“I haven’t voted in so long a time.  I voted Republican.  I thought I did.

“I worked at the railroad till they put me off.  They put me off on disability.  Trying to git my papers fixed up to work or get something one.  Back on the railroad job.  I farmed when I was young.”

El Dorado District
folklore subjects
Name of Interviewer:  Pernella Anderson
Subject:  Slavery Days—­Cruel Master Murdered by Slaves
Story:—­Information

This Information given by:  Charity Morris
Place of Residence:  Camden, Arkansas
Age:  90
[TR:  Information moved from bottom of first page.]

Ah wuz born in Carolina uh slave an ah was de eldest daughtuh of Christiana Webb whose owner wuz Master Louis Amos.  Mah mammy had lots uv chillun an she also mammied de white chillun, whut wuz lef’ mammyless.  When ah wuz very small dey rented me out tuh some very po’ white fokes.  Dey wuzn use tuh slaves so mah marster made him promise [HW:  not] tuh beat me or knock me bout.  Dey promise dey wouldn.  Dey cahried me home an ah clare dey wuz so mean tuh me till ah run off an tried tuh fin’ de way back tuh mah marster.  Night caught me in de woods.  Ah sho’ wuz skeered.  Ah wuz skeered uv bears an panthers so ah crawled up in a ole bandoned crib an crouched down gainst de loft.  Ah went off tuh sleep but wuz woke by somethin scratchin on de wall below.  Ah stayed close as ah could tuh de wall an ’gin er prayin.  Dat things scratched all night an ah prayed all night.  De nex’ mawnin dese white fokes sent word tuh Marster dat ah had lef’ so Marster foun’ me an took me home and let me stay dar too.  Ah didn’ work in de fiel’ ah worked in de house.  We lived in uh log cabin.  Evah Sunda mawnin Marster Louis would have all us slaves tuh de house while he would sing an pray an read de Bible tuh us all.

De people dat owned de plantation near us had lots of slaves.  Dey owned lots uv mah kin fokes.  Dey marster would beat dem at night when dey come fum de fiel’ an lock em up.  He’d whoop um an sen’ um tuh de fiel’.  Dey couldn’ visit no slaves an no slaves was ’lowed tuh visit em.  So mah cousin Sallie watched him hide de key so she moved dem a li’l further back so dat he had tuh lean ovah tuh reach dem.  Dat mawnin soon when he come tuh let em out she cracked him in de haid wid de poker an made little Joe help put his haid in de fiuh place.  Dat day in de fiel’ Little Joe made er song; “If yo don’ bleave Aunt Sallie kilt Marse Jim de blood is on huh under dress”.  He jes hollered hit.  “Aunt Sallie kilt Marse Jim.”  Dey zamined Aunt Sallie’s under dress so dey put huh in jail till de baby come den dey tried huh an sentenced huh tuh be hung an she wuz.

Our Marster use tuh tell us if we left de house de patarollers would catch us.  One night de patarollers run mah two brothers home, Joe an Henry.

When de ole haid died out dey chillun got de property.  Yo see we slaves wuz de property.  Den we got separated.  Some sent one way an some nother.  Hit jes happent dat Marse Jim drawed me.