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Hattie Austin is a slender, dark-skinned negro woman of medium height, with a rather prominent mouth and
receding chin. She is inclined to be dressy and egotistical. Her hands shake as if she has had a slight attack of palsy.
She had on a good-looking silk dress, a hat, shoes and jewclry, although she was laundering, and seemed to be
bossing the squad of darkies around her, perhaps because she gets a pension and they do not. She has seen some of
the rougher side of life and is inclined to strike back.
"I's Hattie Austin. I stays in d' eas' part 'r' d' norf quarters in Jasper. I was bo'n in Thomasville, Georg'y on June d'
twenty-fift' back in eighteen sixty two 'r' t'ree. I dunno jis' w'ich now. Fadder's name was Mike Hurst, 'n' mudder's
name was Mandy Hurst. Jack Hurst he was d' marster. I lib in Georg'y all my life 'til 1916. Den me 'n' my ol' man
come t' Texas, 'n' he die' 'bout a year 'n' a ha'f ago, 'n' it look like now I ain' nebber git back home no mo'."
"I got t'ree brudders. Dey's Isaiah, George, 'n' Tom, 'n' two sisters Molly 'n' Lilla. Dey all lib in d' plantation
quarters. Mudder she cook an' fadder he wuk on d' farm. Marster hab a big plantation, 'n' lib in a big frame house, 'n'
own jis' a whole lot 'r' slaves. I jis' 'member my gram-mudder. She was one 'r' d' slaves."
"W'en I's 'bout ten year ol' I went t' wuk at Pine Wood Hotel. I hatter stan' on a box t' mek me high 'nuff, 'n' I i'oned
(ironed) de' napkins 'n' towels 'n' plain line. Dey pay me five dollar a week, 'n'
dey 'crease' my pay 's I git bigger. W'en I fo'teen year ol' dey mek me chamber maid 'n' gimme mo' money. I wuk
dere 'til twenty-one year' ol'."
"Fo' us was free marster fu'nish us tol'able good homespun clo's 'n' shoe, but 'e whip d' slaves dat wouldn' wuk, 'n'
wuss 'n' all he starve 'em t' deaf (death). I heerd 'em say dat d' doctor cut open some men's stomach w'at die an' dey
warn't nuffin dere but bark 'n' rosum. Dey couldn' run 'way 'cause d' patter-rollers kotch 'em 'n' beat 'em."
"Ol' mistess hab a big fam'ly, but she die, 'n' Miss Martha Palmer was d' young mistess den. She lib in d' big house.
Tom Clark was mudder's marster. D' w'ite folks didn' go t' chu'ch, 'n' dey didn' read d' Bible t' us. Dey didn' teach us
t' read 'n' write. Mos' 'r' us didn' hab no notion den w'at all dat was. Jack Geddings was my fav'rite preacher den, 'n'
he was a Baptis'."
"I jis' wash 'n' i'on 'n' cook 'n' done a li'l bit 'r' mos' ebry't'ing all my life. I don' 'member w'at us done w'en us fus'
freed. My daddy's brudder was kilt in d' war. Us all go t' see d' ol' battle fiel' close t' Thomasville, but I ain' nebber
seed no sojers."
"Pardner, go mek me some lemonade. I t'ink I faint out here in dis hot 'fo' d' iceman git here," she stopped long
enough in her recital to tell the old Indian-looking man who was helping her. The old man silently obeyed, and,
returning, held the pitcher while she drank.
"I marry James Austin. Will Bailey, d' cullud Mef'dis' preacher be marry us. Jim was wukkin' 'n' come in from d'
turpentine wuks. I was cookin' 'n' cleanin', 'n' d' preacher come t' d' house, 'n' us jis' stan' us 'n' git marry. Us didn' tek
no time t' dress."
"Us hab fo' chillen. Dey all dead 'cep 'n' one son in Floridy. He marry 'n' got ten head 'r' young 'uns, so he cain't he'p
me. I gits a leetl' pension but la! tain't 'nuff t' git me back t' Georg'y on."
"Lawsy, no! W'at dey wanter know dat fer? No, I nebber git scair 'r' no hant in all my bo'n days."
"Jim he wuk in d' tuppentime wuks all he life. Dey uster pay purty good but hit went down like ebryt'ing else, den
Jim tuk kidney trouble 'n' die, 'n' dat lef' me t' git 'long 's bes' I could all by myse'f."
"Now, pardner, go tek d' dinner up. It's time us et sump'n," she commanded the silent old Indian man who was
continually running to do her bidding without a word, unless to ask an occasional question.
"Does it bodder you? asked a big fat negro woman with a hoe, "f'r me t' chop d' weed 'roun' dis yere yard?"
"No, nuttin' bodder me, w'y should it?"
"Boy," she exclaimed to a young darky, "you go out 'n' watch f'r dat iceman an' be sho' you git some."
And so it went, they all seemed to look up to her as their general Perhaps they get the crumbs that fall from her
pension and earnings but that cannot be much.
Mrs. Ada Davis, P.W. McLennan County, Texas District #8 ((No))
Austin, Lou
"I was born in the country, four miles east of Corckett, Houston County, Texas. My Marster was Henry Masters, the
bes' man ebber wore shoe leather, I know. He fought in de Injun wars. My ole Miss' was Louisa Masters. She
named me atter her. Marse had five chillun by his furst wife an' five by he las', all ob 'em dead now. Dar was 'bout
twenty five or thirty chillun, black an' w'ite in dat yard at one time an' dey all dead now but me. My Mammy was
Julia Ann and my Daddy was Ned Masters. Dar was ten chillun in my Mammy's family, Becky, Alfred, Frieland,
Ned, Millie, Lewis, me an' three dat died as babies. Mis' Louisa allus had a hankerin' atter me from de cradle. My
Gran'ma was Millie an' my Gran'dad was Lewis Roberts. My daddy's folks come from No'th Ca'lina. Marse Masters
had all Houston an' Crockett Counties gib him kase he fit in de Injin wars an' fit de Mexicans. De soljers got paid
off in land. Marse Henry Masters' daddy was named Jake. W'en he died my daddy fell to his son, Marse Henry
Masters. Marse Henr come to Texas an' fit de Injins an' Mexicans an' w'en things kinder settled down, he brung ole
Mis an he slaves to Texas. My Mammy an' daddy come wid him.
"I was born in January 1850. Marster Bill English, a w'te man now, was chillun on de yards wid us. He daddy was
ole Mis' brudder. She was Miss Louisa English w'en she married Marse Henry Masters. Marster Bill English, he
swar I'ze 87 years ole. Dat's what he put on de paper fer de ole age pension man. I married Jack Jackson de furst
time, an' he died. Den I married Dan Dean. My third husband was Wan Austin. De furst time I married us libed
down on de ribber (Brazos) an' us traded at Waco an' Marlin. Us wukked as share croppers.
"I only had one month's schoolin'. Marse Henry Masters moved from East Texas to Mastersville, McLennan county.
He had 11,000 acres ob land. Atter he died, dey changed de name of de place to Bruceville. He was de furst settler
to build at Mastersville, dat's why it got its name. De stage ran in front ob he door. Hit ran from Belton to Waco
right in front ob he door. His brudder libed jes' 'cross de krik from him an' kep' de stage stand. Dat was Marse Jake
Masters, he named fer he daddy, de real ole Marse back in de ole states. Dey changed de stage hosses an' de
passengers et dinner at Marse Jake's house. Den dey'd pull out to Belton.
"Dar was no settlers, cep' Marse Henry an' Marse Jake hardly. You could go from Waco to Belton an' I don' speck
you could count five houses. Dar was nuddin' but horses an' cattle. In dem days, eny stock dat you put your brand
on, dey was yourn. Marse Henry had cullud Sam an' he own son, Bob, to round up an' brand cattle de year roun.
Some ob de neighbors dat later moved in 'roun Mastersville, was Marsters Mixson, Tom Cox, Abe English, Bill
Holcomb, Billie Jackson, who libed whar Lorena is now. Neighbors in dem days libed from eight to twenty miles
away. Marse Henry Masters come to Mastersville befo' freedom. He brung Jake, Sam, Ellis, Moore, dem four men
an' dere wives an' chillun. Dar was Aunt Julia, an' Aunt Emmeline 'sides. Aunt Julia an' Aunt Emmeline spun an'
wove cloth fer everyboddy on de plantation. Us gals used to hab so meny cuts of thread to spin at night. Dey ust to
gib my cousin Clara an' me three cuts of thread apeice to spin in one night. I'ze so sleepy headed dat Clara, she allus
beat me.
"Marse Henry moved he spinnin' wheels an' looms from East Texas w'en he come. In fac' he move eberything. Dey
come in ox waggins. De w'ite folkses come in kerridges an' buggies an' de men an' boys mos'ly on hoss back, so dey
could bring Marse' fine hosses an' cattle. Dar was no roads an' de hans 'ud offen hab to camp an' build er pole bridge
to git er cross on. Marse Henry had de lumber to build he big house at Mastersville hauled in ox waggins from de
piney woods in East Texas. Hit was a two-story, white house wid nine er ten rooms. Ob course, at furst he had a
double log cabin built to lib in till he git ebery thing fer de big house.
"Marse Jake Masters was already here in McLennan County, an' I specs dat hit was on 'count ob he tales dat Marse
Henry up an' lef' East Texas. De Quarters fer de slaves was in behime de big house. Dey was one-room log cabins
wid board roofs an' no windows, an' er stick an' dirt chimbly. Some ob 'em had split picket fences, effen de husban'
he git ambi'shus nuff to cut dem palins. My Mammy was de boss cook fer Marse Henry. Dey all, black an' w'ite,
cooked on fire places. C'ose w'en eny ob de w'ite folkses brung stoves inter de houses, Marse Henry, he ain't gwine
be behime de res' an' he git one too. Fust stove I ebber seed, Marse Henry brung hit ter de big house. Him an' de
boys had er time er gittin' de pipe up an' den Mis' Louisa an' Mammy, dey feared to light hit fer fear hit 'ud blow up.
But twarn't long till dey had dat piece ob fernichure mastered. I 'members atter Miss Sissy Jane, Marse Henry's
daughter, married dey cook cooked on de fire place a long time 'fore dar was eny stoves.
"De w'ite folkses had one great big garden an' de sarbants an' ebery boddy git all dey wants ob vegetables an' water
melons. De orchards dey nebber was eny good lak dat back in East Texas. An' Marse Henry he brung trees, an'
brung trees from back dar, but hit ain't no good. Dey nebber did habe fruit lak back dar. In East Texas us had figs,
cherries, apples, an' peaches ter throw away.
"De whole prairie was full ob wild chickens an' de woods was full ob antelope, turkeys, an' bears. De las' bar I
'member was w'en us libed at what is now Mooreville, den hit was Bruceville. My husban' an' de chillun an' me was
gone to church. W'en us git back from Meetin' de folkses had been a bar huntin' an us had bar meat fer mos' er
week. Dar was painters too (Panthers), in dem bottoms. One ob de negro wimmin' dat libed neighbors to us said she
was huntin' turkey eggs down in de bottom an' she heard a child er cryin'. She kep' followin' dat cry an' bye-me-bye
she git close to er thicket. An' a painter jump on her. Dey fought, her an' dat painter, an she jes' gibbed 'tirely out; an'
she drap down. An' she close her eyes; he come smell ob her, den he dig er hole an' brug her inter hit. She so scairt
she jes hole her bref' an' close her eyes. Den de painter went off tru de brush' er callin' he mate. An' she says ter
herself 'I gotter git outten hear 'fore he git back'. An' she scramble an' drawl an' git home finally. But she so tore up
an' so weak dat she ain't outter her bed fer er week.
"Dar was er lot ob desperadoes in dis country in dem days. 'Bout de year 1865, Bruceville or as dey call hit den,
Mastersville was de only village in de southern part of dis county. By dat year, right atter de war ob freedom, dar
was a store, a blacksmith shop an' dat was de town. Dar was a grove ob libe oak trees kinder out on de edge ob town
an' dey had dere church under dem trees fer some time. Endurin' de war ob freedom, de bushwhackers, deserters
from de army an' other bad men jes' nacherly drifted inter de country. Marster Tom Cox an Marster Henry Williams
had 'em some dogs dat dey trained to run niggers an' ter help in deer hunts. De outlaws had er camp hid in de upper
thickets on South Cow Bayou. An' Marster Cox's dog trailed er antelope inter de outlaws camp. Dey knew de dog
an' thot Marse Cox atter dem. Dey writ er note an' lot ob 'em sign hit an' den dey lef' in er store on Rat Row in
Waco. Dey was er warnin' Marse Cox to lebe 'em erlone er dey gwine shoot he hide full ob holes. De store keeper
he sont de note ter Marse Cox an' he an he frens' answer hit. De outlaws dey moved down to Owl Creek beyon' de
Leon Ribber. Marse Henry had er lot ob cattle. Atter de freedom war, he took de cattle to Kansas fer ter sell 'em. He
had a lot ob hosses too. He sont de hosses ter Galvez. Dat black Sam he had er lot ter do wid de hosses an' cattle.
He'd cut de hosses' tails an' make rope outtern de har. But dat black boy was shore full ob debblement. Come night
time, an' held cotch him up a horse to ride. He'd go rarin' all ober de country. W'en dat hoss 'ud git tired, he'd cotch
him anodder an' ride till day light. One day Mammy was in de kitchen er cookin' an' ole Mis'
Louisa she come to der door. Marse he in nodder door. Mis she ask whar Sam an' Moore? An' Marse he say 'Dey in
dar etin' dere brekfas'.' She say 'Dey jes' got in come daylight, in time ter git dere brekfas'. I bet dey bin' ridin' hosses
agin.' Marse, he jes' laff an' laff'. Sam an' Moore allus git in time to git ter de fiel'. Marse, he know whar dey bin. He
gal, Mis' Lucy, my young Mis', she 'ud write Sam an' Moore a pass. De patty-rollers, dey try an' try ter cotch dem
black hellions widout dere pass, but no good. Mis' Louisa say our neighbors all call dem Marsters' free niggers.'
"On de day Marse Henry Masters tell de sarvants dey free, he jes' call 'em togedder an' he tell dem dey was free.
Nebber gibed 'em noddin'. Dey didn't git what de Children of Izre'l got---dey was sont fo'th to make dere way
barefoot an' almos' nakkid. Marse say 'Now you all free as I am an' doze dat want ter stay wid me, come up an' tell
me and de odders go way.'
"I nebber saw him whip a servant an' nebber heard of him havin' one whipped. Oh, chilluns, you know how dey is,
dey got ter hab dere hide loosened iffen dey gwine grow up right. But Mammy an' de odder sarvants whipped dem,
white an' cullud. You see, de sarvants dey had to look atter de w'ite one er growin' up same as de cullud. An' effen
dey didn' make 'em mind den dey grow up no-'count. Marse Henry was he own ober seer. Mammy stayed wid him
awhile atter freedom. Us all, white an' black, wore home made close. C'ose de Masters family had store close too.
Us wimmin had blue, brown er white dresses. All de black chillun wore long shirts an you couldn't tell er gal from
er boy till dey git 'bout fo'teen.
"Majer George Erath was big friends wid de Masters boys. He surveyed de lan fer dem 'roun ole Mastersville.
Marster Joseph Naler an' he son come from back in Ge'gia an' dey settled whar de town of Moody now is. Marse
Joe Naler had him a big rock house built up on a big hill. Dat house is dar right today. Mr. J. D. Reynolds was born
in dis house an' he was sixty-eight years ole tother day. Den dar was de Connallys. Marster Tom Connally, de
Senator, he daddy libed 'bout whar de town ob Eddy is now. Marse Tom's nuss boy libes at Eddy now. He name
Steve Connally. Den dar was Marster Bob McClain's fambly, dey libed over near what is Moody now. Marse Bob
McClain, he de Dist'ct Clerk ober in de County C'ote House dis day. An' den dar was Gubbernor Neff's fambly. Dey
libed 'bout eight miles west of whar Moody is now. All on dem folkses come to Marse Henry's ter de big goin's on.
"No ma'am, dere wan't no mills nowhere roun Masterville is de furst times. Fer some time atter us move dar, Marse
Henry sont wheat an' meal ober de ribber (Brazos), ter de Towash mill ter be groun' on de Dyer water mill. Den dey
got er mill at Waco. Dar was a ferry 'cross de ribber in dem days. Den de Earls an odder folkses git tired ob dat an'
dey build a bridge. Dat's de 'spension bridge. Fer a long time, folkses jes shore dat ar bridge gwine kallapse. But one
time a whole herd ob steers stampede an git jammed on hit at one time. Atter dat, dey 'cides hit gwinter stan' er lot.
Hit was a toll bridge at furst. I'ze crossed hit meny er time.
"W'en I gits de misery in my back, I puts terpentime on a string an' tie it 'roun my leg an' purty soon hit's all right.
"W'en you shiver, dar's a rabbit er runnin' ober your grave, shore's you born.
"Dat blue-winged, long fly, he a snake doctor. Don't kill him Miss, case he cures de snake when he gits hurt. Effen
you turn ober an old stump an' finds er ole stump tail moccasin er takin' a nap, an' you gits you a stick an' beats him
up, den you go off, dat snake doctor, he come er-long an' he fan dat snake an' blow on him an' purty soon, de snake
he crawl in de water an' he's all right. De onlest way ter keep a snake dead an' ter keep dat snake doctor from
bringin' him alive agin' is ter cutt off dat snake's head.
"Ole Jim, he a lazy, slick nigger. Effen he can't cotch a wild turkey er a 'possum he gwine git one ob Marse's pigs.
One time dough, he mos' night git heself cooked 'stead ob de pig. He went huntin' an' didn't cotch noddin', so he gits
a pig outten de pen. 'Bout midnight he started ter cook hit. He lit er light an' Marse Henry he happen' ter be awake
an' see de light. He think maybe some one sick, so he slips down to Jim's cabin. Jim had de pig under he arm er
fixin' ter kill hit, w'en he heard Marse Henry comin'. Jim stuck de pig in de hen house. Marse come er knockin' at de
door an' ax is eny one sick. Jim say 'No.' Jes den de chickens dey git 'roused an' de pig grunts. Marse he heard de
soun' but he can't quite tell what it is. He say 'Jim, dars a fox atter your chickens.' Jim, he say 'No, Marse, dat's a sick
rooster; he jes' er floppin' 'roun.' Den Marse he say he gwine see. So Jim, say 'Marse, dat rooster gwine git out effen
you open dat door, an' den he slip away an' die 'cause I can't fin' him in de dark ter doctor him. But Marse he go on
out to der hen house. Den Jim say 'All right, open de door, kotch dat fox effen you can, but you ain' gwine cotch
me.' An' off he run.
"A song dat us servants ust ter sing was "Jesus Gonner Make Up My Dying Bed." Hit goes something lak dis:
"When you hear dat I'm dyin' I don' want you to be afraid, All I want my friens ter do Is take de pillow from under
my head. Well, well, well, so I kin' die easy Well, well, well, so I kin' die easy Well, well, well, so I kin' die easy
Jesus Gonner Make Up My Dyin' Bed.
"Atter de reg'lar preachin' us'd gather fer a ring shout an' sing:
"Sit down, sister, sit down, walk right in an' sit down. W'en I gits ter heaben, gwine ter sit down, sit down an' res' er
little w'ile;
My Laws tol' me fer ter sit down, sit down an' res' a little w'ile.
De folks 'ud git in er ring an' march 'roun in time ter der singin' an den w'en dey git wa'amed up, dey shout an' clap
an' dance an' sing. Some on 'em 'ud git weak an' drop down den de odders 'ud keep on wid de singin' till mos' come
day. Some on de w'ite folkses 'ud whip dar sarbants effen dey cotch dem at er ring shout meetin'. But dey shore had
er big time down in de thickets an' in de deep woods.
"I don' 'member clear meny ob de songs but I allus had a hanker in' fer dis one:
"I wrastled wid Satan, I wrastled wid sin Stepped ober hell an' come back agin'. Isiah mounted on de wheel ob time
Spoke ter God A-mighty 'way down de line. Oh hear dat lumberin' thunder a-roll from door to door, A-callin' de
people home to God, dey'll git home bye-me-bye.
An den I lak dis one:
"Dey crucified my Lawd, an' He nebber say a mumblin' word Dey crucified my Lawd, an' He nebber say a mumblin'
word Not a word---not a word---not a word.
De blood come twinklin' down an' He nebber say a mumblin' word De blood come twinklin' down an' He nebber say
a mumblin' word Not a word---not a word---not a word.
"De folks on de plantation liked to sing dis one, an' my Daddy shore could make it ring:
"Sometimes I feel like a motherless child Sometimes I feel like a motherless child Sometimes I feel like a
motherless child A long ways from home.
Sometimes I feel like an eagle in de air Some-a dese mornin's bring an' fair I'ze gwine to lay down my heavy load
Goin' to spread my wings an' cleave de air.
Anodder song dey used at de ring shouts was dis one:
"Sister, you better min' how you walk on de cross Yo' foot might slip an' you soul git los'.
De debbil am a liar an' a kunjurer too, Effen yo' don' look out, he'll kunjur you too.
"Har some ob de songs my Gran'mammy ust ter teach us to sing w'en us was little er playin' on de yard; I'ze mos'
forgot dem but I kin 'member some ob dem. C'ose us sings some ob de line ober an' ober wid jes a kinder change in
de tune, you know, high an' den low, an' sech.
"Oh, I want two wings ter veil my face, Oh, I want two wings to fly away,
Oh, I want two wings to veil my face, Oh, I want two wings ter fly away.
Oh, meet me Jesus, meet me Lawd, meet me in de middle ob de air
An' if my two wings should fail me, Lawd, I'll hitch on anodder pair.
"My Lawd calls me, see can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump for joy, see can't you jump fer joy.
Brother can't you jump fer joy, can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy.
Way down in de valley I kneel and pray.
Sister can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy.
I pray all night, an' I pray all day, sister can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy.
Chillun can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump for joy, see can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy.
My Saviour's voice done bid me rise, chillun can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump
fer joy.
"I been in de storm so long, I been in de storm so long, chillun I been in de storm so long
Oh, gimme er little time to pray; Oh, let me tell you mother jus' how I come erlong, Oh, gimme er little time to pray.
With a hung down head an' an achin' heart, Oh, gimme er little time ter pray.
Reference: Interviews with Lou Austin, ex-slave, Waco, Texas.
Mrs. Ada Davis, P. W. Hill County, Texas District No. 8 (July 19, 1937 (No))
