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AUNTIE THOMAS JOHNS, 508 Knopp St., Cleburne, Texas, was born in Burleson Co., Texas, in 1864. She was
only two when her mother was freed, so knows nothing of slavery except stories her mother told her, or that she
heard her husband, Thomas Johns, tell.
"I was two years old when my name was set free. Her owner was Major Odom. He was good to his niggers, my
mama said. She tol' me 'bout slavery times. She said other white folks roun' there called Major Odom's niggers,
'Odom's damn free niggers,' 'cause he was so easy on 'em.
"He was never married, but he had a nigger woman, Aunt Phyllis she was called, that he had some children by. She
was half white. I remember her and him and five of their sons. The ones I knowed was nearly all white, but Aunt
Phyllis had one boy that was nigger black. His daddy was a nigger man. When she was drunk or mad she'd say she
thought more of her black chile than all the others. Major Odon treated their children jus' like he treated the other
niggers. He never whipped none of his niggers. When his and Aunt Phyllis'es sons was grown they went to live in
the quarters, which was what the place the niggers lived was called.
"One of Major Odom's niggers was whipped by a man named Steve Owens. He got to goin' to see a nigger woman
Owens owned, and one night they beat him up bad. Major Odom put on his gun for Owens, and they carried guns
for each other till they died, but they never did have a shootin'.
"Colonel Sims had a farm joinin' Major Odom's farm, and his niggers was treated mean. He had a overseer, J. B.
Mullinax, I 'member him, and he was big and tough. He whipped a nigger man to death. He would come out of a
mornin' and give a long, keen yell, and say. 'I'm J. B. Mullinar, just back from a week in Hell, where I got two new
eyes, one named Snap and Jack, and t'other Take Hold. I'm goin' to whip two or three niggers to death today.' He
lived a long time, but long 'fore he died his eyes turned backward in his head. I seen 'em thataway. He wouldn' give
his niggers much to eat and he'd make 'em work all day, and just give 'em boiled peas with just water and no salt and
cornbread. They'd eat their lunch right out in the hot sun and then go right back to work. Mama said she could hear
them niggers bein' whipped at night and yellin', 'Pray, marster, pray,' beggin' him not to beat 'em.
"Other niggers would run away and come to Major Odom's place and ask his niggers for sumpin' to eat. My mama
would get word to bring 'em food and she'd start out to where they was hidin' and she'd hear the hounds; and the
runaway niggers would have to go on without gettin' nothin' to eat.
"My husban's tol' me about slavery times in Alabama. He said they would make the niggers work hard all day
pickin' cotton and then take it to the gin and gin away into the night, maybe all night. They'd give a nigger on
Sunday a peck of meal and three pounds of meat and no salt nor nothin' else, and if you et that up 'fore the week was
out, you jus' done without anything to eat till the end of the week.
"My husban' said a family named Gullendin was mighty hard on their niggers. He said ole Missus Gullendin, she'd
take a needle and stick it through one of the nigger women's lower lips and pin it to the bosom of her dress, and the
woman would go 'round all day with her head drew down thataway and slobberin'. There was knots on the nigger's
lip where the needle had been stuck in it.
Johns, Mrs. Thomas -- Additional Interview
Consultant - Mrs. Thomas Johns, colored: 508 Knopp Street Cleburne, Texas.
"I was born in Burleson county, Texas, in 1864," Mrs. Johns said. "I was two years old when my mama was set free.
Her owner was Major Odom. He was good to his niggers, my mama said. She tol' me about the slavery times. She
said other white folks roun' there called Major Odom's niggers, "Odom's damn' free niggers", 'cause he was so easy
on'em. He was never married, but he had a nigger woman, Aunt Phullis she was called, that he had some childrun
by. She was half white. I remember her and him, and five of their sons. Some of their other childrun died before I
was old 'nough to rember 'em. The ones I knowed was all nearly white. But Aunt Phyllis had one boy that was
nigger black. His daddy was a nigger man. When she was drunk er mad she'd say she thought more of her black
chile than all the others. Major Odom treated their childrun jus' like he treated the other niggers. He never whipped
none of his niggers. When his and Aunt Phyllis's sons was grown they went to live in the quarters, which was what
the place where the niggers lived was called.
One of Major Odom'a niggers was whipped by a man named Steve Youens . The nigger got to goin' to see a nigger
woman Steve Youens owned, and one night Youens and two other white men caught the nigger at the woman's
house, and they beat him up bad. They nearly killed him. Major Odom put on his gun for Steve
Youens, and they carried their guns for each other till they died, but they never did have a shootin'.
"Kuhnel Sims had a farm joinin' Major Odom's farm, and his niggers was treated mean. He had a overseer, J. B.
Mullinax, (I remember Him), and he was sure a mean man. He was big and tough. He whipped many a nigger to
death. (This seems hardly likely, as, aside from its inhumanity, brutality carried to such an extent would have been
costly to a slave owner as slaves were valuable, even young negroes sometimes costing $1,000.) He would come out
of a mornin' and give a long, keen yell, and say, "I'm J. B. Mullinax, just back from a week in hell, where I got two
new eyes, one named Snap and Jack, and t'other Take Hold. I'm goin' to whip two or three niggers to death today."
Oh, he was bad. He lived a long time, but long before he died his eyes turned backward in give his haid (head). I
seen 'em thataway. They wouldn't their niggers much to eat, and they'd make'em wuk all day, and just gie'em boiled
peas with jus' water and no salt or seasonin' and corn brade (bread). They'd make eat their lunch right out in the hot
sun, and then go right back to wuk. Mama said she could hear them niggers being whipped at night, and yellin',
"pray, master, pray", beggin' him not to beat 'em.
"Other niggers would run away, and come to Major Odom's Place and ask his niggers for sumpin' to eat. My mama
would get the word to bring 'em food, and she'd start out to where they was hidin', and she'd hear the hounds, and
the runaway niggers would have to go on without gettin' nuthin' to eat.
"My husband was born in Alabama in 1847. He come to Texas after he was set free. He's tol' me about slavery times
in Alabama. He said some of the slave owners was mighty mean to their niggers. He said they would make the
niggers wuk hard all day pickin' cotton, and then take it to the gin and gin away into the night, maybe all night.
They'd give a nigger on Sunday a peck of meal and three pounds of meat, and no salt nor nuthin' else, and if you et
that up before the week was out, you jus' done without anything to eat till the end of the week.
"My husband said there was a family named Gullendin , which was mighty hard on their niggers. He said ol' Missis
Gullendin she'd take a needle and stick it through one of their nigger woman's lower lip and pin it to the bosom of
her dress, and the woman would go roun' all day with her haid drew down thataway, and slobberin'. Ol' Missis
Gullendin done her thataway lots of times. There' was knots on her lip where the needle had been stuck in it. Me, I
don't b'lieve I could'a' stood that no time without goin' crazy.
"My mama tol' me the niggers on the Sims farm and other farms near Major Odom's farm was fed so poor and was
so near starved that they'd come to Major Odom's niggers for sumpin' to eat. Major Odom fed his niggers plenty.
They was a sort of a old nigger man on one of the other farms what would sometimes come to be fed. Mama said he
was short, but was a big-bodied man, and as black as a pot. He sent word one day he'd come over about ten o'clock,
and would like to have some peas and buttermilk. So mama she got out a cup of peas in what we called a milk cup,
which would hol' about a quart, and she filled a piggin, which would hol' about a gallon, full of buttermilk and gave
it to one of the nigger men to take to the ol' man. The man got three pones of corn brade, mama said to him. Why,
he con't eat that much brade," and the man said, "He sure can. He's a big eater," So he tuk the food to the ol' man,
and he et it all, all them peas and brade, and drunk all that buttermilk. Well, he didn't show up, and two days later
they found him. He had done swelled up and busted, and the blood was all scattered roun', and run out of his mouth
and nose."
Mrs. Ada Davis, P.W. McLennan County, Texas Dist. #8 (March 6, 1938 (No))
