Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves | Page 3

raised me right, I
might hab got in meaness en bin locked up half de time, but I ain't
nebber bin 'rested, en I'se 'ferd ob de policemans. De fiel' slaves wuz
whup'd in de fiel's by de oberseer en de Marster en Missis did hit at de
house."
"I tell you we had a hahd time. Mah Missis woulden' let dem sell me. I
wuz a nuss en house gal. I wuz whup'd wid a bull whup, en got cuts on
mah back menny a time. I'se not shamed ter say I got skyars on mah
back now fum Marster cuttin' hit wid dat bull whup. Mah Missis also
whup'd me. W'en de Missis got ready ter whup me, she would gib us
sum wuk ter do, so she would kind ob git ober her mad spell 'fore she
whup'd us. Sum times she would lock us up in a dark closet en bring
our food ter us. I hated bein' locked up. Atter dey tuk me out ob de
house, I wuked in de fiel' lak de urthurs. Long 'fore day break, we wuz
standin' in de fiel's leanin' on our hoes waitin' fer daylite en waitin' fer
de horn ter blow so we would start ter wuk. Ef'n we wan'ed ter go ter
any place we had ter hab a pass wid our Marster's name on hit en ef you
didn' hab hit, you got tore ter pieces en den you Marster tore you up
w'en you got home."
"One story mah daddy useter tell us wuz 'bout a slave named Pommpy.
He wuz allus prayin' fer de good Lawd ter tek 'im 'way. One nite he
wuz down on his 'nees prayin', "Good Lawd, kum en tek po Pommpy
out ob his misery." De Marster ob Pommpy 'year'd 'm en de Marster
made a leetle noise en Pommpy seze, "Who ez dat?" En his Marster
seze, "Hits de Lawd kum ter tek po Pommpy out ob his misery."
Pommpy crawl under de bed en seze, "Pommpy has bin gon' two er

three days."
"'Nurther story: A partridge en a fox 'greed ter kil' a beef. Dey kilt en
skinned hit. B'fo dey divide hit de fox said, "Mah wife seze sen' her
sum beef fer soup," so he tuck a piece ob hit en carried hit down de hill,
den kum back en said mah wife wants mo' beef fer soup. He kep dis up
'til all de beef wuz gon' 'cept de libber. De fox kum back en de
partridge seze now lets cook dis libber en both ob us eat hit. De
partridge cooked de libber, et hits part rite quick, en den fell ovuh lak
hit wuz sick; de fox got skeered en said dat beef ez pizen en he ran
down de hill en started bringin' de beef back en w'en he brought hit all
back, he lef' en de partridge had all de beef."
"Don't member much now 'bout de Klu Klux Klan en nothin' 'bout
slave 'risings at any place. I don' member 'bout de sta'rs fallin', but I did
see de comet, en hit looked lak a sta'r wid a long tail; atter freedum, I
nebber year'd ob no slave gettin' land er money en I dunno nothin' 'bout
de slave mart 'yer fer I didn' git ter kum ter town."
"Since freed, I hab nussed, cooked en don' diff'unt things. I wuk'ed fer
one family fifteen y'ars en didn' miss a day. I has stayed at dis place fer
de las' five y'ars. I had a stroke en wuz in de hospit'l a long time. I cain'
git out; en 'roun' 'yer in de house, I has ter walk wid a stick."
"I ain' nebber voted. One day sum men kum 'yer ter tek me ter vote. I
tole dem w'en I got ready ter be a man, I would put on overalls."
"I'se a member ob de Missionary Baptist Chuch. I ain' bin fer a long
time kaze I ain' able ter go. De ole song I members ez "Dixie Land," en
"Run Nigger Run, de Pat-a rollers Will Git You."
"Oh Lawdy! I think sum ob is young peeple ain' no count w'ile sum ob
dem ez alright. I think each color should ma'rie his own color. Hit
makes me mad ter think 'bout hit. Ef de good Lawd had wanted dat, he
would hab had us all one color."
"Fer a long time de relief gib me a quart ob milk a day, but now all I
has ez w'at mah sistah Harriett gibs me. She sin' got much wuk en sum

days we don' hab much ter eat. Ef mah Missis wuz livin' I wouldin' go
hongry."

INTERVIEW WILEY CHILDRESS 808 Gay St. Nashville, Tennessee