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"I have heard my mother and father tell this story more times than I can remember. My great uncle, Lewis Barnett, was a slave, and he was brought to Louisville from the South to be sold at auction. He escaped and crossed the Ohio River at about where Portland is. He came to New Albany with 12 other negroes.
"He came out State Street, and down where Cherry Street is now and went west on Cherry Street till he hit the knobs west of the town. The slaves were covered up in a wagon full of corn."
"When they hit the knobs, west of town, a colored family by the name of Bailey took the fugitives in and kept them awhile. But these Baileys betrayed them, for a reward, no doubt, and in the meantime had gotten word to Louisville."
"Men came from Louisville and took all of the 12 negroes back to Louisville, to be punished and sold. In Louisville, my uncle Lewis denied his master, 'I never seen you before in all my life' he says. Therefore he was compelled to be sold again, and was sold on the block for $1,500 and taken to New Orleans.
"He came back three times to see us after that, when the War was over, and we children have heard him tell this story many times, and point down Cherry Street, and tell us that was the way he went when he was trying to get away. (We lived on State Street near Cherry.) We came from near Munfordville, Ky. My father and mother were slaves.
(This negro does not talk much like a negro; evidently she has had more education than usual.) I.C.
Merrill, Sarah Emery Floyd County, Indiana (Velsie Tyler)
Merrill, Sarah Emery -- Additional Interview
Reference: Mrs. Sarah Emery Merrill, 1710 Monon Ave., N.A. She sang the following old songs in the melody taught by her mother, neither has ever been written to her knowledge.
The negro songs are written different than those of the white race. They are songs of experience, as the negro worked in the plantation fields, often times for a cruel slave owner, his soul cried for his "master" to taken him home or to give him that something within that would furnish him courage to go ahead. The notes of our music are peculiarly shaped because the ________ is not perfect, it was written not according to a fixed rule but according to the rhythmical nature of our race," says Mrs. Merrill.
Many of the old negroes were ignorant, they could neither read nor write. They knew that the entrance of the "Spirit of God" made a difference in their lives but they did not know how to express it only in their limited way.
Sister Ridley, an aged colored woman always confessed that God split her open, scraped her just like a hog and
washed her out inside with milk which killed all her sins, then he healed her and she was all pure and white inside.Aunt Reiny Thatcher, another old negro, who lived to be 119 years old (I saw her when she was 110 years old andshe lived 9 years after that) said when she had her "experience" that the angels came right out of heaven and taught
her the words and tune to this spiritual. "She taught it to my mother, who taught it to me," says Mrs. Merrill. Shewould say, "oh Elvira, I saw them angels with these old eyes a'mine, and ah could hear them jest as plain:One day, one day, Old Satan went abroad And so my soul flew to God Glory be to King Immanuel To my King
Immanuel To my King Immanuel, Glory be to King Immanuel Old Satan went a howling Just like a howling dog,Glory be to my King Immanuel.And old Satan sure did howl when he found he couldn't have my spirit no more."
Another colored ladies' experience song went like this:All around my house was walled with brick And in the middle was steel King Jesus arose and fought in blood, Andconquered till he fell. Ah'm gwine to Glory, hallelujah! Oh, praise ye my Lord, Ah'm gwine to Glory hallelujah!Love and serve the Lord.
Merrill, Sarah Floyd County, Indiana (Velsie Tyler)
Reference: Mrs. Sarah Merrill, 1710 Monon Ave. N. A. This story was told Mrs. Merrill by her mother who wasborn a slave in Kentucky.An old negro slave on bended knees prayed, "Oh, God, my master's so mean to me, please take old Ephraim home.
Please, Master' take old Ephraim home out of the miseries of dis life." Over and over he prayed his earnest prayer.Some white boys passing by the cabin overheard the plea and thinking they would have some fun knocked on thedoor. "Who's thar?" the colored man asked.
"It's the Lord come to take Ephraim home," called the boys."He's not here, Lord. He's gone. He's been gone from home for months," replied old Uncle Ephraim.Merrill, Sarah Emery Ployd County, Indiana (Velsie Tyler)Reference: Mrs. Sarah Emery Merrill, 1710 Monon Avenue, New Albany, Indiana. Story told by Mrs. Merrill's
mother who was born a slave.The old negro slaves prayed that God would punish the mean slave holders, and this colored man's prayer was:"Oh, Lord, my maser's so mean to me, please Lord, rain down from Heaven and kill all de mean white folks," as he
pleaded with his Savior he was overheard by a group of mischievous white boys who gathered a pile of stone andwaited till they thought the old darkey would be asleep. They all started throwing rocks on the cabin, the roof ofwhich was very poor and many of them went thru.
Again the prayer was heard, "Oh, Lord, please stop raining rocks for dey is doin as much bad as good."Million, Eliza Muncie, Indiana Delaware County (Martha Freeman Parker, Indiana)
