Chapman, one called the grown folks to the house
and told them, 'You can stay and I will pay you or you can go. I pay
no more doctor bills. I don't feed you no more nor give you no
more clothes.' Some moved and some hired to him. Some went to his
father-in-law's place and some to his brothers' place and around.
His wife was rich. She was Dave Butler's gal. No, I mean Massa Jim's
wife--Miss Mariah. That big place was what her pa give her. Massa Jim
had five hundred little niggers on that place and lots more on the big
plantation. He had about two thousand little niggers. We went in droves
is right.

"I never went to a table in slavery time. We had our plates and cup and
took it to the pot and they put some victuals in 'em, then we went and
et where we pleased. We had all the meat we could eat and all the milk
we could drink all the time. Aunt Teena sewed and grandma would weave
cloth. They made white aprons. My hair was nice and old mistress would
tell Aunt Judy to curl my hair. They rolled it up on cloth and on little
light cobs. If they wet it, it would stay curled.

"Massa Jim sold his niggers when he wanted to. He sold my grandpa and
Uncle Steve. Grandma wanted him to sell her and he wouldn't do it. I
don't know what become of grandpa. After freedom Uncle Steve come back
to us all. Grandpa was crying. He come to our house and said he had to
go. We never seen him no more.

"Some of the slaves wouldn't be whooped by Tom Chapman. I heard them say
since I got grown he 'tacked 'em. It caused trouble. He couldn't whoop
'em then. Old master whooped some of 'em. Some would say, 'I take ten
licks offen you and that is all.' Then he would sell them the first
chance. They would go to the woods if he beat them too much. He didn't
abuse his niggers. He said his niggers was his property. Aunt Sarah
tended to the cows and Aunt Clarisa raised geese, turkeys, chickens,
ducks, and churned.

"The Ku Klux come to our house, called Uncle Billy--that was my papa.
They got him up out of bed. One man said, 'I ain't had no water since
the battle of Shiloah.' He had pa draw water till daybreaking. He had
a horn he poured the water in. We was all scared half to death. Next
morning there was a branch from the well done run off. Something took
place about a well. Uncle Neel Anderson and Uncle Cush dug wells for
their living. They come after them. Aunt Mandy had a baby. They pitied
her and Uncle Neel got so scared he run upstairs in his shir