Arkansas
Age: 96

"I was born twelve miles from the capital, Jackson, Mississippi, on
Strickland's place. My mother was born in Edgecombe County, North
Carolina. Master Jim Battle was old man. He owned three big
plantations, full of niggers. They took me to Edgecombe County where
my mother was born. Battles was rich set of white folks. They lived at
Tarbry, North Carolina and some at Rocky Mount. Joe Battle was my old
master. There was Hue Battle too. Master Joe Battle and Master
Marmaduke was bosses of the whole country. They told Mars Joe not to
whoop that crazy nigger man. He undertook it. He hit him seven licks
with the hoe and killed him. Killed him in Mississippi.

"Master Marmaduke fell at the hotel at Greensboro, North Carolina. He
was a hard drinker and they didn't tell them about it at the hotel. He
got up in the night, fell down the steps and killed hisself. Tom
Williams didn't drink. He went to war and got shot. He professed
religion when he was twelve years old and kept the faith. Had his
Testament in his pocket and blood run on it. That was when he was shot
in the Civil War.

"They took that crazy nigger man to several places, found there was no
law to kill a crazy man. They took him to North Carolina where was all
white folks at that place in Edgecombe County. They hung the poor
crazy nigger. They was 'fraid of uprisings the reason they took him to
place all white folks lived.

"My papa and Brutten (Brittain) Williams same age. Old Mistress
Frankie (Tom Williams', Sr. wife) say, 'Let 'em be, he ain't goiner
whoop Fenna, he's kin to him. He ain't goiner lay his hand on Fenna.'
They whoop niggers black as me. Fenna waited on Master Brutten
Williams. Fenna was half white. He was John Williams' boy. John was
Brutten's brother. John Williams went to Mississippi and overseed for
Mr. Bass. Mars Brutten got crazy. He'd shoot at anything and call it a
hawk.

"Mother was a field woman. When she got in ill health, they put her to
sew. Miss Evaline Perry in Mississippi learned her how to sew. She
sewed up bolts of cloth into clothes for the niggers.

"Brutten Williams bought her from Joe Battle and he willed her to Joe
Williams. She cooked and wove some in her young life. Rich white folks
didn't sell niggers unless they got mad about them. Like mother, they
changed her about. We never was cried off and put up in front of the
public.

"Mars Joe Battle wasn't good. He ruled 'em all. He was Mars Marmaduke