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Texas Slave Narrative
Abe Bean
Standing forlornly by the dusty road on the outskirts of Woodville is a small ramshackle board house. A gourd dipper hangs on the front wall above a battered tin bucket, and through the open door may be seen an interior bright
with Sunday supplements pasted in a delightfully unsymmetrical pattern. This is the home of Abe Bean
, 84, the last of a family of slaves owned by Jim Russell
of Emmalee. Abe
is an angular person, lazy in movement, with twinkling red rimmed eyes, and a slightly arrogant manner, which he tries to subdue rather ineffectually. "I guess I was 'bout ten 'r' twel' w'en freedom come. I was bo'n at Emmalee 'n' my marster' name was Jim
Russell
. My fadder belong t' Jack Bean
'n' he name' Fiel's Bean
, 'n' my mudder' name was Sarah
." "Marse Russell
jes' been hab a li'l plantation. Eb'ry budy wear ho-mek clo's. Ol' mistus she weave d' clof' (cloth) herse'f. Dey was on'y jes' six slaves on d' place. My brudders was Fiel
' 'n' Allen
'n' Anderson
. I hab one sister name Charlotte
. Dey was a ha'f-brudder too but he belong t' d' Jonnigans
. Dey's all gone home 'n' I's d' on'lies' one dat's lef'." "Us uster lib in a box house cabin wid a ol' cap 'n' ball bedstead t' sleep in. D' bedstead was ho-make. D' pieces was mortised togedder. Us hab lots 'r' plain food t' eat but nuthin' fine. Lots 'r' d' uder slaves
uder places was plumb starve t' def' (death) do' (though)."
"W'en I's li'l in slav'ry time I uster hab t' cut up d' wood fo' d' fireplace 'n' min' d' ducks 'way from d' bee-gum. W'at a bee-gum? Dat w'at dey mek outn' plank 'n' sometime dey saw out a part 'r' a hollow log 'n' put bo'ds ober d' top. Den in honey
time dey git d' honey outn' d' bee-gum. Dem jes' mek so d' bees kin go t' hivin' in d' gums. D' ducks eat d' bees so I hatter min' dem 'way. I mos'ly carry out debilment 'n' tease my sister w'en I's li'l." "It was 'bout 13 mile' t' d' ribber from d' house we lib in. I's
so li'l I jes' kain't hardly reckilleck but dey hab a fight 'n' dey was so much smoke you couldn' see more'n' 30 feet. I don' know w'at fight dat was." "Ol' mistus hab t'ree boys in d' war. She was cryin' 'bout it. Co'se us didn' hab sense 'nuf t' know w'at she cryin'
'bout. Her boys was name Tom
'n' Hub
'n' Cub
. Two 'r' dem come back but d' under'n' didn'. Mistus ax Cub
w'er Hub
was. He say he lef' him in d' horspittle in Arkansaw. He didn' tell her no mo' but she went t' cryin' cause she knowed w'at happen." "I be hones' (honest). I's tol' we was free two year' befo' we eber got sot free. We didn' know w'at bein' free meant. My daddy atter
w'ile he come from Jack Bean
' 'n' went t' wuk 'n' buil' us a house. Mammy wuk some in d' fiel' 'n' cook 'n' wash. Atter my daddy git d' house buil' he tek us wid him." "I didn' know w'at a chu'ch was den. I's a big boy befo' I knowed dat. Dey hab a arbor in d' yard. W'en a feller git t' preachin' I
didn' know w'at t' mek. I slip off 'n' go home." "My ol' mistus she been marry t'ree time'. Us b'long t' she. Her fus' husban' was ol' man Sims. She wouldn' 'low d' oberseers t' be mean t' us niggers. W'en she fin' out d' oberseers wanter treat d' slaves bad she fire d'
oberseer. She hab one 'r' her own sister' son' fo' a oberseer one time. W'en he git mean she fire him jes' like she done d' res'. Iffen dey was any whippin' she done it. She jes' tuk a li'l tea weed 'bout like a li'l switch 'n' switch us a li'l bit wid it. She neber whip anybudy iffen she was smokin'. Iffen
us see her smokin' we say, 'She smokin'. She ain' gwinter whip nobudy 'cause she lary w'en she smokin'." "I neber seed but one fun'ral in slav'ry time. Ol' marster's boy, Jim Russell
, he die. He name atter he paw. Hub
'n' Cub
'n' Tom
, dey name was Sims
. I 'member gwinter d' winder 'n' lookin' in. He was jes' lyin' on d' lounge 'n' us t'ought he sleep. Iffen I had a knowed he dead 'n' w'at dat mean y' couldn' 'r' got me dat close t' him." "W'en I jes' 'bout ol' 'nuf t' ack a fool I git marry. I 'bout 18 year' ol' den.
My fus' wife name' Harriett. Me 'n' her sep'rate 'n' I marry ag'in. O, she rip 'n' rare 'n' cut up all d' time. She hab d' 'vantage too. I know iffen she git mad it mighty easy fo' her t' put a dose 'r' soda in my coffee 'n' nobudy know a dif'rence. I don' want nuthin' like dat. I
marry ag'in. Her name' Nancy
. I hab nine chillen altogedder but I's 'lone now." "I see t'ings. I reckon dey 's h'ants. Sometime dey like a man 'n' den sometime dey like hog 'r' cow. D' way I figger dat out, w'en you die w'er is you? You's mis'rible ain' you? W'at you been doin' w'en you lib you
gwinter do atter you dead. Iffen you good you go t' Hebben, 'n' iffen you habnt you ain' got now'ere t' go 'n' you spirit jes' go 'roun' doin' debilment. Iffen a man beleabe right he ain' neber gwinter be bodder'. I say, 'Don' bodder d' spirit 'n' d' spirit ain' gwinter bodder you. Iffen you go t' messin'
wid it you sho' gotten t' go t' wuk."
"Dey uster be a man lib up by Colmesneil. He wife die' 'n' d' people t'ink he pizen her. She uster hab a cow dat she t'ink lots 'r' 'n' she would milk d' cow 'n' ten' t' her. One time I see dat woman comin' by d' gate. I speak t' her but she ain' said
nuthin'. She go straight out t' d' cow pen. I say she come back t' see 'bout her cow. I wasn'n scare' dat time. But I ain' sayin' dey kain't scare me. Maybe dey kin." "Culled folks oughter go t' Hebben cause dey hab had some hell on earth, but seem's dey's mos'ly pintin'
down. None 'r' us folks 's wuth a hill 'r' beans outn' our place."
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