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ADELINE MARSHALL, 3514 Bastrop St., Houston, Texas, was born a slave somewhere in South Carolina. She
was bought by Capt. Brevard and brought to Texas while still a baby, so she remembers nothing about her family
and has no record of her age. Adeline is evidently very old.
"Yes, suh, Adeline Marshall am my name, all right, but folks 'round here jes' calls me 'Grandma.'
"Lawd have mercy, I's been in dis here land too long, too long, and jes' ain't no 'count no more for nothin'. I got
mis'ries in my bones and jes' look at what I's got on my feet! Dem's jes' rags, dat's all, rage. Can't wear nothin' else
on 'em. dey hurts so. Dat's what de red russet shoes what we wears in slave times done ---jes' pizen de feets.
"Lawd, Lawd, dat sho' bad times - black folks jes' raise up like cattle in de stable, only Cap'n Brevard. he what own
me, treats he hosses and cattle better'n he do he niggers.
"Don't know nothin' 'bout myself. 'cept on Cap'n Breyard's place down on Oyster Creek. He has de plantation dere.
what de only place I knows till I's freedomed. He says I's a South Car'lina nigger what he bought back dere and
brung to Texas when I jes' a baby. I reckon it de truth, 'cause I ain't never knowed no mama or papa, neither one.
"Cap'n he a bad man, and he drivers hard, too, all de time whippin' and stroppin' de niggers to make dem work
harder. Didn't make no difference to Cap'n how little you is, you goes out to de field mos' soon's you can walk. De
drivers don't use de bullwhip on de little niggers, but dey plays de switch on us what sting de hide plenty.
Sometimes dey puts a niggers in de stocks and leaves dem two or three days, don't give dem nothin' to eat or a drink
of water, jes' leaves dem till dey mos' dead. Does dey die, jes' put dem in a box end dig a hole out back of de hoss
lot and dump dem in and cover up. Ain't no preachin' service or nothin', but de poor nigger out he mis'ry, dat's all.
"Old Cap'n jes' hard on he niggers and I 'member one time dey strops old Beans what's so old he can't work good no
more, and in de mornin' dey finds him hangin' from a tree back of de quarters. He done hang himself to 'scape he
mis'ry!
"We works every day 'cept Sunday and has to do our washin' den. Does anybody git sick week days, he has to work
Sunday to make it up. When we comes in at night we has to go right to bed. Dey don't 'low no light in de quarters
and you better be in bed if you don't want a whippin'.
"We gits a plain cotton slip with a string 'round de neck, de stuff dey makes pickin' sacks of. Summer or winter, dat
all we gits to wear.
"Old Cap'n have a big house but I jes' see it from de quarters. 'cause we wasn't 'lowed to go up in de yard. I hear say
he don't have no wife, but a black woman what stays at de house. Dat de reason so many 'No Nation' niggers 'round.
Some calls dem 'Bright' niggers, but I calls dem 'Mo Nation' 'cause dat what dey is, ain't all black or all white, but
mix. Dat come from slave times.
"I knows I's good size when Old Cap'n calls us in and say we's free, but nobody tell me how old I is and I never
found out. I knows some of us stays and works for somethin' to eat, 'cause we didn't know no one and didn't hab
nowheres to go.
"De n one day, Cap'n come out in de field with 'nother man and pick no and four more what's workin' and say we's
good workers. Dat was Mr. Jack Adams what have a place clost to Stafford's Run. He say if we wants to work on
his place he feed us and give quarters and pay us for workin', and dat how come I leaves old Cap'n, and I ain't never
see him or dat place where I's raise sence. but I reckon he so mean de debbil done got him in torment long time ago.
"I works in de field for Mr. Jack and dat where Wes Marshall, what I marries, works, too. After we gits married we
gits a piece of ground and stays on de same place till Mr. Jack die and we come to Houston. Dat 'fore de 1900
storm.
"I tells folks when dat storm comin'. I ain't 'lieve in no witch doin's. but some way I knows when dat storm comin'.
Dey laughs at dis old nigger, but it come and dey loses hosses and cattle and chickens and houses.
"I tells de truth jes' like it am. and I's had a hard time in de land. Why, in dis sinful town, dey don't do like do Good
Book say. Mo, suh, dey don't. It say. 'Love they neighbor,' and folks don't love nobody but theyselves!
"Jes' look at me! I's old with mis'ry and 'lone in de world. My husband and chillen done die long ago and leave me
here. and I jes' go from house to house, tryin' to find a place to stay. Dat why I prays Gawd to take me to his bosom,
'cause He de onlies' one I got to call on.
Marshall, Adline -- Additional Interview
Adline Marshall, living at 3514 Bastrop St., Houston, Tex., was born a slave somewhere in South Carolina. She was
taken from her parents when bought by a Captain Brevard and brought to Texas while still a baby. She remembers
nothing about her mother or father, and has no record of her age, saying that Captain Brevard told her she was a
"South Ca'lina nigger", but never told her where he got her or who her parents were. Although suffering physically
from her "miseries", Adline Marshall's mind is quite good, but the treatment slaves received has made her very
resentful of slave owners in general, and her master in particular.
"Yes suh, Adline Marshall is my name all right, but de folks 'round here jes' calls me 'Grandma'.
"Lord have mercy, white folks, I's been here in dis land too long, yes suh, too long, and I jes' ain't no 'count no more
for nothing. I's got miseries in my bones, and jes' look at what I's got on my feet, -- jes' rags dat's all, rags. Can't
wear nothing else on 'em 'cause dey hurts so. Dat's what de red russet shoes what we wears in slave times do, -- jes'
pizen de feet, yes suh I's telling you de truth.
"Lord, Lord, dat sure was bad times. Black folks jes' raised up like cattle in a stable, yes suh, only Cap'n Brevard, he
what owned me, treat de hosses and cattle better 'n he do de niggers.
"Don't know nothing 'bout myself 'cept on de Cap'n's place down on Oyster Creek. He has de plantation 'twixt de
Borden's and de Thatchers' plantations, and dat's de only place I knows 'bout 'til I's freedomed. He says I's a South
Ca'lina nigger what he bought back dere and brung me with him here to Texas when I was jes' a baby. I reckon it's
de truth 'cause I never knowed no mamma or no papa neither one. Yes suh, dis old nigger's had a hard time, Lord
yes, 'cause from fur back as I can think, I's worked.
"De old Cap'n's a hard man and de drivers was hard too, all de time whipping and stropping de niggers to make 'em
work harder. Didn't make no dif'frence to de Cap'n how little you is, -- you goes out to de field most soon as you
can walk. De drivers don't use de bullwhip on de little niggers, but dey play switch on us what sting de hide plenty.
Sometimes dey puts a nigger in stocks and leave 'em dere for two or three days, -- don't give 'em nothing to eat or a
drink of water, jes's leave 'em 'til dere most dead. And does dey die, jes' put 'em in a box, and dig a hole out back of
de horse lot, and dump 'em in and cover 'em up. Ain't no preaching service not nothing, de poor nigger is 'jes outen
his misery dat's all.
"Yes suh, what I tells is de truth, 'cause I'se in de fear of God, and I ain't going to do no lying for no one, no suh.
Old Cap'n was jes' hard on his niggers, and I 'member de time dey strops old Beans what's so old he can't work good
no more, and in de morning dey finds him hanging from a tree back of de quarters, -- he'd hung hisself to 'scape his
misery.
"We works every day 'cept Sundays, and we has to do our washing den. Does anyone get sick during week days and
can't work for mebbe two days, dey has to work two Sundays to make it up. And when we comes in at night we has
to go right to bed. Dey don't 'low us to have no light in de quarters, and you better be in bed and not sitting 'round
after work if you don't want to get a whipping.
"All we gets to wear is jes' a plain cotton slip with a string 'round de neck, jes' de same kind of stuff what dey make
de picking sacks of. Don't make no dif'frence if it winter or summer, dat's all we get to wear.
"Old Cap'n has a big house, but I jes' see it from de quarters, 'cause we wasn't 'lowed to go up in de yard. I hear 'em
say he don't have no wife, but has a black woman what stays at de house. Dat's de reason why dere is so many 'No
Nation' niggers 'round now. Some call 'em 'Bright' niggers, but I calls 'em 'No Nation' niggers, 'cause dat's what dey
is, -- dey ain't all black and dey ain't white, but dey is mixed. Dat comes from slave times and de white folks did de
wrong, 'cause de blacks get beat and whipped if dey don't do what de white folks tell 'em to.
"Lord have mercy, white folks sure did everything to de poor niggers 'fore we was freedomed. Work us early, work
us late. Don't 'low us to visit none on other plantations, and jes' feed us corn bread and side meat. I never know
nothing 'bout no church meetings or nothing outside Cap'n's cotton field 'til I was freedomed. No suh, I's telling you
de truth.
"I knows I's good size when old Cap'n calls us in from chopping and tells us we's free, but nobody told me how old
I was and I never find out.
"I knows some of us stays and works for something to eat, 'cause we didn't know no one and didn't have no whar to
go.
"Den one day, Cap'n come out in de field with 'nother man, and pick me and four more what was working, and tell
de man we is good workers. Dat was Mr. Jack Adams what had a place down by Stafford's Run. He says if we want
to work on his place, he feed us and give us good quarters and pay us for working, and dat's how come I leaves old
Cap'n, and I ain't never see him or de place whar I was raised up since, but I reckon 'cause he was so mean de
debbil's got him in torment long time ago.
"I works in de field for Mr. Jack, and dat's whar Wes Marshall what I married worked too. After we gets married we
gets us a piece of ground from Mr. Jack and we stays on de same place 'til Mr. Jack die and we come to Houston.
Dat was 'fore de 1900 storm.
"I tell you what else is de truth too. I tells when de storm is coming, yes suh, dat's gospel truth. And I ain't believe in
no witch doings, but God tells me when a storm is coming.
"I tell folks when de 1900 storm is coming, and dey laugh at dis old nigger. But it comes and dey loses horses, and
cattle and chickens, and sometimes de storm blow houses away, but it don't hurt a feather on my chickens, no suh,
'cause de good Lord known I's telling folks de truth and he pertects me.
"Yes suh, white folks, I's tell you de truth jes' like it is, and I's had a hard time in de land. Why in dis sinful town
dey don't do like de Good Book say to do. No suh, dey don't. It say 'love thy neighbor', but folks don't love nobody
but demselves.
"Jes' look at me. I's old with misery and I's all alone in de world. My husband and all my chillen die long ago and
leave me here, and I jes' go from house to house to try to find a place to stay. Dat's why I's praying to God to take
me to his bosom, 'cause He's de onliest one I got to call on."
(Dibble, Fred, P.W., Beaumont, Jefferson, Dist. #3, 10 September 1937, (No))
