Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States

Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery by Various 22I 'members de big meetin's dat we'd have in de summer time an' dat good singin' we'd have when we'd besingin' de sinners through. We'd stay pretty nigh all night to make a sinner come through, an' maybe de weekatter de meetin' he'd steal one of his marster's hogs. Yes'um, I'se had a bad time.You know, missy, dar ain't no use puttin' faith in nobody, dey'd fool you ever time anyhow. I know once apatteroller tol' me dat iffen I'd give him a belt I found dat he'd let me go by ter see my gal dat night, but whenhe kotch me dat night he whupped me. I tol' Marse Henry on him too so Marse Henry takes de belt away fromhim an' gives me a possum fer hit. Dat possum shore wus good too, baked in de ashes like I done it.I ain't never hear Marse Henry cuss but once an' dat wus de time dat some gentlemens come ter de house an'sez dat dar am a war 'twixt de north an' de south. He sez den, 'Let de damn yaller bellied Yankees come on an'we'll give 'em hell an' sen' dem a-hoppin' back ter de north in a hurry.'We ain't seed no Yankees 'cept a few huntin' Rebs. Dey talk mean ter us an' one of dem says dat we niggersam de cause of de war. 'Sir,' I sez, 'folks what am a wantin' a war can always find a cause'. He kicks me in deseat of de pants fer dat, so I hushes.I stayed wid Marse Henry till he died den I moved ter Wilson. I has worked everwhere, terbacker warehousesan' ever'thing. I'se gittin' of my ole age pension right away an' den de county won't have ter support me nomo', dat is if dey have been supportin' me on three dollars a month.LEN. C. District: No. 2 [320244] Worker: T. Pat Matthews No. Words: 745 Subject: LIZZIE BAKER PersonInterviewed: Lizzie Baker Editor: Daisy Bailey Waitt[TR: No Date Stamp]LIZZIE BAKER 424 Smith StreetI was born de las' year o' de surrender an'course I don't remember seein' any Yankee soldiers, but I knows aplenty my mother and father tole me. I have neuritis, an' have been unable to work any fer a year and ferseven years I couldn't do much.My mother wus named Teeny McIntire and my father William McIntire. Mammy belonged to BryantNewkirk in Duplin County. Pap belonged to someone else, I don't know who.Dey said dey worked from light till dark, and pap said dey beat him so bad he run away a lot o' times. Deysaid de paterollers come to whare dey wus havin' prayer meetin' and beat 'em.Mammy said sometimes dey were fed well and others dey almost starved. Dey got biscuit once a week onSunday. Dey said dey went to de white folks's church. Dey said de preachers tole 'em dey had to obey deremissus and marster. My mammy said she didn't go to no dances 'cause she wus crippled. Some o' de help, acolored woman, stole something when she wus hongry. She put it off on mother and missus made motherwear trousers for a year to punish her.Mammy said dey gave de slaves on de plantation one day Christmas and dat New Years wus when dey sold'em an' hired 'em out. All de slaves wus scared 'cause dey didn't know who would have to go off to be sold orto work in a strange place. Pap tole me 'bout livin' in de woods and 'bout dey ketchin' him. I 'member hisowner's name den, it wus Stanley. He run away so bad dey sold him several times. Pap said one time deycaught him and nearly beat him to death, and jest as soon as he got well and got a good chance he ran awayagain.