“Dere wuz Uncle George Bull, he could read and write and, chile, de white folks didn’t lak no nigger whut could read and write.  Carr’s wife Miss Jane useter teach us Sunday School but she did not ’low us to tech a book wid us hands.  So dey useter jes take uncle George Bull and beat him fur nothin; dey would beat him and take him to de lake and put him on a log and shev him in de lake, but he always swimmed out.  When dey didn’ do dat dey would beat him tel de blood run outen him and den trow him in de ditch in de field and kivver him up wid dirt, head and years and den stick a stick up at his haid.  I wuz a water toter and had stood and seen um do him dat way more’n once and I stood and looked at um tel dey went ’way to de other rows and den I grabbed de dirt ofen him and he’d bresh de dirt off and say ‘tank yo’, git his hoe and go on back to work.  Dey beat him lak dat and he didn’ do a thin’ to git dat sort uf treatment.”

“I had a sister name Lytie Holly who didn’ stand back on non’ uv em; when dey’d git behin’ her, she’d git behin’ dem; she wuz dat stubbo’n and when dey would beat her she wouldn’ holler and jes take it and go on.  I got some whuppin’s wid strops but I wanter tell you why I am cripple today: 

“I had to tote tater vines on my haid, me and Fred’ rick and de han’s would be a callin fur em all over de field but you know honey, de two uv us could’ git to all uvum at once, so Joe Sanders would hurry us up by beatin’ us with strops and sticks and run us all over de tater ridge; he cripple us both up and den we couldn’ git to all uv em.  At night my pa would try to fix me up cose I had to go back to work nex’ day.  I never walked straight frum dat day to dis and I have to set here in dis chair now, but I don’ feel mad none now.  I feels good and wants to go to he’ven—­I ain’ gonna tel no lie on white nor black cose taint no use.”

“Some uv de slaves run away, lots uv um.  Some would be cot and when dey ketched em dey put bells on em; fust dey would put a iron ban’ ’round dey neck and anuder one ’round de waist and rivet um tegether down de back; de bell would hang on de ban’ round de neck so dat it would ring when de slave walked and den dey wouldn’ git ’way.  Some uv dem wore dese bells three and four mont’n and when dey time wuz up dey would take em off ’em.  Jake Overstreet, George Bull, John Green, Ruben Golder, Jim Bradley and a hos’ uv others wore dem bells.  Dis is whut I know, not whut somebody else say.  I seen dis myself.  En missus, when de big gun fiahed, de runerway slaves comed out de woods frum all directions.  We wuz in de field when it fiahed, but I ’members dey wuz all very glad.”

“After de war, we worked but we got pay fur it.”

“Ole man Pierce and others would call some kin’ of a perlitical (political) meetin’ but I could never understan’ whut dey wuz talkin’ ‘bout.  We didn’ had no kin’ uv schools and all I knows but dem is dat I sent my chillums in Leon and Gadsden Counties.”