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

Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery by Various 72Yes, they taught us to say pappy an' mammy in them days.I remember the coon and possum hunts an' the rabbits we caught in gums. I remember killin' birds at nightwith thorn brush. When bird blindin' we hunt 'em at night with lights from big splinters. We went to grasspatches, briars, and vines along the creeks an' low groun's where they roosted, an' blinded 'em an' killed 'emwhen they come out. We cooked 'em on coals, and I remember making a stew and having dumplings cookedwith 'em. We'd flustrate the birds in their roostin' place an' when they come out blinded by the light we hit 'eman' killed 'em with thorn brush we carried in our han's.Marster had a gran'son, the son of Alonza Hodge an' Arabella Hodge, 'bout my age an' I stayed with him mostof the time. When Alonza Hodge bought his son anything he bought for me too. He treated us alike. Hebought each of us a pony. We could ride good, when we were small. He let us follow him. He let us go huntin'squirrels with him. When he shot an' killed a squirrel he let us race to see which could get him first, while helaughed at us.I didn't sleep in the great house. I stayed with this white boy till bed time then my mammy come an' got mean' carried me home. When marster wanted us boys to go with him he would say, 'Let's go boys,' an' we wouldfollow him. We were like brothers. I ate with him at the table. What they et, I et. He made the house girl waiton me just like he an' his son was waited on.My father stayed with marster till he died, when he was 63 an' I was 21; we both stayed right there. My whiteplaymate's name was Richard Hodge. I stayed there till I was married. When I got 25 years old I married IdaRawlson. Richard Hodge became a medical doctor, but he died young, just before I was married.They taught me to read an' write. After the surrender I went to free school. When I didn't know a word I wentto old marster an' he told me.During my entire life no man can touch my morals, I was brought up by my white folks not to lie, steal or dothings immoral. I have lived a pure life. There is nothing against me.I remember the Yankees, yes sir, an' somethings they done. Well, I remember the big yeller gobler theycouldn't ketch. He riz an' flew an' they shot him an' killed him. They went down to marster's store an' bustedthe head outen a barrel o' molasses an' after they busted the head out I got a tin bucket an' got it full o'molasses an' started to the house. Then they shoved me down in the molasses. I set the bucket down an' hit aYankee on the leg with a dogwood stick. He tried to hit me. The Yankees ganged around him, an' made himleave me alone, give me my bucket o' molasses, an' I carried it on to the house. They went down to the lot,turned out all the horses an' tuck two o' the big mules, Kentucky mules, an' carried 'em off. One of the muleswould gnaw every line in two you tied him with, an' the other could not be rode. So next morning after theYankees carried 'em off they both come back home with pieces o' lines on 'em. The mules was named, onewas named Bill, an' the other Charles. You could ride old Charles, but you couldn't ride old Bill. He wouldthrow you off as fast as you got on 'im.After I was married when I was 25 years old I lived there ten years, right there; but old marster had died an'missus had died. I stayed with his son Nathaniel; his wife was named Drusilla.I had five brothers, Richard, Daniel, Rogene, Lorenzo, Lumus and myself. There wont places there for us all,an' then I left. When I left down there I moved to Raleigh. The first man I worked fer here was George MarshCompany, then W. A. Myatt Company an' no one else. I worked with the Myatt Company twenty-six years;'till I got shot.It was about half past twelve o'clock. I was on my way home to dinner on the 20th of December, 1935. WhenI was passing Patterson's Alley entering Lenoir Street near the colored park in the 500 block something hit