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(Mobile, AL. Mary A. Poole, John Morgan Smith, Federal Writers' Project, Dist. 2. May 18, 1937)
"To begin at de beginnin', white folks," said Dellie Lewis, "I was bawn on de plantation of Winston Hunter at Sunflower in Washington County, Alabama. Its on de Southern Railroad. De fus' thing dat I remembers was when de Gran' Trunk Railroad cut dere right of way through near Sunflower. Dey had a chain gang of prisoners dat warn't slaves aworkin' on de road, an' me an' anudder little nigger gal was sont wid some cans of buttermilk to sell 'em. One day a handsome white gentman rode to our house an' axe me fo' a drink of cool water. He was de found on de road. Jus' as soon as I handed it to him he done fell offen his hoss on de groun'. I run to de Mistis an' she got some of de niggers 'roun' de place to ca'ay de gent'man to de big house, an' do you now it, white folks, dat man, he neber open his eyes again! He kept callin' de Mistis his mammy, but he neber open his eyes to see dat I warn't his mammy. He died a little later wid a conjested chill.
"Den I remembers one of de Alabama River floods, dat swep' ober de lea' an' washed away lots of de food. De gover'ment sont some supplies of meat, meal an' 'lasses. De barrels was marked U. S. an' one nigger, bein' tired of waitin' an' bein' powerful hongry tol' us dat de U.S., on de barrel meant Us, so us commence' to eat. When de oberseer come to gib us de meat an' 'lasses, us be done et it all up.
"Us slaves useta git up at dawn; de oberseer blowed a cow hawn to call us to work. De Hunter slaves was 'lowed to go avisitin' udder slaver atter work hours an' on Sundays, an' iffen we was to meet a pattyroller, an' he axe us whar we f'um an' who we b'long to all us had to say was we's Hunter niggers; an' dat pattyroller didn't do nothin', caze de Hunter niggers warn't neber whupped by no pattyroller. Some niggers when dey was kotched eben dough dey warn't Hunter niggers, dey'd say it jus' de same, caze dem pattyrollers was always 'fraid to fool 'long wid a Hunter nigger. Massa Hunter, he was somp'n'.
"Durin' de Christmas celebration, us all had gif's. Us had quilting bee's wid de white folks, an' iffen a white gent'man thowed a quilt ober a white lady he was 'titled to a kiss an' a hug 'um her. Atter de celebratin' we all had a big supper.
"An' speakin' of oures, white folks, us niggers had 'em. My grandmammy was a midwife an' she useta gib women cloves an' whiskey to ease de pain. She also gib 'em dried watermelon seeds to git rid of de grabel in de kidneys. For night sweats Grandmammy would put an axe under de bed of de sick pusson wid de blade asittin' straight up. An' iffen yo' is sick an' wants to keep de visitors away, jus' putt a fresh laid aig in front of de do' an' dey won't come in. If you is anxious fo' yo' sweetheart to come back f'un a trip put a pin in de groun' wid de point up an' den put a aig on de point. When all de insides runs outen de aig yo' sweetheart will return.
"Yassuh, white folks, us useta hab games. Us useta play; 'puss in de cawner; 'next do' neighbor' an' 'fox an' geese." I kin gib you some of de songs we useta sing:
"Old sweet beans and barley grows, Old sweet beans an' barley grows,
You nor I nor nobody knows,Where old sweet beans an' barley grows.
"Go choose yo' east,Go choose yo' wes',Go choose de one dat you love best,If she's not here to take her part,Choose de nex' one to yo' heart."
"I is always been a 'piscopalian in belief, white folks. I married Bill Lewis when I was fifteen year old inMontgomery an' us had three chilluns. I is strong in my faith.
"In mercy, not in wrath,Rebuke me, gracious LawdLes' when Dy whole displeasure rise,I sink beneath Dy rod."
"Yassuh, I remembers de war. I seed de Yankees a-marchin' through our place an' down de road dat led to Portlandin Dallas County. Dey was mighty fine looking wid all dere brass buttons and nice lookin' uniforms. Dey didn't gibus much trouble. Dey had a Cap'n dat was good an' kin'. I heered him say dat dere warn't agoin' to be no stealid an'atrampin' through folks' houses. Dey slep' outen de yard for one night; den dey went on in to Portland.
"Mr. Munger was our oberseer, but he had money of his own. He was better dan mos' oberseers, an' dere warn't nopo' white trash, dem onery buckers libed further back in de woods.
"When us was sick Dr. Lewis Williams, who was de doctor of de massa, 'tended to us slaves. I remembers sittin' inde doctor's lap while he tried to soothe my ailments.
"Us house servants was taught to read by de white folks, but my gran'-mammy, Alvain Hunter, dat didn't have nolearnin' but dat knowed de Bible backards an' farwards, made us study. When me an' my brother was learnin' outende Blue Back Speller she say: "'How's dat? Go ober it.'
"Den we would laugh an' answer, 'How you know? You can't read."
"'Jus' don't soun' raght. De Lawd tell me when its raght. You-all can't fool me so don't try.'
"When de marriages was preformed, de massa read de ceremony an' de couples would step off over a broomstickfor luck. Den we all had a big supper, an' dere was music an' dancin' by de plenty."
(Wash. Copy, 5/25/37, L. H.)
[Note: The following excerpts were taken from another interview with the preceding person. All repeatedinformation has been omitted.]
They always had big Christmas celebrations with gifts for every one, and big quilting bees, the men holding thelights and the women quilting, until all quilts were finished, and if one of the boys could throw the quilt over one ofthe girls and catch her, he was entitled to a hug and a kiss. A big supper and dance for the workers followed.
Dellie said her grandmother was a midwife in later years, and always made tea of spice and cloves, putting in a littlewhiskey and gave it to a woman after childbirth as this always brought out all the bruised blood; also she driedwatermelon seed making a tea of same as a remedy for gravel in the kidneys.
For night sweats Dellie said the grandmother told folks to put an ax under the bed with blade of ax sitting straightup, or else put a pan of water under the bed.
If someone you had no use for insisted on coming to see you, put a fresh laid egg at the door where they had to stepover it, and they couldn't come in, but Dellie laughingly said she tried this and it failed to work.
If you are anxious for your sweetheart to return from a journey put a pin in the ground head down and point up, put an egg on point of pin, then insert another pin in top of egg with the point inside, and when the two points met your sweetheart would return, but Dellie said she even tried this without success.
However, Dellie firmly believes in spirits, claims she had seen them and felt them around her, has even asked them in the name of the "Father and the Son" to tell her what they wanted of her, or wished to tell her.
Dellie is and has always been an Episcopalian in belief, was married at 15 years of age in Montgomery, Alabama, to William G. Lewis, had three children, one girl and two boys; the girl married and is living in St. Louis, Mo., and the two sons also married and are living in Mobile. She had two grandsons, one with whom she lives, J.A. Lelande, who is principal of the A. F. Owens school.
Dellie said Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves by signing the "Proclamation", that the Yankees just thought the South too rich and getting richer by having the slaves work for them, which of course, was wrong as Mr. Lincoln said, all men should be equal.
Dellie said she thinks Booker T. Washington is a wonderful man, when he could take a genuine negro, who is like a mule full of meanness and tricks, and cultivate him like other would a plant and make him entirely different. Dellie also said she knows because she has run a colored boarding house and come in contact with all different classes of the negro race.
