e men, but the women went with colored
men too. That's why so many women slave owners wouldn't marry, 'cause
they was goin' with one of their slaves. These things that's goin' on
now ain't new, they been happenin'. That's why I say you just as well
leave 'em alone 'cause they gwine to do what they want to anyhow.

"My marster never did whip any grown folk. He whipped chillun when they
did anything wrong. He didn't 'low us to eat plums before breakfus, but
all the chillun, his too, would die or do it, so every time he caught us
he would whip us."

Another ex-slave recalled that "you had to call all your marster's
chillun marster or mistis, even the babies. You never wore enough
clothes and you always suffered for comfort. Us warn't even 'lowed to
have fire. If you had a fireplace in your house, it was took out and the
place closed up. If you was ever caught with fire you was beat 'most to
death. Many mothers died in confinement on account of takin' cold 'cause
us couldn't have fire.

"My young marster tried to go with me, and 'cause I wouldn't go with him
he pretended I had done somethin' and beat me. I fought him back because
he had no right to beat me for not goin' with him. His mother got mad
with me for fightin' him back and I told her why he had beat me. Well
then she sent me to the courthouse to be whipped for fightin' him. They
had stocks there where most people would send their slaves to be
whipped. These stocks was in the shape of a cross, and they would strap
your clothes up around your waist and have nothin' but your naked part
out to whip. They didn't care about who saw your nakedness. Anyway they
beat me that day until I couldn't sit down. When I went to bed I had to
lie on my stomach to sleep. After they finished whippin' me, I told them
they needn't think they had done somethin' by strippin' me in front of
all them folk 'cause they had also stripped their mamas and sisters. God
had made us all, and he made us just alike.

"They never carried me back home after that; they put me in the Nigger
Trader's Office to be sold. About two days later I was sold to a man at
McBean. When I went to his place everbody told me as soon as I got there
how mean he was and they said his wife was still meaner. She was jealous
of me because I was light; said she didn't know what her husband wanted
to bring that half white nigger there for, and if he didn't get rid of
me pretty quick she was goin' to leave. Well he didn't get