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No. Words 927 Editor Daisy Bailey Waitt
An Interview on May 18, 1937 with Alice Baugh, 84, who remembers hearing her mother tell of slavery days.
"My mammy Ferbie, an' her brother Darson belonged ter Mr. David Hinnant in Edgecombe County till young Marster Charlie got married. Den dey was drawed an' sent wid him down byar ter Wendell. De ole Hinnant home am still. standin' dar ter dis day.
"Marster Charlie an' Missus Mary was good ter de hundred slaves what belonged ter 'em. Dey gib 'em good houses, good feed, good clothes an' plenty uv fun. Dey had dere co'n shuckin's, dere barn dances, prayer meetin's an' sich like all de year, an' from Christmas till de second day of January dey had a holiday wid roast oxes, pigs, turkey an' all de rest o' de fixin's. From Saturday till Monday de slaves was off an' dey had dere Sunday clothes, which was nice. De marster always gib 'em a paper so's de patterollers won't git 'em.
"Dey went up de riber to other plantations ter dances an' all dem things, an' dey was awful fond uv singin' songs. Dat's whut dey done atter dey comes ter dere cabins at de end o' de day. De grown folkses sings an' somebody picki de banjo. De favorite song was 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' an' 'Play on yo' Harp Little David'. De chilluns uster play Hide an' Seek, an' Leap Frog, an' ever'body was happy.
"Dey had time off ter hunt an' fish an' dey had dere own chickens, pigs, watermillons an' yardens. De fruits from de big orchard an' de honey from de hives was et at home, an' de slave et as good as his marster et. Dey had a whole heap o' bee hives an' my mammy said dat she had ter tell dem Lees when Mis' Mary died. She said how she was cryin' so hard dat she can't hardly tell 'am, an' dat dey hum lak dey am mo'nin' too.
"My mammy marry my pappy dar an' she sez dat de preacher from de Methodis' Church marry 'em, dat she w'ar Miss Mary's weddin' dress, all uv white lace, an' dat my pappy w'ar Mr. Charlie's weddin' suit wid a flower in de button hole. Dey gived a big dance atter de supper dey ate, an' Marster Charlie dance de first set wid my mammy.
"I jist thought of a tale what I hyard my mammy tell 'bout de Issue Frees of Edgecombe County when she was a little gal. She said dat de Issue Frees was mixed wid de white folks, an' uv cou'se dat make 'em free. Sometimes dey stay on de plantation, but a whole heap uv dem, long wid niggers who had done runned away from dere marster, dugged caves in de woods, an' dar dey lived an' raised dere famblies dar. Dey ain 't wored much clothes an' what dey got to eat an' to w'ar dey swiped from de white folkses. Mammy said dat she uster go ter de spring fer water, an' dem ole Issue Frees up in de woods would yell at her, 'Doan yo' muddy dat spring, little gal'. Dat scared her moughty bad.
"Dem Issue Frees till dis day shows both bloods. De white folkses won't have 'em an' de niggers doan want 'em but will have ter have 'em anyhow.
"My uncle was waised in a cave an' lived on stold stuff an' berries. My cousin runned away 'cause his Marster was mean ter him, but dey put de blood hounds on his trail, ketched him. Atter he got well from de beatin' dey i?? him, dey sold him.
"I'se hyard ole lady Prissie Jones who died at de are of 103 las' winter tell 'bout marsters dat when dere slaves runned ayay dey'd set de bloodhounds on dere trail an' when dey ketched 'em dey'd cut dere haids off wid de swords.
"Ole lady Prissie tole 'bout slaves what ain't had nothin' ter eat an' no clothes 'cept a little strip uv homespun, but my mammy who died four months ago at de age 106 said dat she ain't knowed nothin' 'bout such doin's.
"When de Yankees come, dey come a curnin' an' astealin' an' Marster Charlie carried his val'ables ter mammy's cabin, but dey found 'em. Dey had a money rod an dey'd find all de stuff no matter whar it was.
Mammy said dat all de slaves cried when de Yankees come, an' dat most uv 'em stayed on a long time atter de war. My mammy plowed an' done such work all de time uv slavery, but she done it case she wanted to do it an' not 'cause day make her.
"All de slaves hate de Yankees an' when de southern soldiers comed by late in de night all de niggers got cut of de bed an' holdin' torches high dey march behin' de soldiers, all of dem singin', We'll Hang Abe Lincoln on de Sour Annie Tree. Yes mam, dey was sorry dat dey was free, an' dey ain't got no reason tu be glad, case dey was happier den dan now.
"I'se hyard mammy tell 'bout how de niggers would sing as dey picked de cotton, but yo' ain't hyard none uv dat now. Den dey ain't had to worry 'bout nothin; now dey has ter study so much dat dey ain't happy nuff ter sing no mo'"!
"Does yo' know de cause of de war?" Aunt Alice want to a supboard and returned holding out a book. "Well hyar's de cause, dis Uncle Tom's Cabin was de cause of it all; an' its' de biggest lie what ever been gived ter de public."
N. C. District No. 2 Worker Mary A. Hicks No. Words 341 |
Subject WHEN THE YANKEE Story teller John Beckwith Editor Daisy Bailey Wai" |
