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Julia Malone, 79, 305 Percy St., Ft. Worth, born a slave to Judge Ellison who owned a 1,000 acre plantation near
Lockhart, Texas, and many slaves including her mother who was murdered by one of the Judge's slaves. Julia
worked for the Ellison family several years after freedom when she was kidnapped and taken to a negress who was
her mother's companion during slavery. This woman cared for her until she was 15 when she married Wm.
Emerson; 3 children were born to them before his death 15 years later. In 1900 she married Albert Malone who died
in 1903 after the birth of a daughter.
"I'se bo'n sev'ral yeahs befo' de wah on de plantation dat Judge Ellison owns. 'Twas 'bout 1,000 acres neah Lockhart
a few miles up de Cleah Fork River. Ise don't know 'bout de numbah ob slaves on de place but 'twas so many gwine
an' comin' dat 'peared lak de bee hive. 'Twas so many buildin's on de place fo' dey raised ever'thing dere dat deys
need fo' food an' de clothes. Deys grows de cotton to sell but keeps some ob it an' some ob it and some ob de wool
f'om de sheep to make de clothes. 'Twas de makin' ob de clothes aftah wo'k houahs dat caused so much trouble 'twix
de overseer an' de niggers. Deys was tired aftah wo'kin' all day dey would drap asleep. Den 'twould come de
whuppin'.
"Ise 'membahs dat Ise left in de nursery by my mammy while am wo'kin' in de field. Den one night my mammy
went down to de river fo' to wash some clothes. Youns see dat's de way she have to does to git some clean clothes.
If she am not weavin' an' spinnin' de cloth, she am washin' de clothes aftah wo'k. Dey don't lets her off f'om wo'k til
dahk an' makes her wo'k ever' day. If she wants to wham she have to goes to de timbah an' cut a little wood. So she
am washin' de clothes an' a nigger slave f'om de place sneak up on her an' hit her on de neck an' 'twas de death ob
her. Ise don't know w'y den but Ise miss her. Ise stay on wid de women dat lives wid my mammy fo' many yeahs.
"W'en freedom comes she moves to town but de Marster wont lets her took me. Ise stay wid de Marster an' runs
errands while Ise am not fannin' a new baby. Deys have six ob dem while Ise dere. Ise stands an' fans de babies 'til
Ise draps fast asleep. Dat calls fo' de whuppin'. De white fo'ks dat visits de place tells de Marster an' de Mistez 'twas
hahd to stand in one place an' fan, not movin' 'round. Any chil's would goes to sleep while jus' fannin'. De Marster
jus' whups me anyway 'cause him says dat 'twas all Ise good fo'.
"My fostah mother comes out an' ask de Marster to give me to her but de Marster says Ise bettah off whar Ise am.
Ise don't know what fo' 'cept to fan de chilluns an' wait on de old fo'ks. Deys don't send me to chu'ch or to school.
Ise don't learn any-anything but Ise know as much as de tudder kids 'cause deys don't sends dem either while Ise
dere. My fostah mother puts one over on de Marster an' gits me anyway 'cause sev'ral yeahs aftah freedom w'en de
fo'ks am all gone an' left me fannin' de new baby de man an' woman dat 'twas slaves on de place befo' freedom
comes drives up in de wagon an' hollers fo' me to come out. W'en Ise comes out dey says, "Jump in". Ise jump in an'
'way weuns goes. Dey tooks me to my fostah mother who am livin' in town. Right away she moves f'om de place
whar she am livin'. W'en weuns gits to de new place she tells me not to goes outside fo' any reason. Ise gits awful
tired stayin' in de house but 'twas lots bettah dan fannin' all dem babies dat keeps acomin'.
"While Ise am livin' dere wid her she tells me all 'bout de old slave life. She tells me 'bout de hahd times my mammy
have in slavery. She 'splain lots ob thing to me dat Ise often wondahs 'bout but am skeert to ask de Marster or de
Mistez. She 'splain one thing to me dat Ise wants to tells youse 'bout. Ise often sees womens stick dere heads in de
wash pot an' talk out loud. She 'splains dat dey am prayin' fo' de Lawd to tooks dem out f'om bondage. Deys thinks
dat dey must talk loud fo' de Lawd to heah but deys must put cloth over deys head to keeps de Marster f'om heahin'
dem pray. 'Twis one prayah dat am answered 'cause youse see de niggers am free. Ise ask 'bout de whuppin' an she
'splain 'bout dem; she show me many scahs on her back f'om whuppin'.
"Ise ask 'bout my father an' she says him am on de place but dies befo' Ise bo'n. He was used fo' de father to sev'ral
womens on de place. He was a big man an' my mammy was a big woman. Ise am not de runt; Ise six foot fouah an'
up til Ise gittin' so old Ise could do de days wo'k.
"While Ise am livin' dere wid her de nigger dat killed my mammy was caught in de act. Youse heah' 'bout de nigger
in de woodpile? Dis nigger was in de woodpile on de white man's place w'en his wife scream fo' help. Some
neighbah men come runnin' an' she tells dem 'bout de nigger catch her skirt but run w'en she screams. De men finds
de nigger hidin' in de woodpile an' tuks him 'way f'om dere an' says de rope am not good 'nough. He aint been seen
since an' Ise 'spect it severs him right. He tells de men dat him am de one dat kills de wench on de Ellison place so
weuns knows him am de one dat murdered my mammy.
"My fostah mother cared fo' me 'til Ise meets de one boy dat Ise lak. Ise mai'ied him an' weuns lived together fo' 15
yeahs w'en he died wid de slow fever. Ise 'bout 15 w'en weuns mai'ied an' weuns have 3 chilluns. Deys all dead. His
name am William Emerson an' am good man. Ise waits fo' nine yeahs befo' Ise mai'ys 'gain. Dis time Ise mai'ied to
Albert Malone an' Ise lucky 'gain 'cause he am tudder good man. He wo'ks hahd all de time an' gives weuns good
livin'. Him one day am fixin' de stills undah de house. Ise am in de house sattin' down sewin' on something w'en de
whole house moves over an' falls down on him. De house broke his back an' busted one ob his lungs. W'en de house
fall Ise know dat something have to be done quick. Ise sees fust if Ise can does somethin' but Albert am pinned an'
can't says anything. Ise runs to de next place whar dere am two mens wo'kin on a wagon. Deys comes wid me an'
fixes one ob dem ballast things whar de small end ob de board am undah de place youse wants to lift. Den deys lift
while Ise goes undah an' drags him out. He never says tudder word to anybody an' 'taint long 'til he am dead. Dat
fust me all up. Ise feels so sorrowful 'bout it dat Ise never mai'ys 'gain. Dat's been 34 yeahs ago an' Ise lives 'lone all
de time. 'Taint 'cause Ise don't have de chance to mai'y. 'Twas lots of bucks dat wants me 'cause Ise hahd wo'ker.
"After Albert dies Ise wash de clothes fo' de livin'. Ise wash de old Marster's daughter's clothes dere in Lockhart. De
Marster broke down aftah freedom comes fo' de niggers. Him was de powe'ful man while de niggers am in slavery.
Have lots ob money an' wore fine clothes, drove fine teams wid carriages, an' walked 'round lak de cock ob de walk.
All dat changed aftah weuns am free. Ise sees him layin' in de sun lak de dawg. Ise offers to wash his clothes free
but him jus' grunts an' his daughter says, "Aw let him 'lone. He never done anybody any good." Ise feels sorry fo'
him anyway. He tu'ned stone deaf. De white fo'ks says 'twas 'cause he treats de slavery niggers so bad. Deys says
'twas de Lawd's punishments on him.
"Ise comes to Fort Worth 'bout 15 yeahs ago to live wid my daughter, Beulah Watkins. Ise mighty happy heah. De
State sends me $10.00 de month pension an' Ise thank de Lawd fo' dat. De white man can give an' de white man can
take 'way, dese niggers all time runnin' 'round mouthin' 'bout de 'mount deys gits pension bettah 'membahs dat. Ise
can does de things dat Ise wants to an' Ise 'membahs dat w'en de gospahs goes to mouthing 'round me. Ise goes
'round mindin' my own business.
(B. E. Davis, Madisonville, Texas, District #8, 12 September 1937, (No))
