Madison Bruin

Madison Bruin , 82, spent his early days as a slave on the Curtis farm in the blue grass region of Kentucky, where he had some experience with some of the fine horses for which the state is famous. Here, too, he had certain contacts with soldiers of John Morgan , of Confederate fame. His eyes are keen and his voice mellow and low. His years have not taken a heavy toll of his vitality.

"I's a old Kentucky man. I's born in Fayette County, 'bout five miles from Lexington, right where dere lots of fine hosses. My old massa was name Jack Curtis and de old missus was Miss Addie . My mother name Mary and she die in 1863 and never did see freedom. I don't 'member my daddy a-t-11."De place was jis' a farm, 'cause dey didn't know nothin' 'bout plantations up dere in Kentucky. Dey raise corn and wheat and garlic and fast hosses. Dey used to have big hoss races and dey had big tracks and I's stood in de middle of dat big track in Lexington and watch dem ex'cise de hosses. Sometimes I got to help dem groom some dem grand hosses and dat was de big day for me. I don't 'member dem hosses names, no, suh, but I knowed one big boy hoss what won de race nearly every time. "I had two sisters name Jeanette and Fanny and a brother, Henry . and after my daddy die, my mother marries a man name Paris and I had one half-brother call Alfred Poris . Old massa was good to us and give us plenty food. He never beat us hard. He had a son what jis' one month older'n me and we run 'round and play lots. Old massa, he whip me and he own son jes' de same when we bad. He didn't whip us no more'n he ought to, though. Dey was good masses and some mean ones, and some worthless cullud folks, too. Durin' de war de cholera broke out 'mongst de people and everybody scairt dey gwine cotch it. Dey any it start with de hurtin' in de stomach and every time us hurt in de stomach, missus make us core quick to de big house. Det suit us jes' right and when dey sends Will and me to hoe or do somethin' us didn't want to do, pretty soon I say, 'Willie, I think my stomach 'ginnin to hurt. I think dis mis'ry a sign I gittin' de cholera.' Den him achy. 'Us better go to de big house like as say,' and with dat, us quit workin'. Us Cit out lots of work dat wav, but us ain't ever took de cholera yit.. Durin' de war John Morgan's man com and took all de hosses. Dey left two end Willie and me took dam to hide in de plum thicket, but us jis git out de gate when de sojers come 'gin and dey head us off and take de last two hosses. My mother she wore de Yankee flag under her dress like a petticoat when de 'federates come raidin'. Other times she wore it top de dress. When dey hears de 'federates comin' de white folks makes us bury all de gold and de silver spoons out in de garden. Old massa, he in de Yankee army. 'cause dey 'script him, but he sons, John and Joe , dey volunteers. "Old massa he never sold none of he slaves. I used to hear his and missus fussin' 'bout de niggers, 'cause some 'long to her and some to him and dey have de time keepin' dem straighten' out.  Us boys have good time playin'. Us draw de line and some git on one side and some de other. Den one sing out

"'Chickama, Chickama, oraney crow,
Went to de well to wash my too;
When I git back my chicken was gone, What time, old witch?'
"Den some boy holler out, 'One o'clock' or 'Two o'clock' or any time, and dem on one side try to cotch dem on de other side.

"When I's young I didn't mind plowin', but I didn't like to ride at fust, but dey make me larn anyhow. Course, dat white boy and me, us like most anything what not too much work. Us go down to de watermelon patch and plug den melons, den us run hide in de woods and eat watermelon. Course, dey lots of time dey 'low us to play jis' by ourselves. Us play one game where us choose sides and den sing:

'Can, can, Candio,
Old man Dandio,
How many men you got?
More'n you're able to cotch.'

"Endurin' de war us git whip many a time for playin' with shells what us find in de woods. Us heered de cannons shootin' in Lexington and lots of dem shells drap in de woods.  What did I think when I seed all dem sojers? I wants to be one, too. I didn't care what side. I jis' wants a gun and a hoss and be a sojer. John Morgan , he used to own de hemp factory in Lexington. When young massa Jine Woolford's 11th Kentucky Cavalry, dey come to de place and h'lt befo' de big house in de turnpike. Day have shotguns and blind bridles on dere hosses, not open bridle like on de race hosses. Dey jis' in reg'lar clothes but next time dey come through dey in blue uniforms. All my white folks come back from de war and didn't git kilt. Nobody ever telt me I's free. I's happy dere and never left dem till 1872. All de others gone befo' dat. but I git s all I wants and I didn't need no money. I didn't know what paper money was and one time massa's son give me a paper dime to git some souab and I didn't know what money was and I burned it up. "Dey's jis' one thing I like to do most and dat's eat. Dey allus had plenty of everything and dey had a big, wooden tray, or trough and dey put potlicker and cornbread in dat trough and set it under de big locust tree and all us li'l niggers jis' set 'round and eat and eat. Jis' eat all us wants. Den when us git full us fall over and go to sleep. Us jis' git fat and lazy. When us see dat bowl comin', dat bowl call us jis' like bangs runnin' to de trough.  "Dey was great on gingerbread and us go for dat. Dey couldn't leave it in de kitchen or de pantry so old missus git a big tin box and hide de gingerbread under her bed and kept de switch on us to keep us 'way from it. But sometime us sneak up in de bedroom and git some, even den "When I 'bout 17 I left Kentucky and goes to Indiana and white folks sends me to school to larn readin' and writin', but I got tired of dat and run off and jine de army. Dat in 1876 and dey sends me to Arizona. After dat I's at Fort Sill in what used to be Indian Territory and den at Fort Clark and Fort Davis, dat in Garfield's 'ministration, den in Fort Quitman on de Rio Grande. I's in skirmishes with de Indians on Devil's River and in de Brazos Canyon, and in de Rattlesnake Range and in de Guadalupe Mountains. De troops was de Eighth Cavalry and de Tenth Infantry. De white and de cullud folks was altogether and I have three hosses in de cavalry. De fust one plays out. de next one shot down on campaign and one was condemn. On dat campaign us have de White Mountain 'paches with us for scouts. "When I git discharge' from de army I come to Texas and work on de S.P. Railroad and I been in Texas ever since, and when I's in Dallas I got 'flicted and got de pension 'cause I been in de army. I ain't done much work in ten year.  "I gits married in San Antonio on December 14, 1882 and I marries Dolly Gross and dat her right dere. Us have de nice weddin', plenty to eat and drink. Us have only one chile, a gal, and she dead, but us 'dopt sev'ral chillen.  "Us come to Beaumont in 1903 and I works 'round Spindletop and I works for de gas people and de waterworks people. I's been a carpenter and done lots of common work wherever I could find it. "It's been long time since slavery and I's old, but me and my old lady's in good health and us manage to git 'long fairly well. Dat's 'bout all I can 'member 'bout de old times.

  Spry and vigorous, Madison Bruin came from his door with an elastic step. Tall and somewhat slender, he was clothed in clean garments, and upon his head was a close-fitting skull cap. His face is convex, his eyes keen, his voice mellow and low. His skin is light yellow and his expression and bearing, kindly and benevolent. His 82 years have not taken a heavy toll of his vitality. His early days were spent as a slave on the Curtis farm in the blue grass region of Kentucky where in early life he had experience with some of the fine horses for which that state is famous. Here, too, he had certain contacts with the soldiers of John Morgan of Confederate fame. His wife, born in 1865, to whom he was married 55 years ago, sat nearby greatly interested in the account of her spouse. "I's a ol' Kentucky man. I was bo'n in Fayette county, 'bout five miles from Lexington, right w'ere dere was lots of fine hosses. My ol' marster was name' Jack Curtis and de ol' Mistus was Miss Addie . My mother was name' Mary . She die' in 1863 and nebber did see freedom. I don' 'member my daddy 'tall. My mother was de cook on de big place." "De place was jis' a farm. Dey didn' know nuthin' 'bout big plantations up dere in Kentucky. Dey raise' co'n and wheat and garlic and fas' hosses. Dey always had plenty of milk.
 "Dey uster had big hoss races. Dey had big tracks. I's stood in de middle of de big track in Lexington and watch' 'em exercise de hosses. I was too small to ride in dem times but many is de hoss dat I help groom I had two sisters name' Jeanette and Fanny , and a brudder Henry Bruin . My father he die' and my mother marry a man name' Paris . I had one half-brudder name' Alfred Paris .  Ol' marster was good to us. He give us plenty of good food. I git plenty of whippin's but he nebber beat us hard. He had a son w'at was jis' one mont' ol'er 'n me and we uster run 'roun' and play togedder lots, and so I stay on atter freedom come. Ol' marster he whip' me and his own son jis' de same. Sometimes he put me in a sack and whip me in de sack. He done dat mo' to scare me. He didn' whip us no more'n he orter, though. Dey was some good marster and some mean ones, and some wuthless cullud people.  Durin' de war time de cholera broke out 'mongst de people and eb'rybody scared dey gwine ketch it. Dey say it start by a hurtin' in de stummick. Mistus use' to us boys eb'ry time us git to hurtin' in de stummick, to stop w'at us doin' and come up to de big house right now. Dat suit us jis' right. W'en dey sen' me and Will to hoe or do sumpin' us didn' wanter do us go out and start to wuk. Pretty soon I say, 'Willie, I t'ink my stummick 'ginnin' (beginning) to hu't ain't your stummick hu't you?' Den he say, 'It sorter feel like it hu't right dere,' and put his han's over his stummick. I say, 'I t'ink dis mis'ry am a sign I mought be gittin' cholera.' Den he say, 'Us better go to de big house like ma say,' and wid dat, us quit wukkin' den and go to de big house and we git out of dat wuk 'cause dey ain't wanted mek us wuk if us tekkin' cholera. Us git out lots of wuk dat way, but we ain't tuk de cholera yit.
"Durin de war John Morgan's men come and took de hosses. De las' two hosses dey lef' Willie and me took to hide in a plum thicket. Us jis' git out de gate w'en de sojers come. Dey head us off and stop us and tek de hosses. "My mother she wo' a Yankee flag under her dress like a petticoat w'en de Confed'rates come raidin' 'roun' de country. W'en dey hear dat de Confed'rates was comin' us w'ite folks mek de slaves bury de gol' and de silver spoons out in de gyarden. "Ol' marster he was in de Yankee army. Dey come and conscrip' him and make him go 'long wid 'em. John and Joe Curtis , dat de ol' man's sons, dey volunteer. "Ol' marster he nebber sol' none of his slaves. I uster hear ol' marster and ol' mistus fussin' 'bout de niggers. Some of dem b'long to her and some b'long to him and dey hab a time to keep dem straighten' out. "Dey uster sen' Willie and me out to cut de weeds w'at grow up 'roun' de place or sumpin'. We ain't hardly git started befo' we stop and go to fightin'. Den ol' marster mek us stop and he git out his pocket knife and mek us tek it and go and git him some willer switches. He mek you git dem long soople ones w'at wrop 'roun' your body two or t'ree time, and you sho' feel it. He say, 'Who you done start dis?'  and needer one would say, 'cause us wouldn' tell on each other. Den he say to me, 'You li'l yaller hellion, I knowed you wouldn' tell. "W'at I t'ink w'en I see all dem sojers? I want to be one, too. I didn' care w'at side. I jis' want a gun and a hoss and be a sojer. I nebber see John Morgan , do' (though). He uster own a hemp fact'ry in Lexington. De fus' sojers I ebber see was w'en young marster jine de army. He jine' Woolford's 11th Kentucky Cavalry, and dey come to de place and halt befo' de big house in de turnpike. Dey had shot-gun and blin' bridles on dey hosses. Dey uster had two kinds of bridle, blin' bridle' and open bridle'. Dey use blin' bridle on cavalry hosses and on carriage hosses, and open bridle' on de race hosses. Dat time I see dem sojers de young marsters dey jis' volunteer. Dat was befo' dey git to de camp and dey was jis' in reg'lar clo'se. Nex' time dey come froo dey was in dey blue unifo'ms and dat de fus' time I ebber see blue unifo'ms. All my white folks come back from de war and didn' git kilt."

"Dere was other games us uster play. Us play ridin' hosses. Den us uster draw a ring 'roun' on de groun'. Dey all but one git inside and he run 'roun' de ring and try to ketch dem on de inside. Dey was one dey call de ol' hen and de res' de chickens. W'en us ketch one us pull him out and de one w'at ketch him go inside, and de one w'at pull out, got to be "it." Anudder was, dey draw a line and some git on one side and some on de other. Den one would sing out: "Chickama, chickama, craney crow, Went to de well to wash my toe W'en I git back my chicken was gone, What time, ol' witch? and somebody holler out, 'One o'clock' or 'Two o'clock' or any time, and den dem on one side try to ketch dem on de other side."My ol' marster didn' hab but 'bout a dozen slaves 'cause dey jis' hab li'l farms. W'en dey want to scare a nigger in Kentucky de ol' marster say, 'Iffen you git mean I sen' you down on de ol' plantation.' Dat was a t're't (threat) 'cause de wuk was so much harder down dere."W'en I's young I didn' mind plowin', but I didn' like to ride at fus' but dey mek me l'arn how anyhow. Cose, dat w'ite boy and me, us like mos' anyt'ing w'at warn't too much wuk. Dey hab a big orchard wid plum and peaches and apples. Us got many a warmin' for shakin' de apples outer de tree w'en dey warn't ripe yet. Den us go down de watermilion patch and plug dem melon'. Dey didn' 'low us to do dat and dey hafter come and git us outer de woods 'cause us run dere and hide lots of time w'en us t'ief (thief) dem watermilion. Den us uster slip off and go fishin' w'en us sposed to be wukkin' at sumpin' else. Us bofe git up in a tree and fish out over de water so dey can't see us."Cose dey was lotser time dey 'low us to play jis' by usse'fs. Us play pitchin' hoss shoes, and marbles, den us play a game w'ere us choose sides and den sing:

'Can, can, candio, Ol' man dandio How many men you got? More'n you able to ketch.'
Den dem on one side try to ketch dem on de other side. Den us uster play 'hide de switch.' Endurin' de war us git whip' many a time for play wid shells us fin' in de woods. Us could hear de cannons shootin' in Lexington and lots of dem shells drap in de woods and dey ain't bus' and us boys play wid 'em. Us git whip' for dat 'cause de ol' folks say ain't no tellin' w'en one might bus' and kill us."
"Atter de war all my w'ite folks come back safe. Nobody ebber tell me I's free. I nebber lef' 'em 'till '72. All de others gone befo' dat, but I jis' go on jis' like I ain't nebber knowed nuttin' 'bout it. I nebber had no money. I git all I want. I didn' know w'at paper money was. One time marster's son-in-law gimme a paper dime to go git some squab on de nex' place. I ain't nebber see no paper money befo' and I didn' know w'at it was and I bu'n it up. "W'at I like to do mos' dem time? Well, dey was jis' one t'ing I like to do mos', and dat's eat. Dey allus had a-plenty of eb'ryting. All us li'l chillen like to eat. Dey didn' had no tin pans den. Dey had a big wooden tray or troff (trough). Dey uster put pot-licker and co'nbread in dat troff and set it under a big locus' tree in de yard and all us li'l niggers jis' set 'roun' and eat and eat. Jis' eat all us want. Den w'en we git full us fall over and go to sleep. Us jis' git fat and lazy. But w'en us see dat bowl comin', man, dat bowl call us jis' like hogs runnin' to a troff. I wish I had a appetite like I had den. I could eat anyt'ing  Anudder t'ing dey was great on was gingerbread. Me and Willie uster go for dat. Dey couldn't leave it in de kitchen or pantry, so ol' mistus git a big tin box and put de gingerbread in it and put it under her bed, and she kep' a switch on us to keep us 'way from it. But sometime' us sneak up in de bedroom and git some eben den. In '72, I lef' Kentucky and went to Indiana. I nebber went to school 'till I went dere. W'ite folks sen' me to school dere to l'arn to read and write, but I got tired and I run off and jine' de army. Dat was in '76. W'en I was in de army dey sen' me to Arizona. Den later on I was at Fort Sill in w'at uster be Injun Territory, and to Clark, and to Davis dat was in Garfiel's 'ministration, and to Fort Quitman on De Rio Grande. I was in skirmishes wid de Indians on Debbil's Ribber and in de Brazos Canyon, and in de Rattlesnake range, and in de Guadeloupe mountains. De troops was de 8th Cavalry and de 10th Infantry. De w'ite and de cullud folks was all togedder. I was in de cavalry and I had t'ree hosses. De fus' one played out. De nex' one was shot down on de campaign, and one of de campaigns us had W'ite Mountain Apaches wid us for scouts. "W'en I git my discharge from de army I come to Texas and wuk on de Southern Pacific Railroad. I been in Texas ebber since. W'en I was in Dallas I got 'flicted (afflicted) and got a pension 'cause I been in de army. I ain't done much wuk in ten year'.I got married in San 'Tonio on December 14, 1882. I marry Dolly Gross and dat's her right dere. Us had a nice weddin', plenty to eat and plenty to drink. Us had only one chile, a gal, and she dead, but us 'dopted seb'rel chillun. "Back in slav'ry times on Sunday I uster go 'long to chu'ch wid de w'ite folks to open de gate. Dey uster go to de Christian Chu'ch. Us uster sing on de plantation:
"Little wheels rollin' in my heart"
and,
'Steal away, steal away, steal away to my Jesus Steal away, steal away, steal away, I ain't got long to tarry.'
'Tell my mudder if she want to see me, Look on de hoss on de battlefiel Anudder one w'at dey uster like to sing was:
"Oh, you mus' be born ag'in, Oh, you mus' be born ag'in, Oh, you mus' be born ag'in Without a change you can't be saved Oh, you mus' be born ag'in.'
Den dey was others:
'I'm clim'in' Jacob's ladder Over on de other sho' Don't you hear de lam's a-cryin'? Oh, Good Shepherd, feed my sheep.' "Dere's some for Paul And some for Silas And some to mek my heart rejoice, Don't you hear de lam's a-cryin'? Oh, Good Shepherd, feed my sheep.'
'I'm a-clim'in' higher, higher On de other sho';."
"I's been in Beaumont a long time. I come here in 1903, and wu 'roun' Spindletop. I wuk for de gas company, and I wuk on de water wuks. I's been a carpenter and den I do lots of other common wuk. It'a been a long time since slav'ry. I's ol' but me and my ol lady's in good health and us manage to git 'long fairly well. Dat's 'bout all I kin 'member 'bout de ol' times."