a long time
after old Master passed away, but I was big enough before de War to
remember everything pretty plain.

Old Master name was John Williams, and old Mistress name was Miss
Betty, and she was a Campbell before she married. Young Missy was
named Betty after her mommy, and Young Master was named Frank, but I
don't know who after. Our overseer was Mr. Simmons, and he was mighty
smart and had a lot of patience, but he wouldn't take no talk nor
foolishness. He didn't whup nobody very often, but he only had to whup
'em jest one time! He never did whup a nigger at de time the nigger
done something, but he would wait till evening and have old Master
come and watch him do it. He never whupped very hard 'cept when he had
told a nigger about something and promised a whupping next time and
the nigger done it again. Then that nigger got what he had been
hearing 'bout!

De plantation was about as big as any. I think it had about three
hundred acres, and it was about two miles northwest of Monroe,
Louisiana. Then he had another one not so big, two--three miles south
of the big one, kind of down in the woodsy part along the White river
bottoms. He had another overseer on that place and a big passel of
niggers, but I never did go down to that one. That was where he raised
most of his corn and shoats, and lots of sorghum cane.

Our plantation was up on higher ground, and it was more open country,
but still they was lots of woods all around and lots of the
plantations had been whacked right out of de new ground and was full
of stumps. Master's place was more open, though, and all in the fields
was good plowing.

The big road runned right along past our plantation, and it come from
Shreveport and run into Monroe. There wasn't any town at Monroe in
them days, jest a little cross roads place with a general store and a
big hide house. I think there was about two big hide houses, and you
could smell that place a mile before you got into it. Old Master had a
part in de store, I think.

De hide houses was jest long sheds, all open along de sides and
kivered over wid cypress clapboards.

Down below de hide houses and de store was jest a little settlement of
one or two houses, but they was a school for white boys. Somebody said
there was a place where they had been an old fort, but I never did see
it.

Everything boughten we got come from Shreveport, and was brung in by
the stage and the freighters, and that was only a little cof