Sam Bush

Sam Bush , 77, 410 Cherry St., Ft. Worth, born a slave to Duddly Conners , Ellis County, Tex., who owned large plantation near Red Oak with 200 slaves including Sam's parents, three sisters, two brothers and other relatives. After emancipation the family moved to Johnson Station and farmed. Sam worked with his father till he was 21, then went to Mansfield for 5 years, thence to West Texas as a cowhand; returning to Ft. Worth in 1912 as stockyards employee. Since 1932 odd jobs have been his livelihood.

"Dis cullud person am 77. Dat am' 'cordin' to de statement of Marster Conners . Ise bo'n in 1860, one yeah befo' de wah. 'It was on de plant'tion of Marster Conners dat Ise bo'n in Ellis County neah Red Oak. All my fo'ks am owned by Conners an' some of my uncles. My mother am raised by Marster Conners . He buys her w'en she am 10 yeahs old an' my father am bought w'en he am 'bout 15 f'om Marster Sam Bush . Dat why father goes by de name of Bush 'stead of Conners . Youse see 'twas de custom to tuks de name of de Marster dat owns youse. "Twas dis a-way, some one sez to weuns, "Who's nigger are youse?", den weuns sez de marster's name. So w'en people talk 'bout de nigger deys sez, "Him am Conner's nigger, or Bush's nigger." De Marster give de furst name sich as John , Sam , an' sich. De fo'ks useter sez 'bout me, "Dat am Sam Conner's nigger." or "Sam Conners ." Dat a-way fo'ks knows Ise belong to Marster Conners. Aftah surrendah Ise draped de name Conners an' tuks de name Bush , lak father's. "Marster Conners owned big heard of niggers, 'twas over two hundred so father sez, 'course Ise too young to know de number. 'Tis sez dat Marster Conners don't know his own niggers 'cause thar whar so many. Why, him sometimes meets dem off de plant'tion an' sez to dem, "Who's nigger are youse?". 'Course deys sez, "Marster Conners nigger." Den him sez, "Why, youse am my nigger; hell, Ise don' know my own niggers." "Ise don' do much wo'k as slave. W'en surrendah comes Ise five yeahs old. Ise de errand boy, tot wautah, pick up chips, run heyah an' thar wid de message. All Ise 'membahs 'bout de wah am seein' sojers driftin' by comin' home f'om de ahmy. 'Twas de grey clothes dey wears, so it am de Confed'rates. Ise 'collect w'en freedom come by hearin' fo'ks talk 'bout it. Marster Conners don't sez anythin' 'cause him don' want to give up de slaves. Him have to be fo'ced; even den him am 'gainst some one comin' an' tuks one of de cullud fo'ks off. "Short time aftah freedom my Uncle Pete , dat lived at Johnson Station neah Arlington, come wid yoke of oxen fo' to fitch mother an' father an' weuns chilluns to Johnson Station an' Marster Conners fustted wid uncle over tukin' weuns. Marster hit uncle on de leg wid a stick. Uncle use hims head an' don' hit back, but sez: "'Tis alright Conners Ise on youse place an' knows whar Ise be; but, Ise come aftah my sis', she am a free woman. Ise am gwine to tuks her an' hers family wid me, or report to de Pres'dent's agent." Den uncle grabs mother an' puts her in de wagon. De oxen starts den an' weuns chulluns runs aftah de wagon an' so do father. Weuns catch de wagon easy 'cause de oxen am slow. W'ens weuns am a-runnin weuns could heah Marster cussin' de "Blue Bellies" but him don' stop weuns. "My fo'ks sez dat Marster Conners am not bad man befo' surrendah. 'Twarnt much whuppin's an' him wo'k de slaves reason'ble an' always have de Saturday aftahnoon off. 'Twas de losin' of de slaves dat made him mad. Ise 'membahs dat de feed am good; weuns have plenty an' 'teas de same wid de clothes. Ise never heahs my fo'ks sez deys 'spect anythin' f'om de Marster w'ens deys gets de freedom. All Ise heah 'bout sich f'om dem am dat deys am lucky to get freedom f'om him. "W'en weuns gets to Johnson Station father rents de lan' f'om Marster Buffet . Ther weuns stay till morther died; 'twas 'bout five yeahs. Den weuns moved to Marster Lee Cannon's place neah Village Creek. Thar weuns farmed an' de times am hard thar am no money. Father am shoemaker an' basket weaver, him learnt sich on Marster's plant'tion, so him make shoe fo' fo'ks an' repair dem; dat a-way weuns make it. "'Bout de trubbles niggers have aftah freedom. Weuns always get 'long good but some niggers have hard time. Dey whar igno'ant an' don' know what money am. Some of de w'ite fo'ks tuks 'vantage of dem an' thar whar Klu Kluz trubble. Sometimes de Klux 'bused de niggers and sometimes 'twas de igno'ant niggers fault. So 'twas trubble, trubble an' devilment all 'round.

"Talk 'bout knowin de value of money. 'Twas once my father sent me to de store fo' mustard an' gives me a silver dollar. Ise sez to de storeman: "Ise want dat much mustard" an' lays de dollar on de counter. Father tell me to get qua'ters worth. What Ise know 'bout qua'ter or sich? W'ite man Ise sho have some mustard. Lawd a massey 'twas mustard fo' de rest of our days. Father sez: "Boy why fo' youse gets so much mustard, Ise should make youse eat it all." "'Taint my fault", Ise sez, "why fo' de storeman give me so much fo' de qua'ter?" "Takes 'perience fo' to learnt. Aftah dat Ise have it 'plained how much am wanted an' 'bout de change an' sich. 'Twarnt long till Ise undahstand. De furst wages Ise gets Ise buys de clothes wid it an' have to tuks de Marster wid me to make de buy." "De trubble de niggers have wid de Klux am deys own fault mostest. Some of de cullud fo'ks listen to de follishment an' deys gets outter line. Dat starts de Klux an' aftah deys starts some of dem gets outter line so thar 'twas.  "Uncle Dave tells me often 'bout one time 'twas a crowd of cullud fo'ks f'om Col'in Johnson's place come to Village Creek to de dance. De cullud fo'ks am free an' have d right to be thar. All de Johnson Station niggers am good fo'ks. Marster Johnson learnt dem dat way so everythin' am all right an' thar am good ordah. All a-sudden some one looks down de road an' that am a strin' of 'guised men on hawses a-comin'. De niggers sez to uncle, "Youse do de talkin' an' weuns stand behind youse." "Uncle does de talkin' an' tells de Klux de niggers have de right thar. Den Uncle looks 'hind him an' thar am no niggers in sight. Deys am gone, outter de winder, up de chimney an' anywhar deys could hide. De Klux warnt aftah to interfer wid de dance, 'twas some pa'ticular nigger deys want but 'cause uncle talks lak de niggers ask him an' sez deys stay 'hind him de Klux gives uncle Dave a whuppin's. Deys tell Uncle if youse want to be left 'lone by de Klux stay whar yous w'ok. Uncle Dave was a good prompter at de dance an' de cullud fo'ks all wants him to come to de dance fo' to prompt dem but aftah dat him tol' dem, "No sar, youse stand to far 'hind me so Ise can' see youse w'en de Klux come."  "'Twas 'bout fouah yeahs aftah weuns moved to Marster Cannon's place w'en father died. Den all de family departed. Ise goes to Mansfield an' wo'k fo' Marster Nat Hilderbrand . Dat am a good place to wo'k, Marster Cannon's daughter tries to learnt me f'om de books to read an' to write. Marster Hilderbrand always gives me de 'structions what to does and how to conduct w'en Ise go 'mong peoples. "Yas 'twas once some people come an' want me to vote but Ise sez, "No, what fo' Ise want to vote?". Youse see Ise so ign'mus 'bout thin' Ise not what Ise vote 'bout. Dat am 'ccording to de 'structions f'om Marster Hilderbrand . Him sez 'twould lead to trubble an' Ise heahs 'bout sich too, but never see de trubble. Ise wo'k fo' Hilderbrand five yeahs at Mansfield, den him goes to West Texas an' starts a ranch. Ise go wid him an' thar wo'k fo' him many yeahs, also some tudder peoples. "Ise come to Fort Worth 'bout 25 yeahs 'go. Den Ise wo'k fo' de cattlemen in de stockyards until 'bout five yeah 'go. Aftah Ise quit de stockyards Ise wo'k at anythin' Ise could get to does. All my life f'om de time Ise go fo' myself Ise make good livin' 'cept de last five yeahs. Ise prutty short of rations sometimes. Yas sar, Ise sometimes have to spread it thin. "Hows Ise lak ranch life? 'Tis de kind of life Ise lak out in de open wo'kin' wid de cattle. Ise quit 'cause Ise gettin' too old fo' de wo'k. De ridin' was gettin' too hard. De cowboys get into devilment sometimes w'ens dey goes to town but Ise always 'membahs what Marster Hilderbrand sez, "Don' mix wid de w'ite boys in de foolishment an' don' drink if youse want to live to be old nigger." Well, Ise follow dat 'vice cause it am good. "Sometimes Ise sad 'cause Ise never mai'ied an' raised de family but w'ens Ise look at how dem youngens am a doin' Ise glad Ise not mai'ied. Ise old an' 'lone thar am no one dat belongs to me but Ise have no troublement wid de younguns. Some fo'ks sez to dis nigger, "If youse have de family deys care fo' youse in de old age." Well, look 'round see how deys care fo' de old fo'ks."