Hill, James

Description

Transcribed by Nathaniel Lucy Told by James Hill Alma, Arkansas May 23, 1951 Reel 123 Tale: Two Ghosts This right here is one very . . . cemetery like you had. This one is of the ghost in the cemetery or the two men in the cemetery who were thought to be ghosts. Two men went to a cemetery to divide a load of corn they had stolen. And as they passed through the gate they left two ears on the gate poles. An old colored man passing the cemetery heard them saying "you take this one and I'll take that one." And the old colored gent frightened half out of his wits raced to the home of a minister and cried excitedly, "Oh, parson! The judgment has come because I heard the Lord and the Devil dividing up the dead." The minister, to reassure him that he had nothing to fear, persuaded him to accompany him to the cemetery gate. And as they reached the gate, the thieves had just finished dividing up the corn in the wagon and one was heard say, "And those two at the gate aren't counted yet." And with that the old nigger shouted, "Parson! The Devil may get you but he'll sure be fast on foot if he overtakes me." And could you shut it off a second. Funding for digitization provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Happy Hollow Foundation.

From Collection

Ozark Folksong Collection

Record Contributed By

University of Arkansas