chimneys in a kitchen which was away off from the
big house. They used pots and skillets to cook with. The hands got
their rations every Monday night. They got their clothes to wear which
they made on old spinning wheels, and wove them themselves.

"The master had his own tanyard and tanned his leather and made shoes
for his hands.

"He had several overseers, white men, and some Negro foremen. They
sometimes whipped the slaves, that is the overseers. Once a nigger
whipped the overseer and had to run away in the woods and live so he
wouldn't get caught. The nigger foremen looked after a set of slaves on
any special work. They never worked at night unless it was to bring in
fodder or hay when it looked like rain was coming. On rainy days, we
shucked corn and cleaned up around the place.

"We had old brick ovens, lots of 'em. Some was used to make molasses
from our own sugar cane we raised.

"The master had a 'sick-house' where he took sick slaves for treatment,
and kept a drug store there. They didn't use old-time cures much, like
herbs and barks, except sassafras root tea for the blood.

"We didn't learn to read and write, but some learned after the war.

"My father run the blacksmith shop for the master on the place. I worked
around the place. The patrollers were there and we had to have a pass to
get out any. The nigger children sometimes played out in the road and
were chased by patrollers. The children would run into the master's
place and the patrollers couldn't get them 'cause the master wouldn't
let them. We had no churches for slaves, but went to the white church
and set in the gallery. After freedom, niggers built 'brush harbors' on
the place.

"Slaves carried news from one plantation to another by riding mules or
horses. They had to be in quarters at night. I remember my mother rode
side-saddle one Saturday night. I reckon she had a pass to go; she come
back without being bothered.

"Some games children played was, hiding switches, marbles, and maybe
others. Later on, some of de nigger boys started playing cards and got
to gambling; some went to de woods to gamble.

"The old cotton gins on de farms were made of wooden screws, and it took
all day to gin four bales o' cotton.

"I was one of the first trustees that helped build the first colored
folks' church in the town of Greenwood. I am the only one now living. I
married Alice Robinson, and had five sons and one daughter, and have
five or six grandc