of the house where he was
sitting) they said her husband put a spell on her. They call 'em
two-headed Negroes.

Old Master never whipped any of his slaves, except two of my
uncles--Pete Conrad and Richard Sherman, now living at Falsmouth,
Kentucky.

We raised corn, wheat, oats, rye and barley, in the spring. In
January, February and March we'd go up to the Sugar Camp where he had
a grove of maple trees. We'd make maple syrup and put up sugar in
cakes. Sugar sold for $2.5O and $3 a cake. He had a regular sugar
house. My old Master was rich I tell you.

Whenever a member of the white family die all the slaves would turn
out, and whenever a slave would die, whitefolks and all the slaves
would go. My Master had a big vault. My Mistress was buried in an iron
coffin that they called a potanic coffin. I went back to see her after
I was 21 years old and she look jest like she did when they buried
her. All of the family was buried in them vaults, and I expect if
you'd go there today they'd look the same. The slaves was buried in
good handmade coffins.

I heard a lot of talk 'bout the patrollers. In them days if you went
away from home and didn't have a pass they'd whip you. Sometimes
they'd whip you with a long black cow whip, and then sometime they'd
roast elm switches in the fire. This was called "cat-o-nine-tails",
and they'd whip you with dat. We never had no jails; only punishment
was just to whip you.

Now, the way the slaves travel. If a slave had been good sometimes old
Master would let him ride his hoss; then, sometime they'd steal a hoss
out and ride 'em and slip him back before old Master ever found it
out. There was a man in them days by the name of John Brown. We called
him an underground railroad man, 'cause he'd steal the slaves and
carry 'em across the river in a boat. When you got on the other side
you was free, 'cause you was in a free State, Ohio.

We used to sing, and I guess young folks today does too:

"John Brown's Body Lies A 'moulding In the Clay."

and

"They Hung John Brown On a Sour Apple Tree."

Our slaves all got very good attention when they got sick. They'd send
and get a doctor for 'em. You see old Mistress Mary bought my mother,
father and two children throwed in for $1,100 and she told Master Joe
to always keep her slaves, not to sell 'em and always take good care
of 'em.

When my father went to the army old Master told us he was gone to
fight for us niggers freedom. My