|
|
ADELINE WHITE, SO odd years old, was born at Opeleases, Louisiana, a slave of Dr. Bridget. She lives with her
daughter. Lorona, in Beaumont, Texas.
"I'm born at Opelousas and my massa and missis was Dr. Bridget and his wife. They was mean end they best us and
put the hounds after us. They beat the little ones and the big ones and when massa ain't beatin' his wife is. It am
continual. My pappy call Thomas Haville and my mammy 'Nelia Haville. They was born in Virginia. I had four
brothers and two sisters, all dead now.
"Like I says, old massa sho' whip us end when he whip he put us 'cross a barrel or chain us and stack us out with a
rope. We didn't have much to eat and not much clothes. They weave us clothes on the look and make the dress like a
sack slip over the head.
"Our cabin wasn't so bad, made of legs with dirt 'tween the loge. The chimney make out of sticks and dirt and some
windows with a wooden shutter and no glass in 'em. Massa give 'em lumber and paint to make things for the house
and they have homemake bed and table and benches to sit on.
"Massa have the hose power cotton gin and a hose power sugar cane mill, too. Us work hard all day in the gin and
the sugar cane mill and doesn't have no parties nor fun. Sometimes in the evenin' us git together and talk or sing
low, so the white folks won't hear.
"I 'member going through the woods one time and seein' somethin' black come up 'fore me. It must a been a ghost. I
got a boy call' Henry what live in Welch and he kin see ghosties all the time. He jus' look back over he lef' shoulder
and see plenty of 'en. He say they has a warm heat. what make his sweat.
"Old massa didn't go to the war and his boys was too little. We jus' heered about the war and that it was goin' to free
us. In the night us would creep out way in the woods and have the prayer meetin', prayin' for freedom to come
quick. We has to be careful for if massa find out he whip all of us, sho'. We stays nearly all night and sleeps and
prays and sleeps and prays. At las' we hears freedom is on us and massa say us are all free to go, but if we stay he
pay us some. Most of us goes, for that massa en she' mean and if we doesn't have to stay we wouldn't, not with that
massa.
"We scatters and I been marry twice. The first man was Eli Evans in Jennings, in Louisiana and us have six chillen.
The second man he James White but I has no more chillen. Now I lives with my gal what called Lorena and she
make me happy. She sho' good to her old mammy. what ain't much good no more.
White, Adeline -- Additional Interview
Seated listlessly on a box in front of a dilapidated negro apartment house, Adeline White, stooped under the weight
of some 80 years, told her story of slavery. A red and white striped cotton dress, over which was a long apron from
yoke to hem, showed tendencies to cleanliness although she is decrepit and bemoans her inability to do her own
washing. Her feet are incased in badly worn house slippers, the best, she says, she has. Large ear-rings hang from
her ears. Her gray wool is divided by several partings, the intervening hair being plaited together. Her few yellow
teeth at times show between flabby lips. Weak and aged, she gets about with the assistance of a stick.
"I was 'bout eight year' ol' w'en freedom come. I was bo'n at Op'lousas. My marster and mistus was Doctor and
Missus Bridget. Dey was mean. Dey beat us and put houn's atter us. Dey done dat for meanness I guess. Dey beat de
li'l ones and de big ones. W'en marster ain't beat 'em he mek his wife beat 'em. I don' see nuttin' else. He had a
plantation, it was a pritty big plantation wid lots of slaves. It was 'bout nine mile' from Op'lousas and I guess it was
nor'f."
"My popper name was Thomas Naville, and my mommer was 'Melia Naville. I don' 'member my grampa and
gramma. I neber seed 'em. My popper and mommer dey come from down Virginny. Dey was bo'n dere. I had fo'
brudders and two sisters, dey dead. Dey was Lewis and Henry and
Henrietta and Gracie. I had one aunt livin' dere. Her name was Martha, she dead, too. Us talk reg'lar 'Merican, us
didn' talk no French but I learnt how to talk it atter freedom come."
"I been marry twict. De fus' time I git marry to Eli Evans over in Jennings, Lou'siana. De jestice of de peace he
marry us. Us hab Sam and Henry and Lorena and Jasper and Fred and Celestine. I got eight gran'chillen. My secon'
husban' he James W'ite but us ain't had no chillen. I lives wid Lorena now. De preacher he marry me and James. Dat
was out in de country not fur from Jennings."
"Yessir, ol' marster sho' whip' us. He mean--awful mean. W'en he whip' 'em he put 'em 'cross a barrel. Sometime' he
chain' 'em and stake 'em out to grass wid a rope. Dey didn' give de cullud folks anyt'ing to eat. He sho' treat' de
cullud folks mean in slav'ry."
"Dey give us clo's mek on a loom, you know dem ol' looms? Well, dat how dey mek de clo'f. Dey mek de dress jis'
like a sack w'at dey slip on over dey head. In summer time dey wear jis' one piece. In the winter time dey give 'em
two pieces. Dey give 'em some ol' shoes in de winter, but in summer time us go barefoot."
"De house us lib in, it was a pritty good house. It was a dirt house--dirt 'tween de logs. Dey warn't no plank house.
De chim'ly was mek outen sticks and dirt, too. Dey was some winders in it, jis' dem ol' kinder winders wid a
wooden shutter. Dere warn't no glass in de winders. Dey warn't no woods aroun'. De place was out on de broad,
wide open prairie."
"De niggers mek dey own furn' cher fo dey house. Ol' marster give 'em de lumber and de paint. Dey hab ho'made
bed-stid and table. Dey hab benches to sit on. Some of 'em hab rawhide bottom chair' too, w'at dey mek. Dey git de
lumber and mek a clo's chist for to keep dey clo's in, and den dey paint it so it look nice."
"De plantation was so big and he hab so many niggers he had t'ree or fo' overseers. But dey didn' beat de slaves, he
beat 'em hisse'f."
"Dey uster raise peas and co'n and cotton and sweet 'taters. Dey didn' raise much sugar cane. Dey plant dis
sorg'um--you know w'at dat is, and mek syrup outen it for to give to de slaves. He hab one of dese yere hoss power
sugar cane mills on he plantation. He hab a hoss power cotton gin, too."
"Dey hab a place w'er dey mek up de cotton in bales. De hosses go 'roun' outside. De cotton drop down from de
upstairs, downstairs, and dey hab a place to roll 'em off to one side and git 'em outen de way. Us uster play 'roun'
dere some. I didn' hab nuttin' much to do 'cause I too li'l. I uster pick up a chip and carry in wood, and sometime'
dey mek me wash de dishes."
"Dey uster hab a house w'ere dey hab preachin' and prayin' and singin'. Dey had dey own cullud preacher name'
Robert. He one of marster' slaves. He could read. Dey was a few of 'em w'at could read. I dunno how come he could
read. He muster pick' it up hisse'f. Dey uster sing:
'Look over yonder w'at I see,
Ban's of angels comin down'
and
'Nobody knows de trouble I see.'"
"Ol' marster nebber go to chu'ch. I t'ink he Baptis'. De slaves in de quarters dey all Baptis'. Dey uster hab 'vival
meetin's on de place 'mongst de slaves. Preacher Robert, he do de preachin'. Dey hab dey own chu'ch 'mong deyse'f
and iffen anybody wanter jine de chu'ch dey go up and tell dey 'termination to serb God. Dey hab a speshal places
for baptizin'. Preacher Robert do de baptizin'. He was sho' a good preacher."
"Dey hab one or two fun'rel' on de place 'mong de slaves. Preacher Robert he preach de fun'rel. De carpenter he mek
a ho'made coffin outen plank. Iffen it was a ol' pusson dey dress 'em in black. Iffen it were a youngster dey buy w'ite
clof and dress 'em in w'ite."
"W'en anybody die' dey pass de word 'roun'. Lots of de niggers go to de house and set up wid de corpse. Dey set up
all night and sing and pray and pass the coffee. Noner (none of) de han's wuk w'en dey was a fun'rel. De ol' marster
was good 'nuff to not mek 'em wuk w'en dey was anybody dead. Udderwise (otherwise) he was mean."
"Ol' marster uster come 'roun' eb'ry mo'nin' to see how de slaves gittin' 'long. Iffen dey was any of 'em sick he give
'em med'cin' 'cause he a doctor man hisse'f. He look at 'em all, well and sick."
"I hear tell 'bout sperrits but I ain't nebber see none. Dey uster say iffen you pray dey wouldn' bodder you, but iffen
you didn' pray dey tek you."
"I 'member gwine froo de woods to Welch, Lou'siana one time. I see sumpin' black come up befo' me. It muster
been a ghos'. I dunno w'at else it coulder been. It jis' showed up and den vanish 'way. I was libbin' out in de country
den. I got a boy in Welch name' Henry. He kin see 'em all de time. He jis' look back over he lef' shoulder and see
plenty of 'em. He say dey has a warm heat w'at mek him sweat."
"I uster hear 'em talk sumpin' 'bout de fox chase de rabbit. De rabbit run for to git out he way. He lick he foot so de
fox wouldn' ketch him and dat give him a better chance to git away."
"I nebber see no sojers in dat war (Civil War)."
"W'en freedom come ol' marster give eb'ry one of he niggers a nice suit of clo's. He say, 'I nebber give you a suit of
clo's befo', now I gwineter give you a suit of clo's. You is all of you free to go.' Dat was w'en freedom 'bout to be
'clared."
"Ol' marster he didn' go to de war. He hab two boys, Jeems and Jesse, but dey was too li'l."
"W'en Crissmus time come dey uster hab chickens and tukkey kill' for Crissmus dinner. Dey give eb'rybody a big
dinner. Dey didn' give us no presents nor nuttin' 'cep'n de big Crissmus dinner."
"Us hab Sunday off but not Sadday. Us hafter wuk in de fiel' all day Sadday."
"Dey uster hab big dances, too, reg'lar break-down dances. Dey play de corjion (accordion) and de fiddle and de
vileen. Somebody would call de numbers. Dey hab a big house for de dances. Dat was a dif'runt house from de one
dey had preachin' in, 'cause it wouldn' be right to serb de Lord and de debbil in de same house."
