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ROSE WILLIAMS
Texas
What I say am de facts. If I's one day old, I's way over ninety and I's born in Bell County, right here in Texas, and am owned by Massa William Black. He owns Mammy and Pappy, too. Massa Black has a big plantation, but he has more niggers dan he need for work on dat place, 'cause he am a nigger trader. He trade and buy and sell all de time.
Massa Black am awful cruel, and he whip de cullud folks and works dem hard and feed dem poorly. We-uns have fer rations de cornmeal and milk and 'lasses and some beans and peas, and meat once a week. We-uns have to work in de field every day from daylight till dark, and on Sunday we-uns do us washin'. Church? Shucks, we-uns don't know what dat mean.
I has de clerrest memorandum of when de War start.
Massa Black sold we-uns right den. Mammy and Pappy powerful glad to git sold, and dey and I is put on de block with 'bout ten other niggers. When we-uns gits to de tradin' block, dere lots of white folks dere what come to look us over. One man shows de interes' in Pappy. Him named Hawkins. He talk to Pappy and Pappy talk to him and say, "Dem my woman and chiles . Please buy all of us and have mercy on we-uns. " Massa Hawkins say, ”Dat gal am a likely look'n' nigger, she am portly and strong, but three am more dan I wants, I guesses.”
De sale start and, 'fore long, Pappy am put on de block. Massa Hawkins wins de bid for Pappy, and when Mammy am put on de block, he wins de bid for her. Den dere am three or four other niggers sold befo' my time comes. Den Massa Black calls me to de block and de auction man say, "What am I offer for dis portly, strong wench. She's never been 'bused and will make a good breeder."
I wants to hear Massa Hawkins bid, but him say nothin'. Two other men am biddin’ gainst each other, and I sho'has de worriment. Dere am tears comin' down my cheeks 'cause I's bein' sold to some man dat would make separation from my mammy. One man bids five hundred dollars and de auction man ask, "Do I hear more? She am gwine at five hundred dollars." Den someone say, "Five hundred twenty-five," and de auction man say, "She am sold for five hundred twenty-five dollars to Massa Hawkins." Am I glad and 'cited! Why, I's quiverin' all over.
Massa Hawkins takes we-uns to his place and it am a nice plantation. Lots better am dat place dan Massa Black's. Dere is 'bout fifty niggers what is growed and lots of chillun. De first thing Massa do when we-uns gits home am give we-uns rations and a cabin. You mus' believe dis nigger when I says dem rations was a feast for us. Dere was plenty meat and tea and coffee and white flour. Is never tasted white flour and coffee, and Mammy fix some biscuits and coffee. Well, de biscuits was yum, yum to me, but de coffee I doesn't like.
De quarters am putty good. Dere am twelve cabins all made from logs, and a table and some benches, and bunks for sleepin', and a fireplace for cookin' and de heat. Dere am no floor, 'us' de ground.
Massa Hawkins am good to he niggers and not force'em too hard. Dere am as much diff'ence'tween him and old Massa Black in de way of treatment as'twixt de Lawd and de Devil. Massa Hawkins'lows de niggers have reasonable parties and go fishin', but we-uns am never tooken to church and has no books for larnin'. Dere am no edumacation for de niggers.
Dere am one thing Massa Hawkins does to me what I can't shunt from my mind. I knows he don't do it for meanness, but I allus holds it 'gainst him. What he done am force me to live with dat nigger, Rufus, 'gainst my wants.
After I been at he place 'bout a year, de massa come to me and say, "You gwine live with Rufus in dat cabin over yonder. Go fix it for (oo livin'." I's 'bout sixteen year old and has no larnin', and Is 'us' a igno'mus chile. I's thought dat him mean for me to tend de cabin for Rufus and some other niggers. Well, dat am de start of de pestigation for me.
I's took charge of de cabin after work am done and fixes supper. Now, I don't like Rufus, 'cause he a bully. He am big, and'cause he so he think everybody do what him say. We-uns has supper, den I goes here and dere talkin', till I's ready for sleep, and den I gits in de bunk. After Is in, dat nigger come and crawl in de bunk with me 'fore I knows it. I says, "What you means, you fool nigger?" He say for me to hush de mouth. "Dis am my bunk, too," he say.
"You's teched in de head. Git out," I's told him, and I puts de feet against him and give him a shove and out he go on de floor, 'fore he know what I's doin'. Dat nigger 'ump up and he mad. He look like de wild bear. He starts for de bunk and I 'umps quick for de poker. It am 'bout three feet long, and when he comes at me I lets him have it over de head. Did dat nigger stop in he tracks? I's say he did. He looks at me steady for a minute and you could tell he thinkin' hard. Den he go and set on de bench and say, "Jus' wait. You thinks you am smart, but you am foolish in de head. Dey's gwine larn you somethin'. "
"Hush you big mouth and stay 'way from dis nigger; dat all I wants," I say, and I 'us' sets and hold dat poker in de hand. He jus' sets, lookin' like de bull. Dere we-uns sets and sets for'bout an hour, and den he go out and I bars de door.
De nex' day I goes to de missey and tells her what Rufus wants, and de missey say dat am de massa's wishes. She say, "You am de portly gal and Rufus am de portly man. De massa wants you-uns for to bring forth portly chillun."
I's thinkin' 'bout what de missey say, but say to myse'f, "I's not qo gwine live with dat Rufus." Dat night when him come in de cabin, I grabs de poker and sets on de bench and says, "Git from me, nigger,'fore I busts you brains out and stomp on dem." He says nothin' and git out.
De nex' day de massa call me and tell me, "Woman, Is pay big money for you and I's done dat 'cause I wants you to raise me chillun. I's put you to live with Rufus for dat purpose. Now, if you doesn't want whippin' at de stake, you do what I wants."
I thinks 'bout Massa buyin' me often de block and savin' me from bein' sep'rated from my folks, and 'bout bein' whipped at de stake. Dere it am. What am I to do? I 'cides to do as de massa wish and so I yields.
When we-uns am given freedom, Massa Hawkins tells us we can stay and work for wages or sharecrop de land. Some stays and some goes. My folks and me stays. We works de land on shares for three joy years, den moved to other land nearby. I stays with my folks till they dies.
If my memorandum am correct, it am 'bout thirty year since I come to Fort Worth. Here I cooks for white folks till I goes blind 'bout ten year ago.
I never marries, 'cause one 'sperience am 'nuf for dis nigger. After what I does for de massa, I's never want no truck with any man. De Lawd forgive dis collud woman, but he have to ’scuse me and look for some others for to 'plenish de earth.
