dat I knows, but we wus too happy in ourselves ter
worry 'bout sich things an' de lack.

"I laughs now ter think how ignorant we niggers wus. We'd do our
washin' an' 'bout de time we hung hit on de line, we'd see a string of
folks comin' home frum de Prospect Church an' we'd know dat we'd done
our washin' on a Sunday."

AC

N.C. District: No. 2
Worker: Mary Hicks
No. Words: 615
Subject: A SLAVE STORY, THE WOMAN OVERSEER
Person Interviewed: Valley Perry
Editor: George L. Andrews

[TR: Date stamp: AUG 17 1937]

[HW: Story of kind mistress who stops cruelty on plantation. Use whole
story.]

THE WOMAN OVERSEER

An interview with Valley Perry, 50 years of age, of Cary, North
Carolina, Route #1.

"Course bein' no older dan I is I can't recollect 'bout de war, but
I'se heard my manny [TR: mammy] tell a little an' my gran'mammy tell a
right smart 'bout dem slavery times yo's talkin' 'bout.

"Gran'mammy Josephine, an' mammy Clarice 'longed ter a Mr. Nat Whitaker
in Wake County.

"Mr. Nat's wife wus named Mis' Lucy, an' she wus so good dat ever'body
what ever seed her 'membered her. Dar is eben de belief among de
niggers dat she riz up ter heaben alive, like Elijah.

"Dey said dat Mr. Nat's oberseer wus kinder mean ter de slaves, an'
when he whupped dem dey 'membered hit ter de longest day dey lived. Mr.
Nat wusen't near so bad an' Mis' Lucy wus a angel. She'd beg Mr. Nat
ter make de oberseer stop, but Mr. Nat 'fused, 'case he said dat de
niggers won't obey him iffen he teaches dem he won't let de oberseer
punish dem good an' plenty. Den Mis' Lucy 'ud cry an' she'd run an'
grab de oberseer's arm an' beg him ter stop. She'd cry so hard dat he'd
hafter stop.

"Finally de oberseer goes ter Mr. Nat an' complains, an' he sez dat he
am gwine ter quit de job iffen Mr. Nat doan make Mis' Lucy keep outen
his business.

"Mr. Nat axes him ter tell him 'fore he starts ter beat 'em, an' ter
set a time fer de beatin' an' dat he will git Mis' Lucy offen de place.
Well, de oberseer does what Mr. Nat sez an' waits ter whup eber'body on
Chuesday an' on Chuesday Mr. Nat takes Mis' Lucy ter town.

"Mis' Lucy am tickled pink dat she am a-goin' shoppin' an' she ain't
suspicion nothin' at all. When she gits ter shoppin' do' she ain't
satisfied, an' terreckly she tells Mr. Nat dat she wants ter go home.
Mr. Nat tries to git her ter go ter a concert but Mis' Lucy