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(Mobile, Alabama, Ila B. Prine, Federal Writers' Project, Dist. 2 May 21, 1937)
"I was bawn a slave, but I ain't neber been a slave", was Aunt Nicey's first remark to me as I came upon her pulling up potato draws in her garden in Prichard, Alabama. "Dere was 'leben chilluns in my family an' all 'em is daid ceptin' me an' one brother who is seventy-five year old at de present time. My pappy's name was Hamp West an' my mammy was Sarah West. All my folks belonged to Massa Jim Bettis, an' was born an' raised on his place.
"When I was a little pickaninny I worked in Massa Jim's house, sweepin' an' a-cleanin'. Us slaves had to be up at de house by sunup, build de fires an' git de cookin' started. Dey had big open fireplaces wid potracks to hang de pot on. Dats whar us boiled de vegetables. An' honey, us sho had plenty somp'n' t'eat: greens, taters, peas, rosenyurs an plenty of home killed meat. Sometimes my oldest brother, Joe West, and Friday Davis, anudder nigger, went huntin' at night an' kotched mo' possums dan we could eat. Dey'd kotch lots of fish; 'nuf to las' us three days.
"I remembers one day when me an' anudder little nigger gal was goin' atter de cows down in de fiel' an' us seed whut I reckon' was de Klux Klan. Us was so skeered us didn't know whut to do. One of 'em walked up to us an' say: 'Niggers, whar you agoin'?'
"'Us is jus' atter de cows, Mr. Ku Klux,'" us say. 'Us ain't up to no debilment.'
"'All right den,' "dey say," 'jus' you be sho dat you don't git in to none.'
"Atter we got home us told de massa 'bout de 'sperience, an' he us' laugh. He tol' us dat we warn't goin' to be hurt iffen we was good; he say dat it was only de bad niggers dat was goin' to be got atter by dem Ku Klux.
"When we was little we didn't hab no games to play, kaze Massa Jim an' Miss Marfa didn't hab no chilluns, an' I ain't neber had no sperences wid hants or hoodoos. Dey neber teach us to read or write kaze when de niggers learn anything, dey would git upitty an' want to run away. We would hab Sadday afternoons off, den us would sweep de yards, an' set aroun on benches an' talk. It was on de benches dat mos' of us slaves set in warm weather. We et outen tin cups an' us used iron spoons to shovel de food in.
"At Christmas time, Massa would have a bunch of niggers to kill a hog an' barbecue him, an' de womens would make' lasses cake, an' ole massa Jim had some kinda seed dat he made beer outen, an' we-alls drank beer 'roun' Christmas.
"But dere warn't no udder time such as New Years. Us all celebrated in big way den. Most of dem no count niggers stayed drunk fo' three days.
"An' as fo' de funerals, don't eber remember but three white folks dyin'. Dey jus' didn't seem to die in dem days, an' de ones dat did die was mostly kilt by somp'n'. One white gentman got hisself kilt in a kin 'chinery an' anudder was kilt a workin' on de big road. Den dere was a white 'oman who was kilt by a nigger boy kaze she beat him for sicking a dog on a fine milk cow. He was de meanest nigger boy I eber seed. I'll neber forgits de way dem white mens treated him atter he done had dis trial. Dey drug him through de town behin' a hoss, an' made him walk over sharp stones wid his bare feets, dat bled lak somebody done cut 'em wid a knife. Dey neber gib him no water all dat day an' kep' him out in de boilin' sun till det got ready to hang him. When dey got ready to hang him dey put him up on a stand and chunked rocks at his naked body; dey threw gravel in his eyes and broke his ribs wid big rocks. Den dey put a rope around his neck an' strung him up till his eyes pop outen his head. I knowed it was a blessin' to him to die.
"But all and all, white folks, den was de really happy days for us niggers. Course we didn't hab dem 'vantages dat we has now, but dere wus somp'n' back dere dat we ain't got now, an' dats secu'aty. Yassuh, we had somebody to go to when we was in trouble. We had a Massa dat would fight fo' us an' help us an' laugh wid us an' cry wid us. We had a Mistis dat would nuss us when we was sick, an' comfort us when we hadda be punished. I sometimes wish I could be back on de ole place. I kin see de cool-house now packed wid fresh butter an' milk an' cream. I can see de spring down amongst de willows an' de water a trickling down between little rocks. I can hear de turkeys a gobblin' in de yard and de chickens a runnin' aroun' in de sun, an' shufflin' in de dus'. I can see de bend in de creek jus' below our house, an' de cows as dey come to drink in de shallow water an' gits dere feets cool.
"Yassuh, white folks, you ain't neber seed nothin' lak it so you can't tell de joy you gits fum lookin' for dewberries an' a huntin' guinea pigs, an' settin' in de shade of a peach tree, reachin' up an' pullin' off a ripe peach and eatin' it slow. You ain't neber seed your people gathered 'bout an' singin' in de moonlight or heered de lark at de break of day. You ain't neber walked acrost a frosty fiel' in de early mornin', an' gone to de big house to build a fire for your Mistis, an' when she wake up slow have her say to you: 'Well, how's my little nigger today?'
"Nawsuh, jus' lak I told you at fus'. I was bawn a slave, but I ain't neber been one. I'se been a worker for good peoples. You wouldn't calls dat bein' a slave would you, white folks?"
(Wash. Copy, 3/25/37, L H.)
[Note: The following excerpts were taken from another interview conducted with the preceding person. All repeated information has been omitted.]
When asked who the "pattyrollers" were, Aunt Nicey, said, "Dey was white men, who whipped de slaves ef dey catch dem out widout a pass from dere Marster or overseer. I 'members one evein' Margaret Shaver an' I was goin' atter de cows down in de fiel' an' us seed whut I reckon was de Ku Kluf Klan mens. Us was so skeered us didn't know what it was, us tole Marse Jim dat we see sumthin' whut had long years, an' wings, an' dey axed us who libed on dis place? An' us tole dem dat us didn't know, us was jes' going atter water, but dey didn't bodder us. Marse Jim jes smiled an' said dat dey wouldn't bodder us so long as us behaves. I sho' was skeery den, cayse at night atter de days wurk was done, us all would go to de house and ol' Miss wud gib us certain tasks, sich as cardin' de cotton an' de wool, den spinnin' de thread an' weavin' de cloth. Dere was one woman by de name ob Hannah Davis who done all de weavin' an' de cookin'. Den dere was anudder widder women who did all de milkin'. Dey sho' had plenty ob milk cayse Marse Jim had droves of cattle. Atter our task was finished in de big house at night, I'd be skeered tuh go tuh our cabin, an' sometimes I wud beg ol' Miss to let me stay wide her an' she would let me make a pallett but den I'd call her durin' de night to know ef she was wake, so ol' miss quit lettin' me stay dere, an' when I'd hab to go tuh de cabin by mahse'f an' I'd holler all de way dere, an' den mah mamma wud whip me.
I 'members gittin' whippin's cayse I was so 'omanish, and would git out mah place, but I thank God 'cayse I knows how tuh stay in mah place now, an' I hab been through so much, but I'se allus had he'p from de white folks, cayse I knowed how tuh stay in mah place.
Nicey said "dat Marse Jim's house warn't so big, but hit set in front ob de cabins, dat was built of logs and ceiled wid planks an' de chimneys dat was made of clay an' sticks. Dey didn't hab beds lack dey do now, de beds were built wid boards nailed to de wall, wid one leg at de corner away from de wall. Dey was happy days, too. I sumtimes wish I cud be back on de ol' place. I kin see de dairy now whar dey kept de milk an' butter out in de back yard, dere was de big bored well, where dere was two buckets on de chain to draw de water wid, an' us wud draw de water an put in de (cistern) round hole under de dairy to keep de milk fresh and sweet.
"Den I 'members gatherin' de eggs an' de las' whippin ol' Miss gib me was, I had gone out and picked up a lap full of guinea eggs an' 'ste'd me bringin' dem tuh de house, I went tuh de peach tree tuh git peaches, an' broke four ob de eggs. Thinking 'bout dem trees, I 'members when ol' Marster planted dem an' den I 'members pickin' de peaches.
"Anudder whippin' I got afore dat, was when I went wid brudder Joe tuh de wild turkey pen tuh bring de turkeys home an' I'se let one de turkeys git away, an' brudder Joe sho' beat me, an' den ol' Marster whip him fo' whippin' me.
Aunt Nicey said, "Joe would build a trap dat was covered over an' den wud dig a hole under one side an' prop de trap up, den he wud sweep a long path clean leading tuh de trap, and place corn all along dis path, so de turkeys would eat right up to de trap and den goin tuh git de odder corn inside, den de trap wud spring down an' shet de turkeys inside, an' dey would nebber look down tuh come out de hole, but wud look up an' try tuh git out dat way. Oh, dem was good times, Marster Jim was so good, us nebber had no overseer, an' he provided well, we jes had home made chothes an' shoes. De men wud shear de sheep and' us chilluns wud pick de burrs out ob de wool and den wash it an' spread it on de grass tuh dry, den we'd card it an den spin de thread, an' weave de cloth. Dat was harder tuh do dan spinning de cotton and weaving it. Our dresses were plain ansenberg an' we would dye it wid cherry bark, dogwood and gallberry, an' our shoes was made dere on de place by George Bettis one ob de slaves, Marse Jim had plenty ob hides an' he had George tuh make de shoes. Dey was plain heavy red tanned shoes. For Sunday us had mingled calico dresses, dat us wore tuh church when us went. Us didn't hab no church our own, but we'd sit in de back ob de white folk's church.
"Sumtimes us slaves would hab meetin' down in a li'l shed on de lower end ob de quarter when Marse Jim gib us a paper 'lowin' us to; but us had tuh be quiet and not make no heap o' noise. Marse Jim neber read de Bible tuh us, as I 'members, 'ceptin' once, when mah paw was plannin' tuh run away 'cayse he an' anudder one ob de slaves had had a fuss, so Marse Jim talk to dem an' den got his Bible an' read to dem, an' talk to paw, 'cayse Marse Jim said paw was de smartest an' de honestest nigger he had. He den gib paw a pair ob wool pants atter dat. Marse Jim had twelve slaves an' he sho' tho't a heap o' paw, 'cayse when de Yankees come through, he called all de slaves an' exed dem ef dey was going away when dey was free, an' he said tuh paw, Hamp is you going away an' paw said I reckon so 'cayse I ain't got nothing, so Marse Jim gib paw twenty five cents and paw went off sum whar an' cum back de nex mawning wid a li'l piece ob meat. I 'members when I just hyard dat I was free, I was out sweepin' de bac' yard an' Margaret Shaver come a runnin' an' tol' me, us was free. I knowed sumthin' was agoing to happen, 'cayse Marse Jim was so worried an' "Miss" Marfa cried so much an' dey didn't eat much b'fore den, an' when Marse Jim called us all up and axed us ef us was going tuh stay. Miss Marfa den went in her room an' locked de door an' wouldn't let none ob us in. I 'members going to de door an' beggin her tuh let me in.
"Den on Friday, paw took us ober tuh Widow Harris' house to lib. Widow Harris was rich and she tuk me into her house tuh he'p de house girl, an' on de following Tuesday de Yankees come through, an' honey, I'se neber been as skeered in mah life as I was den. A great crowd o' men rode up on horses all dressed in ol' blue suits an' den dey turned all de horses loose an' come up tuh de door an' Miss Harris made me go to de door an' dey axed me fo' sum salt, so I went runnin' back to Miss Harris an' she tol' me to giv dem de salt den her an' de house girl an' I got under de bed, In a few minutes dey called agin an' wanted matches so Miss Harris said gib dem de matches, den I runned back an got under de bed, an' dere we stayed all night on a pallett, Miss Harris an' us two slaves. Nes' mawning I got up an' went out in de yard an' dere was de men, an' dey azed if I wanted a bone, an' I said yas suh, but I was skeered tuh death, I went running back in de house and crawled under de bed, an' de slave gal an' I got grease all ober us gnawing dat bone under de bed. Atter while de mens called and said tuh me whut's yo' crying 'bout, an' I tol' dem I was cold an' dey laughed an' said, 'you needn't be afraid, we is going now, and you can go wid us if you wants to, 'cayse you'se free.
"Den dey rode off, and, Lor', Missy, yo' ought tuh seed Miss Harris' place, dey had killed two ob her big, fine hogs an' barbecued dem, an' had opened a new barrel o' 'lasses an' lef' hit open an' dere was 'lasses all ober de place, hit run clean tuh de branch from de house. We was glad dey was gone, 'cayse jes' afore de Yankees cum Miss Harris an' us tuk big stone jars ob lard out tuh a big gully an' hid dem, an' covered dem over wid straw. Dem was good days eben do dey was plenty ob work to do, an' I wish I cud go back tuh de table an' eat again lack we did den.
