ey comes in out of the
field they goes work for other folks for something to eat.

"They jus' have a old frame with planks to sleep on and no mattress or
nothin'. In winter they have to keep the fire goin' all night to keep
from freezin'. They put a old quilt down on the floor for the li'l
folks. They have a li'l trough us used to eat out of with a li'l wooden
paddle. Us didn't know nothin' 'bout knives and forks.

"I never did git nothin' much to eat. My sister she de cook and sometime
when the white folks gone us go up to the big house and she give us
somethin'. But she make us wash the mouth after us finish eatin', so
they won't be no crumbs in our mouth.

"Massa used to beat 'em all the time. My brudder tell old massa sometime
he git hongry and gwine have to come ask de niggers for somethin' to
eat. He say he never do that, but he did, 'cause after freedom he go to
West Texas and some niggers with him and he los' everything and, sho'
'nough, old massa have to go to my brudder and ask him for food and a
shelter to sleep under. Then he say if he had it to do over, he
wouldn't treat the hands so bad.

"One time my brudder slip off de plantation and they almost beat him to
death. He told 'em he had to do somethin' to git somethin' to eat. They
used to put 'em 'cross a log or barrel to beat 'em. My mammy had a strop
'bout eight inch wide they used to beat 'em with.

"Most clothes what we git is from the Iles, what was rich folks and
lives close by. They folks lives in DeRidder, in Louisiana, I hears.
They treated the slaves like white folks.

"On Christmas time they give us a meal. I 'member that. I don't 'member
no other holidays.

"When us git sick us go to the woods and git herbs and roots and make
tea and medicine. We used to git Blackhaw root and cherry bark and
dogwood and chinquapin bark, what make good tonic. Black snakeroot and
swamproot make good medicine, too.

"My mammy told us we was free and we starts right off and walks to
Sugartown, 'bout 8 mile away. I 'member my brudder wades 'cross a pool
totin' me.

"I used to nuss Dr. Frasier. He used to be the high sheriff in
DeRidder.

420182

HENRY H. BUTTLER, 87, venerable graduate of Washburn College,
Topeka, Kansas, and ex-school teacher, was born a slave to Mr.
George Sullivan on his 300 acre plantation in Farquier Co.,
Virginia. Henry and a number of other slaves were transported to
Arkansas in 1863, and Henry e