s was ten years old.

"Marse Johnny Poore, he was kilt in de war and den Old Mist'ess, she was
our Miss Annie, looked atter de plantation 'til her only child, young
Miss Ann, married Marse Tom Dean. Den he helped Miss Ann 'tend to her
business. Dey was moughty good to us. Miss Annie done her own
overseein'. She rid over dat plantation onct or twict a day on her hoss.

"Our white folks lived in a big old two-story house what sot off f'um de
road up on a high hill in a big oak grove. Miss Annie's own room was a
shed room on dat house. De upstairs room was kept for comp'ny. Unkle
Wade Norris Poore was Miss Annie's car'iage driver. De car'iage was
called a surrey den.

"Dar was 'bout four or five hunderd acres in our plantation. Miss Annie
kept 'bout a hunderd slaves. She was all time sellin' 'em for big prices
atter she done trained 'em for to be cooks, housegals, houseboys,
carriage drivers, and good wash 'omans. She wukked 75 slaves in her
fields. Her Niggers was waked by four o'clock and had to be in de field
by sunup. Dey come in 'bout dark. Atter supper, de mens made up shoes,
horse collars, and anything else lak dat what was needed; de 'omans spun
thread and wove cloth.

"Miss Annie was her own whuppin' boss. She beat on 'em for most
anything. She had a barrel wid a pole run thoo' it, and she would have a
slave stretched out on dat barrel wid his clothes off and his hands and
foots tied to de pole. Den Miss Annie would fire up her pipe and set
down and whup a Nigger for a hour at a time. Miss Annie would pull my
ears and hair when I didn't do to suit her, but she never whupped me.
Miss Annie didn't need no jail for her slaves. She could manage 'em
widout nothin' lak dat, and I never did hear of no jails in de country
'roun' whar us lived.

"Yes Ma'am, I seed Old Miss sell de slaves what she trained. She made
'em stand up on a block, she kept in de back yard, whilst she was
a-auctionin' 'em off. I seed plenty of traders go by our place in wagons
what dey had deir somepin' t'eat and beddin' in, and deir slaves was
walkin' 'long behind de wagon, gwine on to be sold, but dere warn't none
of 'em in chains.

"Dere warn't no schools whar slaves could git book larnin' in dem days.
Dey warn't even 'lowed to larn to read and write. When Dr. Cannon found
out dat his carriage driver had larned to read and write whilst he was
takin' de doctor's chillun to and f'um school, he had dat Niggers thumbs
cut off and put another b