d with a cow-hide. The same man whut whipped me to make me call
him master, well, he whipped my mamma. He tied her to a tree and beat
her unmerciful and cut her tender parts. I don't know why he tied her
to that tree.

The first time you was caught trying to read or write, you was whipped
with a cow-hide, the next time with a cat-o-nine tails and the third
time they cut the first jint offen your forefinger. They was very
severe. You most allus got 30 and 9 lashes.

They carried news from one plantation by whut they call relay. Iffen
you was caught, they whipped you till you said, "Oh, pray Master!" One
day a man gitting whipped was saying "Oh pray master, Lord have
mercy!" They'd say "Keep whipping that nigger Goddamn him." He was
whipped till he said, "Oh pray Master, I gotta nuff." Then they said,
"Let him up now, 'cause he's praying to the right man."

My father was the preacher and an educated man. You know the sermon
they give him to preach?--Servant, Obey Your Master. Our favorite
baptizing hymn was On Jordan's Stormy Bank I Stand. My favorite song
is Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen.

Oh, them patrollers! They had a chief and he git'em together and iffen
they caught you without a pass and sometimes with a pass, they'd beat
you. But iffen you had a pass, they had to answer to the law. One old
master had two slaves, brothers, on his place. They was both
preachers. Mitchell was a hardshell Baptist and Andrew was a
Missionary Baptist. One day the patroller chief was rambling thoo' the
place and found some letters writ to Mitchell and Andrew. He went to
the master and said, "Did you know you had some niggers that could
read and write?" Master said, "No, but I might have, who do you
'spect?" The patroller answered, "Mitchell and Andrew." The old master
said, "I never knowed Andrew to tell me a lie 'bout nothing!"

Mitchell was called first and asked could he read and write. He was
scared stiff. He said, "Naw-sir." Andrew was called and asked. He
said, "Yes-sir." He was asked iffen Mitchell could. He said, "Sho',
better'n me." The master told John Arnold, the patroller chief, not to
bother 'em. He gloried in they spunk. When the old master died, he
left all of his niggers a home apiece. We had Ku Klux Klans till the
government sent Federal officers out and put a stop to their ravaging
and sent 'em to Sing Sing.

Doing the war my father was carpenter. His young master come to him
'cause he was a preacher and ask