We worked every day just as long as we could see. Yessir, if we didnt work master he gives us whipping. Boss, you know how stubbering mule is, that is the way of negro slave, he gets stubbering every once in while. Then sometime the slave he get lazy and don't want to work. Master he make slave lay over log and he whip him with cat o nine tails. Yessir, everytime they sell slave they young and womans they would holler and bawl two or three days. And sometimes the master he have to whip them before they would hush their squalling. No sir, master he say slave didn't need to learn how to read and write. Say he too thick headed. Yessir we have church on another plantation. Master he make us go to church. He saddle horse and side we would march along in front of master to church. Preacher he teach us about the child that was born in the stable, but boss, I'se don't believe that negro has sole. He more like mule, they might be mule heave for all I'se know. I'se like old preacher Moses the best, cause he always laughing with us. If we ask him question he alway have answer ready. Bless his heart. I'se remember them blessed days, cause negro have better time than they do now. We carried news by pass. Master he give us pass, so the patter roller wouldn't get us, cause if patterroller gets hold of slave, they sure would give negro whipping. When we came from work, captain, we almost always fell in at the door on the ground, cause the quarters didn't have floor but only dirt, with moss pitted on the ground for our beds in one corner of the room. Our quarters only had two rooms built out of logs, with but two doors. One for the slave and one for the slave's master. He locks the door every night. Nossir, master give us every Saturday eve and Sunday for holiday. On Saturday night we have tin pan beating, banjo picking and negro dance all night. When master wakes up on Sunday he stops dance and makes negro go to church on Sunday. Master he gets doctor when slave get sick or have old black mammy to see after slave cause they were too valuable to let die, or stay sick long. Boss, if you gets this here jerarulem root and makes tea that will stops fever sickness almost any kind, then you take spices ball string them on string and tie round the neck, baby will never fret when it cutting teeth. Boss, I'se remember plenty about the war cause the north and south they splits apart. The north they wanted to free the slave but the south was stubbering they didn't want to free the slave unless the north pay them to turn the slave lose. The north and south they get in to war. Back in Kentucky where I'se born they bring all the white boy and the negro boy both in the war. I'se water and cook for the white soldiers. Boss, I'se seen them lying on the ground nearly dead holling crying, after one of them fights. They make us pick up all the dead and burn them Master he examine white soldiers that was not dead. If thought there wasnt a chance for him to get well, he take his knife and cut white soldier throat, but sometime he would shoot him, so we could pile him on fire or dig a great long ditch and pile them in it. That was terrible time all that killing for nothing. When the war was over master he call me to his door and said you black son bitch you free, but boss he hired me to work for him at $2.50 per month. Bless his sole. I work for him long time after the war. He take real good care of this old black negro. Them days was hard for negro to get work or anything to eat after the war unless master gets it for him. They wasnt plenty work to do likes they are now. It use to be so negro could get plenty work.

I'se been married once by a preacher. I'se had 10 or 12 home wifes. Before the war closed they wouldnt let me have but one after the war closed I'se marry Susie Johnson . We have great big church wedding and plenty to eat. Dancing week we did. Susie and I have 18 children and they is all living. They is all here in Madison County save one. They is all farming except that one and he went to the war boss. When he comes back he stays in the north. I havent seen him since the war was over. Boss, I have something over 200 grand children and great grand children. I plum has lost count of them. Yessir, I'se expecting the north give us home and bunch of stock so we could make living but they turned us out like bunch of cattle to starve and is most what we did. We had to beg and steal cause we got sore enough hungry. Master he told me most that I would have two stay with him year or two after the war cause the war burned all the fence and killed all his stock. He didnt have any thing left after the war except his home. Sometimes he would pay me then sometime he wouldnt. I'se shore did have hard time after the war but I'se gits by then bettern I do now except the government give me a little pension then. I'se do odd jobs around for the white folks. Yessir, the Klu Klux Klan boss, they's get negro iffen they didnt do what the white folk told them. Gosh they were plum ghost. Iffen we went to vote the KKK they gets after negro and make he leave town cause here in the south they were lots of them white ghosts. Boss, negro he could do very bad cause the KKK would get him if he did. Boss, I'se believe that we aught to be so we could vote in all the election cause the negro he have the same responsibility that the white man have. Then the negro he have become smarter and smarter more educated. Some of them have a pretty good education. Boss, two or three years after the war closed, I'se farm, that is all the life negro know, then except to clean land. Sometimes I'se worked for wages. I'se even worked for 25cents day, but I'se had more to eat then than I do now, cause everything is plum high. The ways I get by now is by my pension, cause I'se 92 years old. I'm not able to work and this here young bunch they aint no count cause they want tell the truth. They want work hard, they want do nothing but steal. They is plum smart cause they dont care nothing about the old slave negro. White he gone have to straten out dis here young bunch. They have no respect for old negro.