“I never went to school a day in my life.  I learned my ABC’S after I was nineteen years old.  I went to night school, then to a teacher by the name of Nelse Otom.  I was the first nigger to join the church on this side of the Mason and Dixie line.  During slavery we all joined the white folk’s church set in the back.  After slavery in 1866 they met in conference and motioned to turn all of the black sheep out then.  There was four or five they turned out here and four or five there, so we called our preacher and I was the first one to join.  Old master asked our preacher what we paid him to preach to us.  We told him old shoes and clothes.  Old master says, ‘Well, that’s damn poor pay.’  Our preacher says, ‘And they got a damn poor preacher.’

“I did not know anything about war.  Only I know it began in 1861, closed in 1865, and I know they fought at Vicksburg.  That was two or three hundred miles from us but we could not keep our dishes upon the table whenever they shot a bomb.  Those bombs would jar the house so hard and we could see the smoke that far.

“We was allowed to visit Saturday night and Sunday.  If you had a wife you could go to see her Wednesday night and Saturday night and stay with her until Monday morning and if you were caught away any other time the patrollers would catch you.  That is where the song come from, ’Run nigger run, don’t the patarolls will catch you.’  Sometimes a nigger would run off and the nigger dogs would track them.  In slavery white folks put you together.  Just tell you to go on and go to bed with her or him.  You had to stay with them whether you wanted them or not.

“After freedom old master called all us slaves and told us we was free, opened a big gate and drove us all out.  We didn’t know what to do—­not a penny, nowhere to go—­so we went out there and set down.  In about thirty minutes master came back and told us if we wanted to finish the crop for food and clothes we could, so we all went back and finished the crop and the next year they gave us half.  So ever’ since then we people been working for half.

“Here is one of my boy songs: 

  ’Sadday night and Sunday too,
   A pretty girl on my mind
   As soon as Monday morning come
   The white folks get me gwi-ng.’”

[HW:  Regrets End of Slavery] old slave stories

[TR:  Sarah and Tom Douglas]

[TR:  Aunt Sarah Douglas]—­Ah wuz baptized de second year of surrender.  Wuz twelve years ole at de time an my mistress spoke fuh me when ah j’ined de church.  In them days when chillun j’ined de church some grown person had ter speak fuh em an tell if they thought they wuz converted or not.  Now when chillun j’in de church if they is big enough ter talk they take em in widout grown fokes speaking fuh em a tall.

Slavery times wuz sho good times.  We wuz fed an clothed an had nothin to worry about.  Now poar ole niggers go hungry.  Sho we wuz whipped in slavery times.  Mah ole man has stripes on his back now wha he wuz whipped an ah wuz whipped too but hit hoped me up till now.  Coase hit did.  Hit keeps me fum goin aroun here tellin lies an stealin yo chickens.