Alice Cole

I'se was born in Monroe, La., in 1852 and was owned by Maser Jim Henson . My father's name Joe and mother's name Lou Henson . I'se had one sister name Jerry , she was born after freedom. I'se had no brothers. I'se heard tell of my grandparents but don't remembers any of them stories told about them much. Our quarters were built pretty good, lots better than some houses I have lived in since. I'se helped Mistress with the cooking mostly cause I was hardly old enough to do very much. They had 2 sons, James and John . They were the best white children in the world. Sometimes Maser would give me a nickel or dime, but I would spend it as fast as he gave it to me for candy and things like that. Maser was a good white man but strict with the slaves. Mistress was the best white woman that ever lived. I'se married long after freedom and the dress I had on was just plain clean everyday royal dress, had no trimmings and I was barefooted. I was born in Monroe, La., in 1852, owned by Maser Jim Henson , father's name Joe and mother's name Lou Henson . We was named after our white people as that is the name we went by after freedom. I'se had no brothers and I'se had one sister, Jerry , born after freedom. Our quarters they were pretty good, better than lots of houses that I have lived in since. It was just a long shed like, with stalls and the door opened on the south, it was built out of plank and covered with boards that my father and the other slaves hewed out by hand with a pocket knife. Yes it was real dry and warm in there if the weather was not too cold. If it was real cold we built us a great big fire out in the open and all gathered around it to keep warm. Our beds they were built in one corner of our quarters, a forked pole drive in the ground and poles lay in that fork with the other end fastened to the wall of our quarters and then we stretched cowhides over these poles to place the moss, shucks and things that we made our beds out of. We had quilts to cover over with, yes we slept real warm all the time don't care how cold the weather would get outside.

Well no sir, I'se heard tell of my grandparents but I'se do not remembers any of them stories told me about them much except they were captured over in Africa their native land and brought to this country and sold into slavery when they was long about middle age. The people that went from here to capture us would get all young people if they could. They would not capture real old negro woman or man, they said that we was just wild over there and if we seen a white man that we would run and they would scare us half to death and we were just about like our cattle are here. Our men, they had just as many women as they wanted, they sometimes had as many as 100 women and one negro man, had sometimes over 1000 children. We depended on what growed there in the jungles for our living. Son there was not much work that I done in slavery days except chop cotton and hoe corn. My Mistress she had me helping her do right smart cooking cause I was not hardly old enough to do so much work, course they keeps me busy doing the kind of work that I could. Well maser he would sometimes give me a nickel or dime and I would spend it fast as he gave it to me for candy and things like that. Our food was the best in the world. In those days we gathered corn fresh from the field, grated it by hand, mixed it with water and salt and cooked it in great big open skillet on the fireplace in plenty of good old hog lard. We had meats of all kinds. Yes sir, we had possum, rabbits and fish, that was my favorite dish. I'se could eat fish every day in the week and would never get tired of them. No sir, the slaves did not have there own gardens, but Maser he always planted a large garden and he gave the slaves what he wanted them to have to eat. Well son, in hot weather we had royal dresses made out of just plain cotton and sometimes we used poke root berries to die them a dark color. In cold weather we always had good woolen clothes to keep us warm and on Sunday we had just plain white royal dresses and they must be real clean. Yes we had work shoes regular old brogans and you could never wear them out. One pair would last us more than a year in every day wear. The dress that I married in long after freedom, why son it was just plain clean every day royal dress, no trimming and I'se bare-footed when I'se married. Well my Maser he was real good to his black people bless his soul, even if he is in old mother earth now - and Oh son, he was real strict with his slaves. If he told them he was going to do something that was what he done, no matter who it hurt. Mistress she was one of the best white women that ever lived, and she was always patient with us, never got in too big a hurry to stop and show us in the place of boiling us out real good.

Maser and Mistress had 2 sons, James and John . They was the best white children in the world, and I'se played with them. They were not rough with us poor negro slave children. I'se never did see them get into anything they ought not to have been in at all, no sir.
 Maser, he never had no overseer, said they cost him more than they was worth. He done all that himself. Yes sir, he did have a big plantation something over a 100 acres and near about 40 slaves. Well sir, Maser he woke the slaves every morning about 4:30 o'clock with a large bell that hung just out side his door. Well son, we worked every day just long as we could see how, in other words just as long every day as it was light enough for us to see how to work.
 Well child we was whipped if we were stubborn, lazy or did not do our work right, or if we tried to sass any of our white people. Child, I'se don't believes I'se ever seen one that was whipped or punished in no way. No sir, I don't think they was any jail there on the plantation for the slaves. Maser he got along some way with all his slaves without abusing them. Yes I'se seen one or two slaves sold after Maser got the highest bid he could on a slave. The highest bidder was the man that got the slave, then the fun it would come. Of course all the taking on, bawling and hollering and things like that it would take place. Of course the slaves they would never expect to see that poor slave no more cause the most of the time the man that would buy a slave he carried him or her clear out of the country to where he could not be wanting to come back to see his people. That was the reason they would move them so far when they bought one, so he could not come home whenever he wanted to and then he would get use to his new home and his new Maser. Well son if they was a bunch of us to travel we traveled about like you have seen them drive cattle, put us in a bunch and our Maser he would ride a horse on behind us so'es he could direct the way he wanted us to go, but if there was not more than one or two of us they would let us ride horse-back to where we was going, but it was not often that we got to ride to where we were going cause they would more than likely make us travel all together. No sir, I'se don't members of ever seeing one of us slaves in chains, cause I reckon I was young when slavery ended, and them things were lots different with the negro. No sir, they did not learn us how to read and write but I'se watched their two boys learning there on their old slate and I'se learned enough to read and write my name. I would'nt butt in and them boys what lots things were when they was learning to read and write. But my Maser or Mistress they would never fool with us negro slaves in that way. Well no sir, the slaves did not have a church of their own but the white folks did, and they always had a place fixed there for us, and we went to church there every time our white people did, though that church was different from these here. Father was called to preach but we could not bery well understand what he meant lots of times. No we could not read the Bible as they were not any slaves that could read. We had there in those days regular old time camp meetings where they lasted a month or more and we slaves were allowed to take part. We all shouted and everyone had a real old time religious meeting. My favorite preacher son, I'se do not exactly remembers as they were so many preachers that I liked nearly all them. Son I like the old song we use to sing and I'se still likes it, but you'se do not hear it sang very often, "Tis The Old Time Religion," it was good for our fathers and its good enough for me, yes sir son, I'se sure likes that good old time song. If we would practice what it teaches now we would be lots better off than we are now son. Well sir, after that meeting was over they would be several for baptising and we all gathered on the creek at nearest big hole of water. The white people first, then the negroes as they would be a big bunch of both colors. They would baptise the negroes. I'se members one time they were baptising the negroes and there was a real old negro woman and when the preacher carried her down into the water she began to shout and Oh Me, she came mighty near drowning cause that preacher could not baptise her and he could not get her out of the water without some help, because she just shouted, jumped, hollered and got plum loose from the preacher and he had to call on help to carry her out of the water. When they did get her out of the water they turned her over on her stomach and that preacher got right on her back with his knees and begin to mash the water out of her.

Child, it looked to me like they was a water bucket full run out of her mouth and that preacher he never would try baptising slave women anymore, and I'se don't believe she ever was baptized, they were afraid to carry her down in the water. I'se don't members any funerals or songs back there during slavery time. Well son, I'se don't believes I'se ever heard of any slaves running off and trying to go to the north because they were afraid to try as they knew them there patterrollers would get them and all the negroes were afraid of the patterrollers. Well the only way that we could carry news from one plantation to another was for our Maser to give us a pass cause we dared not be caught off our plantation without a pass and what them patterrollers done to us was a plenty if they should catch us prowling around without a pass. The first time the patterrollers would get hold of a slave it meant 39 licks with what they called the cat-o-nine tails was a long platted rawhide whip, 5 feet long and then on the end of that they had about nine switches, one and a half feet long and believe me when they would hit a negro with that on the naked hide it just almost ruined him. We just mostly fell in at the door and onto our bed cause we would be almost worked down. Believe me son they sure did work the slaves, they did'nt have very much mercy on the poor old slaves in that way. These days son I'se seen men that drives mules to the plow or wagon and dragging along whip behind them and every time they would slow down or stop, they would shower down on the poor old mules and that reminded me of slavery days, cause every time we slowed down or stopped to get our breath - down on us came that old whip, it did not make any difference how tired or how near give out we would be

No sir, Maser would not work us on Saturdays unless he got in a real tight with his crop, most of the time he would let us have Saturday to rest and clean up so we could be ready for the banjo picking, tin pan beating that would begin on Saturday night for the negro dance, he knew we would have to have some fun to go along with slavery. We generally danced all night long. Maser would sometimes come out and watch us awhile to see that we were not doing anything that we ought not to be doing and that they were not any negroes there that ought not to be there as he would look at all visiting negroes' pass then he would go on back to the house and turn it over to us. After he left we generally had a real good time until Sunday morning and Maser would come and run us to our quarters and to bed as that was what we done on Sunday, lay around and slept till dinner and after we had our dinner would go to the creek swimming, then come home so we could get a good night rest cause the next day would be old blue Monday work again. On Christmas we sure had a good time cause Maser would get us plenty of fireworks and all us negroes we gathered with the white children to shoot off those fireworks and have a real good time and lots of fun. Then at dinner Mistress had a good Christmas dinner cooked and Maser he gave us a real on that day, nearly anything that a person could want to eat. No sir, Maser he did not make us work on New Years Day, but he would not let a woman come in his house on that day until they was a man come in first, said it meant he would have hard luck all that year and the evil spirits would be working against him. Well son, these here holidays that I'se already told you about is all I'se knew anything about back there during slavery time. Yes Maser he gave us corn-shucking days in the wintertime when it was bad weather, and he could feed the shucks to his cows and he would not be bothered shucking his corn when he went to feed it or make meal out of it, and son I'se never did see a weavel in it there in those early days. Well son, when our white folks had dances some of the negroes they played the music and the other slaves took care of the young people's horses and oxens while the negro girls they waited on the girls taking care of their hats, coats and so on like that. We always tried to make ourself useful on them occasions if we did'nt, our Maser he would have takened care of us the next day, we knew what to do without being told. I'se don't members any death or wedding among Maser's folks back during slavery time and we never had no deaths among the slaves, but I'se members one or two weddings there. Well they would have to ask Maser if theys could marry and if he gave consent sometime they would beg Maser to get them a preacher, but the most of the time he would tell them that his consent was all they needed to get married that was what they called a home wedding and the rest of us negroes would sure have our fun cause at the wedding Maser would turn us aloose and let us have our fun out of the newly weds. We would ride them around on a rail and set them down blind-folded in a tub of water. We would in no wise let them be together that night. What we done to them was a plenty, cause we would handle them pretty rough and they would know they were married when we got through with them that night. Our games we played was the white childrens' games and they were such as: wolf-over-the-river, hide-and-seek, see-saw and ball games. We use to unravel the legs off old socks that was wore out and make us balls out of them. Then we had our grapevine swing, we would swing on that sometimes all day long at a time. We would sometimes get a leg or arm broke but that would not keep us from playing that way eve if we got ourself bunged up pretty bad. No sir, it has been so long I cannot members any of those old songs we use to play when we were children. Yes sir, we use to have several riddles and charms too that we played on our Maser to keep him from being rough or mean to us. One charms we played on him was to tie a rabbit's foot around our neck and wear it. That was a charm and as long as we wore it around our neck it would charm our Maser and bring us good luck. Then if we could get our hands on some old worn out horse-shoe and could place it over our Maser's front door where he would have to walk under it every time he went in and out his door, and he did'nt know that we had put it there, it would charm him and he would be real good to his negro slaves yes sir. I'se still believes in them old good luck charms yet son. I'se don't knows what it is about them that will give you good luck, but they sure will every time. Child I'se never heard of bloody-bones or raw-head, I'se don't knows what you are talking about. Yes sir, I'se believes in ghosts cause I'se seen one once when I'se riding by a graveyard on horseback; first thing I'se knew my horse he rared right straight up and wheels around with me and starts back the wrong way with me, then I'se looks and I'se seen what he did - was something white got up out there in that graveyard and it gets away just about as fast as it comes and it never made no racket or did it say one word to me, but I'se sure couldn't get that horse to go by that graveyard, so'es I did'nt care about going by myself and I'se go 5 or 6 miles around it. Son when I'se gets home they tells me that I is just as white as you are right now, but child! that was all the ghost I'se ever seen and I'se don't wants to ever see another one, no sir. Well yes sir, one time I'se heard a woman scream, but it happened not be a woman. The next thing I'se heard was a hog squeal, my man he grabs a light and gun and runs out there to the hog-pen, but he was too late. He just had 2 hogs in the pen and that panther cut both their throats so'es we had to build a fire around the pot and clean them 2 hogs that night when we was not ready to kill them, no sir. After we put that meat up to dry there in our kitchen that thing it came there several nights after that and it looked like it was going to get our door down in spite of all we could do, and so finally my man he gits up enough nerve to shoot it through the door and it went nearly a mile before it died. We sure was glad to be rid of that thing cause you'se knows we sure were afraid of it, as it cut them hogs throats just like if you had took a knife, and cut their throats.

No sir, I'se do not knows any of those old work songs back there in slavery, no sir, or any old plantation hollers, no sir, I'se don't members anything funny that ever happened to me. Son I'se already told you about the only ghost I'se ever seen . Well yes sir, we had the very best of care taken of us when we was slaves and got sick. Old negro mama she would gather her gunny sack and to the woods she went to gather herbs when we begins to ailing. She got herbs such as: cami weed, privet roots, mayflower root and peach tree leaves. She just put them all together and boiled them down to a thick syrup and gave that syrup to us for chills, malaria, typhoid fever and all these kind of ailments. If we did'nt get well they was something wrong. Maser then would go get the white doctor for us cause we were too valuable to let die. If we took a cold, mama she would get the turpentine out of pine trees, pure bee honey and onions and make us a cough and cold syrup and give to us. Well son we wore all kinds of things around our necks to give us luck and to keep off all kinds of ailments such as: fever, chills and malaria. We wore spices or assafoetida around our necks nearly all the time. Well son them there old-time remedies would come near getting you well than all them pills that the white doctor would give us. Maser took real good care of us, but now the poor old negro he has to take care of himself. He has no one to feed and give him real good doctors care like we had back there in slavery days. Give me them good old slavery days to all this here freedom, cause we never wanted for nothing then, but now we wants all the time and never gets nothing. We can just keep wanting for all they care about us cause we had good and bad Masers. I'se don't members so very much about that war, cause I'se never seen or heard any of that fighting. I'se knows that Maser was a terrible looking white man when he come home from that war. He had a heavy beard over his face, and his hair was nearly long enough to fix up, his clothes they were nearly tore off his body and what they were left of them they were bloody and stiff. He was wounded twice, one time in the leg and the other time in the side, but not enough to kill him. Maser he was poor, his face was pale and looked like death. Son that poor man was sick a year after he came home from the war, and we all cried cause we sure did love our Maser. All he said to us was: Well you negroes are free, and throwed us 20 cents around, but there was not a negro that left Maser cause we all knew that he would keep us and let us stay there with him if we were free, cause all us negroes knew that we did not have anywhere else to go so that we could have a home and place to work and try to make a living. Sure enough when Maser got kind of rested up he asked us what we wanted to do. We all said at one time that we wanted to stay there with him if he would let us, so he said well, we were free and could do just what we wanted to as he could not force us to stay, but if we wanted to stay and work for him that we could still live on there in the quarters and he would pay us $2.00 per month. That was all he said he could pay and we could grow nearly all our living there on the farm and that $2.00 could help keep our clothes and pay our medicine bills. He gave all of us a few chickens and a pig apiece to raise our meat and that was the way we lived several years after the war. We was doing all right working there for Maser, and he had to go and die, and his place changed hands. Some more white people got hold of the farm and we had to move. Child! that is all we have been doing ever since and we never have found another white man that has been good to us like our Maser was, no sir, and we never will long as we live.

Well, son, I'se married to Clarence Cole soon after the war. We went on foot 30 miles to be married by a preacher. It took a whole week to come and go from our wedding. We slept out just where night overtook us and when we got back there was a big crowd of negroes waiting there for us, but you'se knows they did not bother us much. Course we was tired and wore out, but they never bothered us but one night after all that night celebrating was over they went on and let us alone. We had 7 children, 4 boys and 3 girls, but one child died when small. The children are all farming except one girl, she works in a hotel in Shreveport, Louisiana. I'se had 19 grandchildren and one great grandchild. I'se don't know as I'se expected anything from freedom. No sir, I'se did not expect any land or mules; don't knows as I've ever give freedom a thought cause I'se didn't know but what freedom would be any different from slavery. I didn't see any way that it could be different from what we was doing or living cause you knows son that I'se never tasted freedom until Maser told us we was just as free as he was then we asked him if we could go and come without asking him and he said that was exactly what he meant, that he in no way had any string on us now. We could hardly go anywhere for a long time after freedom without first asking our Maser. If we did go without asking him we was scared all the time or would be looking for the patter roller to come and get us cause you'se knows we did not have any pass. Of course, son, we finally got use to coming and going without asking Maser or him giving us a pass so'es the patter rollers would not get the poor old negro.

No sir, son, I'se did not expect them to give me a part of Maser's land, and so there was not any of the land divided between us. All I'se can say that we gets out of freedom was freedom cause I'se sure did not expect nothing else, therefore, when I'se did not get anything but what my Maser gave me I'se was not disappointed. Course he gave me more than what I'se expected out of freedom some chickens, a pig. No sir, I'se did not expect any plantation to be divided, and there was not that I'se ever knew anything about. Maser gave me 25 cents the morning he called us and told me that I was free. Of course in them days we could buy lots with a little money. We could buy as much then with 25 cents as we can buy now with $5.00, things were cheap then. No sir, Maser did not force us to stay on as servants. He said he had rather we would get some work somewhere else and stay rather than to let the people think he was forcing us to stay as servants. We would not hear to it cause we knew that Maser would be good to us and pay us every cent he owed us. That is more than we can say for other white people that we have worked for cause after Maser died other people that we worked for did not pay us half what we made. Sometimes we would work for a good man and he would pay us, but then we would work for other people and they would not pay us at all. It made made them mad if we ever asked them for our pay. Lord! child! it sure was hard on the poor old negro, and especially after our Maser died cause then we did not have anyone that cared how we fared or if we went hungry, for all they cared. Child, I'se done most anything I could get to do such as farm work, cutting wood, washing for other people to get bread and beans for feeding us as that was about all we had to live on then and some- times we went 2 and 3 days without a bite to eat. Child! when we did work our wages were so low we could hardly get by on it, and buy us enough clothes to hide ourselves. It was a shame the way I'se worked all day long for no more than 10 cents a days, and you know child that the poor old negro he could hardly live on these low wages. If we got to have one meal a day we were a lucky bunch of negroes at that cause most of the negroes here in the south as a general run did not get that during reconstruction days. These days have been awful here on the poor old negro that was turned loose here in a new country without anything, no education or training and no way of making a living. Everything here in this new country has been in favor of the white man and not the negro and we have labored here under a handicap every since we were set free or supposed to be freed, but in place of the negroes being set free this here government took us out from under slavery and made peons out of us and also the poor white people. The negroes would have been better off under slavery than the way they did do us or if they were going to free us they ought to have sent us back to our native land to where we could have some say in what the government did to us. Anyway if things had not suited us we could have fought our own remedy out there among our own race and color. There is no use talking that way now, we is here and got to do like our white people tells us to do so'es I guess the negroes have got along pretty well considering the way we had to live and work. We began to educate our young people and train them for all kinds of jobs.

Yes the KKK they is here to make us negroes do right, I'se don't know what us poor negroes would have done without them cause they is all the protection we had back in the early days. As I'se see it I believes the KKK had more to do with our race of people becoming settled and stable than anything else that ever came along here came along here in this old country of ours. If we were trying to do right they would help us, but if we did'nt want to do right then they was another time to be sorry as they were sure to whip, tar and feather us and put us back in our place, so'es I gives them credit for what the negro race are now today. No sir, child, I'se never tried to vote. Yes sir, I'se had friends that have held office but that's no reason I'se ever wanted to vote. Yes I do believes we should have more privileges of voting here in the south, as we are supposed to be Americans and we should have just as much right to vote as the white people have. Yes they tax us and make our boys fight in time of war, but they will not let them vote only in one election. We do not have any say in who holds office. I'se don't think that is right, do you? Every other color or race of people has the same right here that the white people has and they was not captured and brought here in this country against their will like we was. Don't suppose if we had not been captured and brought here they would not be any negroes here in this country, mighty few, if they were any. But, is no use this old negro talking that way cause I'se had white men to tell me that we had a curse sent on us one time when Noah's son laughed at his father cause he was drunk and naked, all his children from that day on would be black and be servant of servants to the white man. Well son, I'se done most anything I'se could get to do, such as, farm work that is about all I'se ever done except washing. I'se washed for our white people and they would pay me to do that. No sir, child! I'se never done any other kind of work and would not know how to do anything else except farm work. Yes, the government gives me some pension but it won't hardly keep me up and I still works some for the white people when I'se can get to work. Well, these here young people they are all right if they would tell the truth. They has become pretty well educated. You hardly see a young negro that cannot read and write and most of them can hold pretty good jobs. Course I'se knows these times are hard but that is no sign the negro has not got to tell the truth. If the government had not fed them here for awhile I'se don't knows what the negroes would have done because they were in a bad fix and still are, but thanks to our President. He is trying to cure all these troubles and he would be all right if they would try to help him, but they won't so'es he cannot cure it by himself. The worst thing about our young folks they don't think they have to work anymore, but child! man cannot live unless he works.