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"I've lived here 'bout 65 years. I was born in slavery on de Hill place in Farmington. My mother's name was Catherine. Father's name was George. A brother and sistah of mine was sold as slaves 'fore I was born. I nevah saw them. My father was sold away from my mother. Our home was not pleasant. The mistress was cruel. Her brother would go down in de orchard and cut de sprouts and pile 'am up under de house so as de mistress could use 'em on us. She also used a bed-stick to whip with.
"One day we took de cows to pasture and on de way home I stopped to visit Mrs. Walker and she gave me a goose egg. And den when we got home de old mistross kicked me and storped on us and broke my goose egg. Did'n mind de whipping but sure hated to break my egg.
"Our cabin was one room, one door and one fire place. Our mistress was a rich woman, and she had three husbands. She had a big square smoke house full of hog, beef, deer, all pickled away. She had 12 cows and lots of butter and a spring-house.
"To eat we had corn meal and fried meat dat had been eaten by bugs. We had some gravy and all ate 'round de pans like pigs eating slop. And we had a tin cup of sour milk to drink. Sometimes we would have gingerbread. Dis was 'bout twice a year.
"My brother dat was a slave ran off with four or five other boys and never come back. He went west and died in Honaolula. They had a 'niggerbreaker' in Farmington who would take care of de slaves who were hard to handle.
"Cnce it got so cold dat de chickens froze and fell out of the trees and de mistress gave each of us a chicken to eat. We had no shoes even in winter. I can't 'member having good clothes.
"Cne of our neighbors, Mr. McMullin, was a poor white but he had a heart and was our mistress' guardian. I was too little to do much but I would walk along de furrows and hit de ozen with a stick. My sistah come and got me after freedom and learned me de alphsbet. De first thing I ever learned to read was, 'I see you Tom. Do you see mer' I worked for intelligent people and loarned a Creat deal. After I married I wanted to learn a great deal and how to read. At de camp in Mine La Motte I went to school in a log house for 'bout two months.
"Dey would whip with a cat-o-nine tails and den mop de sores with salt water to make it sting. De traders would come through and buy up slaves in groups like stock. On de way south dey would have regular stopping places like pens and coops for de slaves to stay in; at each of these stoppin' places some of de slaves would be sold. My uncle's father was his master and de master sold my uncle who was his own son.
"When my mother died I did not know what a coffin was or what doath was. So I went to my doad mother where she was on de cooling board and brushed my dress and said, 'Look at my pretty dress.
"There was a tough cang called patrollers. Dey would scare de negroes and would keep den always afraid. De mistress would take a couple of us young ones to church but when we got home things were different.
"And I never geen so many soldiers in my life before or since than when Price come through on his raid. It was apple pickin' time and de mistress made us gather apples and pack 'em to the soldiers and we had to pack water from de spring to 'em. De mistress had pickets out in front of de hoase when de soldiers was in town.
"Once when de Union soldiers was in town a negro soldier core and got him a turkey off de fence. De next night a white soldier come to get a turkey and he lcoked all over de place and come up over de stile. Den de mistress Coes out on de porch and called de dogs and said, 'Sic the rogue'. De soldier took out his pistol and laid it on de fence and waited awhile and looked. De dogs were jumping up against de fence. So de soldier shot de dog and then went off and got on his hoss again.
"One day a Union officer come up and had a saber and said he would cut off de mistress' head. De officer was a Dutchman. The mistress then ran to town for help. De soldier came right in de cabin and said, 'Me no hurt you.' De soldier went in de safe in de house and ate all he wanted and den went to bed in de house. Finally de law come and moved him out of de bed off de place. De soldiers would come a night and rout de slave women out of bed and make 'em cook de soldiers a square meal."
Interview with Harriet Casey,
ex-slave, aged 75, Fredericktown, Mo.
Interviewed by J. Tom Miles.
