Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Hattie Austin


"I's Hattie Austin . I stays in d' eas' part 'r' d' norf quarters in Jasper. I was bo'n in Thomasville, Georg'y on June d' twenty-fift' back in eighteen sixty two 'r' t'ree. I dunno jis' w'ich now. Fadder's name was Mike Hurst , 'n' mudder's name was Mandy Hurst . Jack Hurst he was d' marster. I lib in Georg'y all my life 'til 1916. Den me 'n' my ol' man come t' Texas, 'n' he die' 'bout a year 'n' a ha'f ago, 'n' it look like now I ain' nebber git back home no mo'.""I got t'ree brudders. Dey's Isaiah , George , 'n' Tom , 'n' two sisters Molly 'n' Lilla . Dey all lib in d' plantation quarters.Mudder she cook an' fadder he wuk on d' farm. Marster hab a big plantation, 'n' lib in a big frame house, 'n' own jis' a whole lot 'r' slaves. I jis' 'member my gram-mudder. She was one 'r' d' slaves." "W'en I's 'bout ten year ol' I went t' wuk at Pine Wood Hotel. I hatter stan' on a box t' mek me high 'nuff, 'n' I i'oned (ironed) de' napkins 'n' towels 'n' plain line. Dey pay me five dollar a week, 'n' dey 'crease' my pay 's I git bigger. W'en I fo'teen year ol' dey mek me chamber maid 'n' gimme mo' money. I wuk dere 'til twenty-one year' ol'." "Fo' us was free marster fu'nish us tol'able good homespun clo's 'n' shoe, but 'e whip d' slaves dat wouldn' wuk, 'n' wuss 'n' all he starve 'em t' deaf (death). I heerd 'em say dat d' doctor cut open some men's stomach w'at die an' dey warn't nuffin dere but bark 'n' rosum. Dey couldn' run 'way 'cause d' patter-rollers kotch 'em 'n' beat 'em." "Ol' mistess hab a big fam'ly, but she die, 'n' Miss Martha Palmer was d' young mistess den. She lib in d' big house. Tom Clark was mudder's marster. D' w'ite folks didn' go t' chu'ch, 'n' dey didn' read d' Bible t' us. Dey didn' teach us t' read 'n' write. Mos' 'r' us didn' hab no notion den w'at all dat was. Jack Geddings was my fav'rite preacher den, 'n' he was a Baptis'.""I jis' wash 'n' i'on 'n' cook 'n' done a li'l bit 'r' mos' ebry't'ing all my life. I don' 'member w'at us done w'en us fus' freed. My daddy's brudder was kilt in d' war. Us all go t' see d' ol' battle fiel' close t' Thomasville, but I ain' nebber seed no sojers." "Pardner, go mek me some lemonade. I t'ink I faint out here in dis hot 'fo' d' iceman git here," she stopped long enough in her recital to tell the old Indian-looking man who was helping her. The old man silently obeyed, and, returning, held the pitcher while she drank. "I marry James Austin . Will Bailey , d' cullud Mef'dis' preacher be marry us. Jim was wukkin' 'n' come in from d' turpentine wuks. I was cookin' 'n' cleanin', 'n' d' preacher come t' d' house, 'n' us jis' stan' us 'n' git marry. Us didn' tek no time t' dress." "Us hab fo' chillen. Dey all dead 'cep 'n' one son in Floridy. He marry 'n' got ten head 'r' young 'uns, so he cain't he'p me. I gits a leetl' pension but la! tain't 'nuff t' git me back t' Georg'y on." "Lawsy, no! W'at dey wanter know dat fer? No, I nebber git scair 'r' no hant in all my bo'n days." "Jim he wuk in d' tuppentime wuks all he life. Dey uster pay purty good but hit went down like ebryt'ing else, den Jim tuk kidney trouble 'n' die, 'n' dat lef' me t' git 'long 's bes' I could all by myse'f." "Now, pardner, go tek d' dinner up. It's time us et sump'n," she commanded the silent old Indian man who was continually running to do her bidding without a word, unless to ask an occasional question. "Does it bodder you? asked a big fat negro woman with a hoe, "f'r me t' chop d' weed 'roun' dis yere yard?" "No, nuttin' bodder me, w'y should it?" "Boy," she exclaimed to a young darky, "you go out 'n' watch f'r dat iceman an' be sho' you git some." And so it went, they all seemed to look up to her as their general,  perhaps they get the crumbs that fall from her pension and earnings but that cannot be much.


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