Lewis Bonner

Bonner, Lewis** I was born 7 miles north of Palestine, Texas on Matt Swanson 's place in 1850, but I cannot remember the date. My father was named Kater Bonner after Master Matt Swanson and my mother's name was Amy Swanson . My father was lazy and wouldn't work and jest scouted through the woods. One morning some of the white folks decided to catch him and whip him. He killed 18 of them. He ran away and stayed 3 years without being found. He come back and they was going to kill him, but he done killed 7 more before they could kill him. When he lived on the place, he just made bluing.  My family and all slaves on our place was treated good. Mighty few floggings went on round and about. Master was the overseer over his darkies and didn't use no other'n. We used to hear slaves on de other places hollering from whippings, but master never whipped his niggers 'less they lied. Sometimes slaves from other places would run off and come to our place. Master would take them back and tell the slave-holders how to treat them so dey wouldn't run off again.  I waited table and churned in the Big House after playing in the quarters during the most part of the day. I ate at the table with my mistress and nothing was ever said. When I stayed too late at Mistress' house, she jest put me on the foot of her bed and I sleep there till morning. I had to fan the flies while they ate, too. We ate bacon, greens, Irish potatoes and such as we git now. Aunt Chaddy was the cook and nurse for all the chillun on the place. Mistress had a little stool for me in the Big House to sit on after I waited on the table and ate.  My mother worked in the field plowing a brown mule and that mule had so much sense that it would go right to the field and back up to the plow till my mother got there to hitch him up. She weaved cloth too. Shirts dat she made lasted 12 months, even if wore and washed and ironed every day. You talking 'bout clothes, them was some clothes then. Clothes made now jest don't come up to them near about.  In hot weather we wore a long shirt, but in winter we wore jean pants and shoes made on the plantation.  My Master was named Matt Swanson and my Mistress was named Celia Swanson . They had one girl child named Julia . Their house was a three room house on the plantation.  Our overseer was a Negro who would tell the slaves each morning what to do and as my Master had so many hogs and cattle, Uncle John the overseer would send the work hands to the field and he would go look up the hogs and cattle as they ran wild in the woods and feed them corn, etc. At four o'clock the Negro overseer would awake the slaves for their breakfast as they cooked for themselves.  On Saturday and Sunday the slaves would have church in the quarters. There were three or four preachers among them, but preacher John Swanson was thought the favorite and best. I am a Baptist from head to foot, yes sir, yes sir. Jest couldn't be nothing else. In the first place, I wouldn't even try.  The patrollers traveled from plantation to plantation during the nights with dogs, guns and bull whips. They would sick the hounds on the slaves and when they would climb a tree they would, if slaves was mean, climb the tree and knock him out and the dogs would sometimes tear him up before they could get them off him, or else if he would come down at their demand they would whip him so that he would be unable to work and that is how the Master would know they were caught out at nights.  On Christmas and New Years our Master would buy barrels of whiskey at the end of the harvests and on these two holidays call the slaves up to the Big House and give them all they could drink 'till some would become drunk.  The slaves also would carry plenty pepper with them to rub on the bottom of their feet at nights when they slipped off so that the dogs couldn't scent them. The pepper would go up the dogs nose so, they could not track them.  When a slave got sick, Dr. Link would come to them and give them calomel and pills. The slaves would keep asafetida around the children's necks to keep them from having the whooping cough, etc.  Jest before the war started some of the Negro slaves sent to build breast works and returned and the next day war broke out. I knows when the War started and ceased. I tell you it was some war. When it was all over, the Yankees come thoo' singing,  You may die poor, but you won't die a slave.  When the War was over, Master told us, "You are free now jest like I am, and as you have no places to go you can stay on and work on halvers. We stayed on 3 years after slavery. We got little money, but we got room and board and didn't have to work too hard. It was 'nough difference to tell you was no slaves any more.  After slavery and when I was old 'nough I got married. I married Lizzie Billinger . Her father was her master. He wanted to own her, but she sure didn't return it. He kept up with her till he died and sent her money jest all the time. Before he died, he put her name in his will and told his oldest son, who is white, to be sure and keep up with her. The son was sure true to his promise, for till she died, she was forever hearing from him or he would visit us, even after we moved to Oklahoma from Texas.  When our grandchillun would visit us, they would call my wife "Old White Woman", and sure made her feel bad. We had 4 girls and 2 boys. We got 11 grandchillun. She was sure a good wife and for no reason did I take the second look at no woman. That was love, which don't live in our hearts no more.  I think Abraham Lincoln much of a man,  my pick.  Now that slavery is over I don't care to go in it any more. I would fight first.   I make a few pennies selling fish worms and doing a little yard work and raising vegetables. Not much money in circulation. When I gets my old age pension, it will make things a little mite better. I guess the time will be soon.  Tain't nothing but bad treatment that makes people die young and I ain't had none.