Richard Johnson

I was born in Augusta, Georgia, June 19, 1836. My father's name was Gabriel , and my mother's name was Katherine . My master's name was Hershel Crunk . He had four sons named William , Hershel , John and Richard ; and two daughters who was Miss Norvy and Miss Becky . He didn't have a very big farm, and had eight or nine slaves. My master was good to us sometimes, and sometimes he was mean to us. He didn' whip us much. He started to sell me once, but I cried and my mother cried, and I didn' want to be took away from my mother, so he decided not to sell me. He's spoil us and then beat us. My father would run off and hide in de swamps, and my master would hire a man what had bloodhounds, and dey would find my father maybe hid up in a tree in de moss on de tree. De master would tell my father to come down, or he would shoot him out. My father would say, 'Go ahead and shoot. You be de loser'.  My master would coax him, and say he wouldn' whip him. Finally my father would come down, and de man wid de dogs he would go to whip my father, and my master would say, 'Don' you whip my nigger. I don' 'low nobody to whip my niggers. If dey do, I will whip dem'.  If de dogs ac' like dey was goin' to jump on my father, my master would tell de man wid de dogs, 'Don't you let your damn' dogs hurt my nigger, or I'll kill your dogs'.  Ol' houn's would go, 'Owoo, ow ow.'My master was in de Civil War, and he took me 'long as his servant. I was at Appomattox, and I seen General Lee and General Grant . General Grant didn't act high and mighty. He jes' rid up, an' got off his horse, and says to General Lee , 'Howdy, General.' My master was a lieutenant. We didn't raise much of anything but tobacco. I have saw slaves bein' took to be sold. Dey was necked together with chains like oxen. Dey would be dressed in dere bes' clothes so as dey would look good to de buyers. I has seen plenty of ghos's. Dey had eyes look balls of fire, and dey chased me. I shore did run. One time one jumped behind me on my horse, and put his hands on me, and dey was cold. I says, 'Mr. Ghos', what you after me for? I ain't never done nothin' to you." He says, 'I want to ride'.  And so we rid, and finally dat ghos' jes' went. One time I was up in de top of a house, and it was dark, and I started down de stairs, and de ghos's got after me. I heard 'em, and I shore did run from dere. One time I was passin' a graveyard, and some ghos's was in dere singin'. I started runnin', and one of 'em run after me, and he ketched up wid me, and he says, "Where you think you are goin', nigger?" An' I says, 'Don' know, Mr. Ghos'. I is jes' goin' 'way from here fas' as I can."' He says, "Nex' time you come 'roun' we'll run a race." I says, "Yes sir," but I thought dey ain't goin' to be no nex' time. Lots of people don't think is any ghos's, but I know dere is 'cause I seen 'em. Dey's lots of 'em. Dey wuzn' people fixed up to look like ghos's. Dey was real ghos's cause no people would look like dey did. De ghos's look white as cotton. Dere wuzn't none look black like niggers.