und. Sho', I ate biscuits and cornbread too. Keep
telling you dat we ate.

We got de very best of care when we got sick. Don't you let nobody
tell you dem white folks tried to kill out dem darkies 'cause when a
darkey took sick dey would send and git de very best doctors round dat
country. Dey would give us ice water when we got sick. You see we put
up ice in saw dust in winter and when a slave got sick dey give him
ice water, sometimes sage tea and chicken gruel. Dey wanted to keep
dem darkies fat so dey could git top price for 'em. I never saw a
slave sold, but my half brother's white folks let him work and buy
hisself.

I was about 14, and I milked the cows, packed water, seeded cotton,
churned milk up at de Big House and jest first one chore and den
another. My mother cooked up at de Big House.

Dey was a lot of talk 'bout conjure but I didn't believe in it. Course
dem darkies could do everything to one another, and have one another
scared, but dey couldn't conjure dat overseer and stop him from
beating 'em near to death. Course he didn't flog 'em till dey done
sumping.

I married my woman, Nannie Wilkerson, 58 years ago. Dat was after
slavery, and I love her, honest to God I does. Course in dem days we
didn't buy no license, we jest got permits from old Master and jumped
over a broom stick and jest got married.

I sho' did hate when de Yanks come 'cause our white folks was good to
us, and jest take us right along to church with 'em. We didn't work on
Sad'days or Christmas.

We raised gardens, truck patches and such for spending change.

I sho' caught hell after dem Yanks come. Befo' de war, you see de
patroller rode all nite but wouldn't bother a darkey iffen he wouldn't
run off. Why dem darkeys would run off I jest couldn't see.

Dose Yanks treated old master and mistress so mean. Dey took all his
hams, chickens, and drove his cattle out of the pasture, but didn't
bother us niggers honest. Dey drove old master Aster off'n his own
plantation and we all hid in de corn field.

My mother took me to Greenville, Texas, 'cause my step-pappy was one
of dem half smart niggers round dere trying to preach and de Ku Klux
Klan beat him half to death.

Dere was some white folks who would take us to church wid 'em--dis dis
[TR: sic] was aftah the war now--and one night we was all sitting up
thar and one old woman with one leg was dah and when dem Klans shot in
amongst us niggers and white folks aunt Mandy beat all o