Sometimes there were slaves who were punished by the overseer because they had broken some rule.  Mr. Favors says that at such times a cowhide whip was used and the number of lashes that the overseer gave depended on the slave owner’s instructions.  He has seen others whipped and at such times he began praying.  The only punishment that he ever received was as a little boy and then a switch was used instead of the whip.  If the “Patter-Roller” caught a slave out in the streets without a pass from his master they proceeded to give the luckless fellow five lashes with a whip called the cat-o-nine-tails.  They gave six lashes if the slave was caught out at night regardless of whether he had a pass or not.

As none of the slaves held by the “Widow” or her son ever attempted to run away there was no punishment for this.  However, he has heard that on other plantations blood hounds were used to trail those who ran away and if they were caught a severe beating was administered.

Sometime after the civil war had begun the “Widow Favors” packed as many of her belongings as possible and fled to LaGrange, Georgia.  He and his mother along with several other slaves (one of whom was an old man) were taken along.  He never heard any of the white people say anything about the war or its possible results.  At one time a battle was being fought a few miles distant and they all saw the cannon balls fall on the plantation.  This was when the journey to LaGrange was decided upon.  Before leaving the “Widow” had the slaves to bury all the meat, flour, and other food on the plantation so that the Yankee soldiers would not get it.  Mr. Favors was given about two thousand dollars in gold currency to keep and protect for his owner.  At various intervals he had to take this money to the “Widow”. so that she might count it.  Another one of the slaves was given the son’s gold watch to keep on his person until the Yanks left the vicinity.

Before freedom was declared Mr. Favors says that he prayed all of the time because he never wanted to be whipped with the cowhide, like others he had seen.  Further he says that it was a happy day for him when he was told that he could do as he pleased because he realized then that he could do some of the things that he had always wanted to do.

When freedom was declared for the slaves the Favors family freed slaves valued at one-hundred and fifty thousand dollars.  The live stock that they sold represented a like sum.  Mr. Favors and his mother remained with the “Widow,” who gave him his board in return for his services and paid his mother twenty-five dollars per year for hers as cook.

“Even after the war things were pretty tough for us” stated Mr. Favors.  “The plantation owners refused to pay more than thirty or forty cents to a person for a days work in the fields.  Some of them would not allow an ex-slave to walk in the streets in front of their homes but made them take to the out-of-the-way paths through the woods to reach their various destinations.  At other times white men cut the clothes from the backs of the ex-slaves when they were well dressed.  If they didn’t beg hard enough when thus accosted they might even be cut to death!” After the first three years following the war conditions were somewhat better, he continued.