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Bibliography: Interview of Mattie Jenkins, the ex-slave by writer. Mrs. Jenkins lives at Second and Ohio Streets.
Mrs. Jenkins was a slave in the state of Georgia. She is at present ninety-six years old. Her owner was Charles Morgan. She describes the Civil War as being "dark days and the world was on fire." There were eleven other slaves on this plantation. None were bought or sold but these were kept all the time. Their main work was to raise cotton. Other work was to wash, iron, milk, tend stock and raise feed for the stock.
She describes much cruelty to slaves. Pins were stuck through their tongues, their tongues were burned, their hair was cut in undesired ways, and often they were whipped. They were kept ignorant and not supposed to know anything.
One slave made good his escape from this estate. Her brother tried to escape but was drowned in the attempt. She was born and raised there, was never sold and never tried to escape. According to her story the slaves were so deprived of news and kept so ignorant that they knew nothing of the Emancipation Proclamation for a year after it was passed and many were not freed when they should have been.
There were a number of slaves on a nearby estate. This owner called together all his slaves and explained to them how they were given their freedom. He told them that they might go free or stay where they were and work for him. Some left and others stayed because they liked the owner, and also because they hardly knew where to go. (A)
Johnson, Pete Madison, Indiana (Grance Monroe Jefferson County, Indiana)
