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Conway, Arkansas
Age 100?
"Yes, I was born a slave. My old mammy was a slave before me. She was owned by my old Miss, Fanny
Pennington, of Nashville, Tennessee. I was born on a plantation near there. She is dead now. I shore did love Miss
Fanny. "Did you have any brothers and sisters, Aunt Lix.?" "Why, law yes, honey, my mammy and Miss Fanny
raised dey chillun together. Three each, and we was jes' like brothers and sisters, all played in de same yard. No, we
did not eat together. Dey sot us niggers out in de yard to eat, but many a night I'se slept with Miss Fanny.
"Mr. Pennington up and took de old-time Consumption. Dey calls it T. B. now. My mammy nursed him and took it
from him and died before Mr. Abe Lincoln ever sot her free.
"I have seen hard times, Miss, I shore have.
"In dem days when a man owned a plantation and had children and they liked any of the little slave niggers, they
were issued out to 'on just like a horse or cow.
"'Member, honey, when de old-time war happened between the North and South, The Slavery War. It was so long
ago I just can 'member it. Dey had us niggers scared to death of the Bluejackets. One day a man came to Miss
Fanny's house and took a liking to me.
He put me up on a block an' he say, 'How old is dis nigger' An' she say 'five' when she know well an' good I was ten.
No, he didn't get me. But I thought my time had come.
"Yes, siree, I was Miss Fanny's child. Why wouldn't I love her when I sucked titty from her breast when my
mammy was working in the field? I shore did love Miss Fanny.
"When de nigger war was over and dey didn't fit fight any longer, Abe Lincoln sot all de niggers free and dem got
'sassinated for doin it.
"Miss, you don't know what a hard life we slaves had, cause you ain't old enough to 'member it. Many a time I've
heard the bull whips a-flying, and heard the awful cries of the slaves. The flesh would be cut in great gaps and the
maggits would get in them and they would squirm in misery.
"I want you to know I am not an Arkansas born nigger. I come from Tennessee. Be sure to put that down. I moved
to Memphis after Miss Fanny died.
"While I lived in Memphis, de Yellow Fever broke out. You have never seek the like. Everything was under
quarantine. The folks died in piles and de coffins was piled as high as a house. They buried them in trenches, and
later they dug graves and buried them. When they got to looking into the coffins, they discovered some had turned
over in dey coffins and some had clawed dey eyes out and some had gnawed holes in dey hands. Dey was buried
alive!
"Miss, do you believe in ha'nts? Well, if you had been in Memphis den you would. Dey was jes' paradin' de streets
at nite and you'd next dam comin at you round de dark corners and all de houses everywhere was ha'nted. I've seed
plenty of 'em wid my own eyes, yes, sires.
"Yes, the times were awful in Memphis endurin the plague. Woman dead lying around and babies sucking their
breasts. As soon as the frost come and the quarantine was lifted, I came to Conway, 1867. But I am a Tennessee
nigger.
"When I came to Conway there were few houses to live in. No depot. I bought this piece of land to build my shanty
from Mr. Jim Harkrider for $25.00. I worked hard for white folks and saved my money and had this little two-room
house built mud chimney, and small porch and one small window. It is about to fall down on me, but it will last as
long as I live. At first, I lived and cooked under a bush brush harbor. Cooked on the coals in an iron skillet. Here it
is, Miss.
"Part ob de time after de nigger war Civil I lived in Hot Springs. President 'Kinley had a big reservation over there
and a big hospital for the sick and wounded soldiers. Den de war broke out in Cuba and dere was a spatch (dispatch)
board what de news come over dat de war was on. Den when dat war was over and 'Kinley was tryin to get us
niggers a slave pension dey up and 'sassinated him.
"After Mr. Lincoln sot de slaves free, day had Morthern teachers down South and they were called spies and all left
the country.
"I don't know 'zactly how old I am. Dey say I am 100. If Miss Fanny was livin' she could settle it. But I have had a
hard life. Yes nam. Here I is living in my shanty, 'pendin' on my good white neighbors to feed me and no income
'capt my Old Age Pension. Thank God for Mr. Roosevelt. I love my Southern white friends. I am glad the North and
South done shook hands and made friends. All I has to do now is sit and look forward to de day when I can meet my
old mammy and Miss Fanny in the Glory Land. Thank God."
Interviewer Miss Irene Robertson"
