BERT
58$ ilist 116th Street, /wt., 62
October 164, 1936
'FOLKLORE OF THE SOUTH"
1. Date and time of interview
°strobe r 18. 10811 oil ;a
2. Place of interview
2 liet 112th Stow% Manhattan
3. Name and address of informant
SSW Ali pies. of interview
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in
touch with informant.
Joseph Madden
dame address
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
6. Description of room, house, surrotrodings, etc.
T4428 40 TALL
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
Average imweomhpartmento in ammo 10.4aparimmait temmeent holm
Furnished in midoVistorian styli% modern edditioa a eemsole radio.
Allenegre house in Marion motion overerwisti with plemaante•faesd,
softwrsieed perms, extramay helpf41# but the interviewer could
not dissipate the impressian wirer. some queer type of eensue.taker.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms, each
bearing the proper heading and the number to which the material refers.)
STATE
NEW YORK
NAINE OF wOl'AER
LEVI C. HUBERT
FORM C
TcAt of Fitervlow (Unedited)
_
ADDUSS
DATE.
SUEJECT
363 -est 118th Street, Apt, 82
October 18, 1936
"FOLKLORE OF THE SOUTH"
TALES tall
FOLKLORE
NE": YORK
The triple Ks* K.K.K.: Every section of the South has been familiar with the
Klan, Konclaves, night.riders, white -sheets hastily gathered from clotheslines and
wrapped about furtive figures intent upon upholding order and law in a land poisoned
by race prejudice.
Fear and violence were substituted for peace and security, no one knew where a flaming
cross was to be burned next* no one knew whose cabin would be invaded, whose son, father
or husband would be snatohed from his bed and hunt upon the nearest pine tree.
A chance encounter in the street with a white roman in broad day, an accidental brush
by a Negro against a -white woman while valhin, along a crowded thoroughfare, a slight
misunderstanding with a white man, failure oi a Aegro to remove his tattered hat and step i
the gutter while passing a white men* a sullen demeanor* the slightest pretext was seised
upon by the K. .K. as reason for the favorite Southern pastime terror and intimidation
of Negroes.
With the Negroes* this real threat to their lives and homes has given rise to some rather
tall stories which are often told in a humorous manner, but it cannot be denied that these
stories arise from one of the most pernicious practices current an the
rican Boone.
As told to ma by Mrs. Cole and members of her family:
A Negro tinsmith and his son were repairing a roof on a building in the business
sectiin of a Southern city. The tinsmith made a misstep* faltered, and plunged
over the edge of the roof. His son, noted the precipitate descent of the unlucky
:vats notioed sonetIvin: also white womee -boakint; alo4,-0 directly in the path
of his father.
"Oh, Paw. Ladk 3t below. You'll land an a white women.* So Great was the
fear o' hareinL: a wi.lio-ifmun, he ialted Lis downLard ntjits roversed himself.
roof, *IA or ke..,ect.pe Osath was su7lordinate to his
relief that he had not hurt the w-camxio
'AUL% UARliaS Tiokle barrels are an iasUtitiou in everT Southern tom. Flailed
upau oonmenient corners in the white sections they are intended to be utilized by
LieGross whose business brine them out
idea is that any Locro feelinc
the desire to leu,h out loud (and thereby mit.,ht any the whites) must rush to the
barrels remove the lids and pluoe Lio 2.6%4
.1.4 Ito*
tuffseass hysterical ,;17„,.;les,
and other Lianifestations oia eyo wiAo -iokies ia in that manner confined to the
barrel and the dionity and deooriza u Ahern oit' is not offended.
r,rien ,where is the one about
ro %due lynched bemuse he actually had the
temerity to whip a wn ue in posoossiou. Ilea the Southern cullid person
wno came to an unfortunate end 1,40(A4So uiallouud a bleak rooster in the same chicken
yurd with u flock of dtita Ceske.
I was asked to ulleve that colored 'eaoplo in -ha outh were oo—velled to wear only
oolored shirts and collars. The only exception to this rule was in tla ease of
ministers, were ulloaed to ..elu• w.ito collars, but t:a ooll&rs mat, be dir_tzt
in thou° oo :Junities w..az ,ok;roez; uro ..alovo4 -Ls same theatre with thc
ti-le,y must enter by u separate
mace& and sit in the ,7-4,11 a sent is
finished, or a comedian has .,..otterl over his jokes, the viten seated in he orchestra
applaud first, then tho ellery has its oharce.
re••••••••••••11101011•ftwes
yD.11, agile, strong sw.d supple* was walking alonc a Gauntry road* eectmpenied
uy ajihd grandfather* almost JuLoapmeitated by the Infirmitlee of ace and eo7mellod
to hobble alon6 in an xneertaln reehirtne assisted hy ovine aud the firm *rim of the
grandam*
The tee were compelled to make frequent halts by the wayside and althou6h they had
started their ,ouronrwhila the sun was still high* yet the peases which the old man
requested had stretched their trip tb_til the afternoon sun had lone before hidden
itself :viand the toweriA; pines in ,he weateru hills.
ln one of their pauses they seated siunelves on a stone ethical lay beside the
road, and there the old :Inn rested aud actempted to °etch his breath end fight off
the overpowering fatiaue which further inpeded his slow proL;ress.
,hea had no sooner seated the-meelves Len e _Lostly figure also seated himself
beside them,
"There do -/t aeam to be but three 0_ ult .,are tanint*" =mated the addition to the
,;roup.
Ono quiek look and the :roun, fellow Got to his feet and soar the. a oemetery skirted the
road at that point*
"Yee* .ut 1-„L,er aint _onna be Jut t„,e tam 31 ;„ou in azdnute," no off he welts dis-
nuardi!„.„; Lis (....randiathorts plea not to 00 loft behind. Ls t.cLre....du=raa icen
rsa,„, s-vprised a ra..)Lit hLrr„--.1.1-1 Ott& as. mbuit* Lnd let
somebody ru_ se kiu run",
ie distance eovered Ivthe rwenint, doun6ster wee a lit...10 0/CY ;IVO miliis* -nd he
did it in doliele.quick Lime. Jut* j,.4st 4.0 40 ruuolied :Jece LL.,1 tri,A1 .0 olose the
doer after hi s4 ho felt someone puahin aolimet it and heard his zrendiather say*
"Don't slam the door in dour poor old „;randpapvy's Awe* son."