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Seated on a box in the Nancy Tevis Market in Beaumont, busily engaged in shelling beans, Ellen Butler told the
interesting story of days long past. Her head was enclosed in a turban of white cloth, her plump form clothed in blue
print calico. A kindly face seems naturally inclined to smile pleasantly. She was reared near Whiska Chitto in the
northern part of old Calcasieu (now a part of Beauregard) parish, Louisiana. Her marster was Richmond Butler, and
a nearby plantation was owned by the Iles family, now prominent in DeRidder, Louisiana.
"My ol' marster was name' Richmond Butler. He uster hab a big plantation over on Whiskey Chitto in Louisiana and
dats w'er I was bo'n. Dey uster call de place Bagdad. I was his slave 'til I was six year' ol' and den freedom come. I
don' 'member my daddy but my mammy was name' Dicey Ann Butler. Lemme see w'er my mammy come from. I
heerd her say but I forgit."
"I don' 'member ol' mistis' name. She hab a boy name' Johnnie and a gal name' Nora, and dey name' wonner (one of)
my mammy' chillen atter dat Nora. I hab seben sister' and t'ree brudder'. Dey was Laura, and Rosa and Rachel and
Fannie---dat fo' (four) and den dey was t'ree mo' gal, Ad'line, and Sottie and dat Nora. De boys was Anderson and
Charlie and Willie."
"Us uster lib in a li'l log house wid jis' one room. De flo' was dut (dirt). De house was mek jes like dey uster mek
'tater house. I
b'leebe dey was a li'l winder in de back of de house 'bout like dat one yonder (small window about 18 inches
square). W'en I was a baby dey wrop me up in cotton and put me in a coffee pot. Dat how li'l I was. But I uster be
mo' sizable dan I is now."
"I dunno how big de plantation was but it was a good big place. Dey hab 'bout 200 head of niggers on de place.
W'en I start' to git some size on me dey start' me to totin' water to de fiel'. Dey git de water outen de spring and tote
it in go'ds (gourds). Dey cut de go'ds so dat dey lef' a strip 'roun' 'cross de top and dat were de handle. Dey didn' had
no buckets. De go'ds was 'bout like dat basket dere (diameter 15 inches, and about 12 inches deep). Us uster hab one
go'd bucket us kep' lard in. Dey had li'l go'ds w'at dey drink outen.'
"Marster nebber 'low he slaves go to chu'ch. Dey hab big holes out in de fiel's dey git down in and pray. Dey done
dat way 'cuase de w'ite folks didn' want 'em to pray. Dey uster pray for freedom. I dunno how dey l'arn to pray
'cause dey warn't no preachers come 'roun' to teach 'em. I reckon de Lawd jis' mek 'em know how to pray."
"W'en de w'ite folks go off dey write on de meal and flour wid dey fingers. Dat de way dey know if us steal de
meal. Sometime' dey tek a stick and write in front of de do' (door) so if anybudy go out dey step on de writin' and de
marster know. Dat de way us l'arn how to write. De chillen up at de big house teach Nora how to write too and she
tell us."
"Ol' marster didn' give 'em nuffin' to eat. W'en dey come in outen de fiel' dey go wuk for other folks for sumpin' to
eat. Sometime' dey give 'em chickens and t'ings and dey hide 'em in a box under de bed. If dey ain't hide 'em
somebudy else come 'long and steal 'em."
"Dey jis' hab a ol' frame wid planks to sleep on. Dey didn' had no mattress nor nuffin'. In de winter time dey hatter
keep de fire goin' all night to keep from freezin'. I 'member dey uster git up in de night and put mo' wood on de fire.
Dey put a ol' quilt down on de flo' for de li'l folks. De chim'ly was li'l. Sometimes' w'en dey cut de wood dey hatter
tek it out and cut it 'gin so it li'l 'nuff to go in de fireplace. Dey had a li'l trough us uster eat outen. Us eat wid li'l ol'
wooden paddle. Us didn' know nuffin' 'bout knives and forks."
"I was too li'l to do anyt'ing but tote water and wood. Dey uster try to teach me to weave and spin, but I too li'l. But
I l'arn how atter freedom come. Back in slav'ry time' though, de ol'er ones mek money by wukkin' at night."
"I nebber git nuffin' much to eat. My sister she de cook and sometime' w'en de ol' folks gone off us go up to de big
house and she give us sumpin' to eat. But she mek us wash us mouf (mouth) atter us finish eatin' so dey won't be no
crum's in our mouf."
"Dey give us de ol' clo's atter de w'ite folks done wo' 'em out. Us hatter wuk for other people to git clo's to wear.
Dey didn' issher (issue) us out no rations."
"Marster uster beat 'em all de time. My brudder tell de ol' marster one time he gwine hatter come to him for sumpin'
to eat. He say no he nebber do dat, but he did. Atter freedom he go to Wes' Texas and got some of de niggers to go
wid him. He los' eb'ryt'ing he hab out dere and sho' 'nuff he had to go to my brudder and ax him for sumpin' to eat
and a shelter to sleep under. He say if he had it all to go over wid, he wouldn' treat he han's so bad."
"Us uster hatter scratch peanuts wid a stick, but dey didn' call 'em peanuts, dey call' 'em goober'."
"Dey was two overseers. One of 'em was pretty good but de other was rough. Sometime' he mek a 'roun' of de fiel'.
De niggers hatter cover dey prayer holes wid bresh den, so he wouldn't fin' 'em."
"Us uster mek pen' to ketch tukkey in. Dey uster bait 'em wid peas and co'n. De tukkey dey go in but dey ain't got
sense 'nuff to come out same way dey go in. Den us go ketch 'em and sell 'em. Us cover de pen wid bresh."
"Marster lib in a great big house. I t'ink it was mek outen plank. It moughter been log though. Dey didn't 'low us in
it but sometime' w'en dey go out us go up to see sister and git li'l sumpin' to eat. Dey went off mos' eb'ry Sunday. I
dunno wedder dey go to chu'ch or no."
"Sometime' us cook bamboo berries for peas. One time my brudder slip off. Somebudy tol' on 'em and dey like to
beat 'em to deat'. He tol' 'em he had to do sumpin' to git sumpin' to eat. Dey allus beat 'em iffen dey slip off. Dey
uster put 'em 'cross a log or a bar'l to beat 'em. I nebber hear of puttin' 'em in jail. Mammy say dey uster tie dey han's
behin' 'em sometime'. My mammy had a strop 'bout eight inch' wide w'at dey uster beat 'em wid."
"Mos' clo's w'at we git, we git from de Iles. Dey was rich w'ite folks and dey lib close by. Dey treat' dere slaves like
w'ite folks."
"I 'member my mammy tellin' 'bout savin' chillen from drownin' w'en dey sen' boatloads of slaves 'cross de
Mississippi River. She say dey go 'long 'side de big boat in a li'l boat and pick up any dat fall overboard."
"Sometime' dey uster give de han's Sadday atternoon and Sunday off."
"My ol'es' sister was Nora. She l'arn't de mos' she could in de big house. One time she and mammy was wukkin in
de fiel'. She warn't doin' it jis' right and mammy pick' up a ear of co'n and frowed it at her and hit her on de knee.
Dat cripple' her and she nebber could walk right atter dat."
"On Crissmus time dey uster give us a big dinner. I 'member us hab chicken den. I don' 'member no other hol'days. I
uster jis play 'roun' de yard under a big mulberry tree."
"I didn' know nuffin' 'bout ha'nts in slav'ry time, but I see some atter freedom. I see 'em two or t'ree time' in
DeRidder. One time us gwine from chu'ch up on de h'ights. Dey was two people a-follerin' us. We t'ink dey was
people. Dey foller us to Pine Street den all a sudden us ain't see 'em. Dey muster been ha'nts."
"Den one time I was pickin' berry on Bundy (Bundick) Creek and seen a li'l gal stan'in' on a san' bank in de creek.
Dat was in de day time. Us watch her a long time den all a sudden she go down in de san' bank. She jis' vanish 'way.
Dat was way a chile git drown' in Bundy."
"W'en de slaves git sick dey uster go to de woods and git 'erbs and roots and mek tea and med'cin'. Dey uster git
blackhaw root and cherry bark, and dogwood and chinquapin bark. Chinquapin bark mek good tonic. Black
snakeroot and swamproot mek good med'cin'. Dey uster sell snakeroot for tonic."
"I didn' see no sojers nor no fightin'. Dey uster be a place dey said dey uster fight. It was mek outen dirt and was all
growed up wid grass and weeds. Us uster play 'roun' dere. I seen lotser people. I guess dey was sojers. I dunno
wedder dey hab guns or not."
"My mammy tol'me w'en us free. We start' right off and walk to Sugartown. Dat 'bout eight mile' 'way. I 'member
my brudder wade 'cross a pon'. He was totin' me. De res' cross' de pon' on a log."
"I uster nuss (nurse) Dr. Frazier. He uster be de high sheriff in De Ridder."
"I seen 'em hang a man one time and he live' to tell 'bout it. Dat was in Lake Charles and atter freedom come. Dey
hab him stan'in' dere wid de rope 'roun' he neck. Dey ax him w'at he want 'em to tell he ma and he tell 'em. Den a
man come up and say, 'dat ain't de man dat done de t'ing,' he de man.' But de sheriff say he gwine hang 'im anyhow,
and he knock' de trap out. Dey done dat to scare 'im. I go to meetin' wid my sister in Lake Charles. She say to me,
'You 'member dat man you see git hang' dat time?' I say, 'Yes.' She say, 'I p'int 'im out to you.' 'Dere he is,' and sho'
'nuff dat was him."
Sheldon F. Gauthier Tarrant County District #7 (September 12, 1937 (yes))
