me. Colored people had to live under a whip massa en
couldn' do nothin, but what he say do. Yes, mam, dey had dese head men,
what dey call overseers, on all de plantations dat been set out to whip
de niggers. I tell you, it was rough en tough in dem days. Dey would
beat you bout to death. My grandfather en my grandmother, dey die wid
scars on dem dat de white folks put dere."

"Oh, my Lord, dey would give de colored people dey allowance to last dem
a week to a time, but dey never didn' give dem nothin widout dey work
to get it en dat been dey portion. I remember, I hear Cato tell bout Mr.
Bobbie say, "Mom Dicey, dey tell me dey catch Bacchus stealin Pa's
watermelons out de field de other night." (Bacchus was Mom Dicey's son).
Grandmother Dicey say, "Oh, he never take nothin but dem little rotten
end ones." Den Mr. Bobbie say, "Well, dey tell me, dey catch Bacchus
stealin de horse's corn out de feed trough de other night." En
grandmother Dicey say, "Well, if he did, he never take nothin, but what
been belong to him." Dat it, some white folks was better to dey colored
people den others would be. Would give dem so much of meal en meat en
molasses to last dem a week en dey would feed all de nigger chillun to
de big house 'tween meals. Have cook woman to give dem all de milk en
clabber dey wanted dere to de white people yard."

"De overseer, he would give you a task to do en you had to do it, too,
if you never been want your neck broke. Yes, mam, de overseer would
stock you down en whip you wid a buggy whip. Some of de time, when de
colored people wouldn' do what dey been put to do, dey would hide in de
woods en stay dere till de overseer come after dem. Oh, dey would find
dem wid de nigger dog. When de overseer would find out dey had run away,
he would send de nigger dog to hunt dem. My God, child, dem dogs would
sho find you. Some of de time, dey would run you up a tree en another
time, dey would catch you whe' dere won' no tree to go up en grab you
en gnaw you up. Yes, mam, de overseer would hear you hollerin or else he
would hear de dog barkin at you up de tree. Dem nigger dogs, I know you
is see dem kind of dogs. Dey is high, funny lookin dogs. Don' look like
no other kind of dog. When dey would find de one dey was huntin, dey
would just stand right dere en look up in de tree en howl."

"De colored people never had no church dey own in slavery time cause dey
went to de white people church. Yes, mam, I been dere to de O