in roasted
turnips. Sallie she had gloves, and didn't get frostbitten. After my
old master died, Master Donnahue was his name, his old son-in-law come
to take over de plantation. He was mean, but my sister whipped him.

We had no nigger driver or overseer. We raised wheat, corn and
vegetables, not much cotton, jest enough to spun de clothes out of.

At night when we'd go to our cabins we'd pick cotton from de seeds to
make our clothes. Boys and girls alike wore dem long shirts slit up de
side nearly to your necks. They'd have cornshuckings sometimes all
night long. You see I didn't have no mother, no father, nobody to lead
me, teach me or tell me, and so jest lived with anybody was good
enough to let me stay and done what they did. They'd have log
rollings, with all de whiskey dey could drink.

I remember going to church, de Methodist Church dey call it. We used
to sing dis song and I sho did like it too:

"I went down in de valley to pray,
Studying dat good old way."

I been a Christian long before most of dese young niggers was born. My
other favorites are:

"Must Jesus bear This Cross Alone."

and

"The Consecrated Cross I'll Bear 'til
Death Shall Set Me Free,
Yea, There's a Crown for Everyone,
And There's a Crown for Me."

Yes Lawd, there sho is.

One day a nigger killed one of his master's shoats and he catch him
and when he'd ask him, "What's that you got there?" The nigger said,
"a possum." De master said, "Let me see." He looked and seen it was a
shoat. De nigger said, "Master it may be a shoat now, but it sho was a
possum while ago when I put 'im in dis sack."

Dey didn't whip our folks much, but one day I saw a overseer on
another place. He staked a man down with two forked sticks 'cross his
wrist nailed in de ground and beat him half to death with a hand saw
'til it drawed blisters. Den he mopped his back wid vinegar, salt and
pepper. Sometimes dey'd drop dat hot rosin from pine knots on dose
blisters.

When de Yanks come, business took place. I remember white folks was
running and hiding, gitting everything dey could from de Yanks. Dey
hid dey jewelry and fine dishes and such. Dose Yanks had on big boots.
Dey'd drive up, feed dey hosses from old Master's corn, catch dey
chickens, and tell old Master's cook to cook 'em, and they'd shoot
down old Master's hogs and skin 'em.

De Yanks used to make my nephew drunk, and have him sing (dis is kind
of bad):