Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Charley Johnson

I was borned 'bout 1850, on July 15th, so de w'ite folks allers say. Mammy was Lizzie Johnson and Daddy was Sam Johnson . I was borned at Fort Bend, b'tween Houston an' Galvez. Marster was Kleavis Johnson . He brung us to Waco three years atter de surrender in de Freedom War. Marse seeked a place on de Bosque ribber fer dem to lib case dey didn't hab no place to lib. He gived all he ol'est slaves a home; some was in Waco and one ob dese slaves was ole man Edmond Robertson . He gibed 'em two acres ob ground an' a house down on First Street in Waco, near de ole First Street Grabeyard. All he did fer my daddy was to help daddy to find work an' to help us to find work. He allers helped us to git food an' clothes w'en dey git short an' he hoped us git a doctor an' medicine w'en one ob us git sick. None ob us could read or write 'till atter freedom; mos' ob us larn to read an' write den. I went to school two years in Waco. Daddy nebber owned no home; he allers wukked on de havvers on a fa'am. Dad had me an' my brudder, Levi , dat's daid now.

Me an' my wife fa'amed. I married Mary Decker . Us had fo'teen chillun. Dey ain't but eleven ob em livin' now. Dar was seben boys an' seben girls. I gits married in a black suit an' Mary was all dressed up in w'ite by de w'ite folks. Us was married at home out on a fa'am by de minister. Oh, dar was a big supper an' er dance lak all de folks hab in dem days. Us danced de night out. Bof' ob us could shake a libely leg in dem days. I'ze uset ter be a boss caller an' called many a night all night long an' ride twelve er fifteen miles home, feed, eat, an' plow all day 'till sundown. Dis here am one ob de songs dat uset to be pow'ful poplar wid de young folks in dem parties: Froggie went a-co'tin, he did ride, Mmn-huh, mmn-huh. Froggie went a-co'tin', he did ride, Froggie went a-co'tin', he did ride, Mmn-huh, mmn-huh. He rode up to Miss Mousies' door, Just as he had done befo', Mmn-huh, mmn-huh. He rode up to Miss Mousies' den, An' said 'Lady Mouse, is you within'? Mmn-huh, mmn-huh. Oh yes, kind sir, I sit an' spin' Jus' raise de latch an' walk right in. Mmn-huh, mmn-huh. He tuk Lady Mouse upon he knee, An' he say, 'Lady Mouse, will yo' marry me? Mmn-huh, mmn-huh. At length Uncle Rattie he came home, An' say 'Who's bin har sence I've bin gone? Mmn-huh, mmn-huh. Oh, a nice young jemman drest in blue, An' asks consent to marry me. Mmn-huh. mmn-huh. Uncle Rat laffed 'til he shook he fat side, To think his niece might be a bride. Mmn-huh, mmn-huh. But whar shall de weddin' supper be? Way down yon'er in er hollow tree. Mmn-huh, mmn-huh. De furst dat come was a bumble bee, Carryin' er fiddle upon he knee. Mmn-huh, mmn-huh. De nex' dat come was a big black bug, On he back was er whiskey jug. Mmn-huh, mmn-huh. Bread an' butter lay on de shelf, Ef yo' want eny mo' you' kin sing hit yo'self. Mmn-huh, mmn-huh.

Dey plowed wid oxen in dem days. Daddy had a yoke ob oxen. I hoped ter make de brick dat made de ole Suspension Bridge har at Waco at de foot ob Bridge Street. Ole Marster Sally Mann owned de brick yard. Dar was er ferry boat dat folkses crost de Brazos Ribber on in dem times. Hit was Marster J. K. Harrison what was de big boss on dis makin' ob de bridge; he had four sons dat hoped him. He is de oldest brick mason in Waco now. Gobernor Ross owned de ferry den. Right atter de freedom war, dar was cullud policemen an' cullud deppity sheriffs right har in Waco. De high sheriff was a w'ite man. Joe Williams was accidentally killed wid he own gun. In dem times, Austin Street jus' went to about whar Seventh Street is now. All out whar North and West Waco am now, dar was plenty ob 'possum, coons, deer, an' wild turkey to be found. De groun' was all kivvered wid high grass an' sage bruck an' sech. De Injuns was camped on de Brazos banks an' dey libed in caves in de banks ob de ribber what dey had dug dar an' in tents. Dey had deir camp on de west bank ob de Brazos about whar Webster Street goes to de ribber now. Seberal years atter us come to Waco, de Injuns git to steal so bad dat de w'ite folks run 'em off an' wouldn't let 'em libe here no more. Dar was a tradin' house whar de Injuns an' de w'ite folks traded; hit was out east of Waco on what dey call Tradin' House Creek. A man name Barnard run hit; soon atter us come to Waco, Barnard sold dis to Marster Alf Neal an' he made a fa'am outten it. De Neal Fambly still own hit. Atter my fambly come on an' I 'gins ter feel 'sponsibility,

I jined de church an' quit my dancin' an' singin' eroun'. I felt called ter preach an' I'ze bin a preacher an' a member of de Seventh Street Christian Church fer fifty-five years. Cose dey ain't bin a church right dar all dat years, but dar's bin one some whar in Waco all dis time. One time w'en us was er libin' on a fa'am near Waco an' er wukkin' hard, one ebenin' 'bout sundown, some Gypsies stopped at our place an' dey want somethin' ter eat an' water fer themselves an' deir team. As us went to de well, de olest Gypsy turned an' looked all aroun' an' den she say ter me, 'Uncle, you walk right ober er fortune an' do hit ebery time you come eroun' dat corner. Dar's money enough buried at dat ole log house corner to keep you as rich man all de res' ob your days. She say dar's a brass kettle 'bout two feet down in de eairth an' on down 'bout four feet fudder dar's two more kettles an' all dese am full ob money dat train robbers done buried seberal years ergo. Sh' 'nuff' w'en I gits ter askin' eroun' de nex' day atter de Gypsies done gwine erway, de folks tell me dat de H & T C was robberd an' de robbers did stop at dat log house what I'ze er libin' in an' spen' de night dar. An dat dey had got er lot ob money offen de train. Dey say dat de robbers git clean erway, an' dat folks allers say f'om dat day to dis dat dey buried de stolen money close to whar de train was robbed. De Railroad tracks run 'bout a quarter ob er mile f'om dis house. Well, de funny thing erbout all dis am dat on ebery rainy night jes' w'en hit gittin' good dark, some ob us wud see a light through de smoke house door. De smoke house was er log house wid a dirt floor an' hit was jes' outside ob de kitchen door ob de log house dat us libed in. One night, right atter dark us had finished eatin' an' got de chores done an' was jes' 'bout ready fer de younges' chillun to git ter bed, w'en my wife sont one ob de little girls 'bout ten years ole to throw some water outten de kitchen door. She opened de door an' screamed; she threw pan an' all outer de door an' run an' crawl on me jes' er screechin'. I asket her w'at was de matter; an' she jes' scream 'Dey in de smoke house I seed 'em.' Well, hit was a rainin' a slow rain an' I looked through de kitchen door. Sho' 'nuff' dar was er light in de smoke house jes' ez plain ez de one in de house. I thought dat hit was some tramp dat had got de door unfastened an' was in dar. Us had meat an' sech lak in dar an' I didn't aim fer no tramp ter steal what us had ter eat. So I gits er lantern, an' out I goes. W'en I git ter de smoke house de door fastened jes' lak I allers fasen' hit. I yells fer dem ter come outten er day's gwine git hurt. Noboddy come. An' I open dat door an' look eroun' but not er thing could I see. De light ain' nowhar. I went back ter de kitchen an' in de door I turns eroun' an' dar's dat light ergin'. But I ain' gwine go dar no more. I went in de house an' atter erwhile, my wife went ter de door an' she scream an' I went ter look out de door in de rain an' dar stood er man jes' ez plain ez you is. I gits my ole lantern an' out I goes in de rain, I took er step er two an' dat man don' move; I holds de lantern up ter look in he face ter see effen I kin tell who dar an' dat light show clear thru him jes' see de logs ob de smoke house wall right through him. I drops dat lantern an' I ain' gwine back outters doors no mo' dat night an' no more night what us libed dar. An' dat wuzn't long. No'm don' know effen dat was er ghos' er not, but dat's what I seen 'fore de Lawd. An' I ain' munkeyin' roun' dat place no mo'. Dat was de onles' time us seed enythin' on dat place. I think atter dem Gypsies bin dar, an' fus' one an' tother talk ob diggin' eround' dar, an' de ghos' ob dat robber he come ter see 'bout de money he done buried dar. Now, he kin hab dat money an' somebody else kin lib dar, I ain' needed nowhar dar.

I don' know noddin' 'bout my mudder or my fadder's folks an' don' 'member dar names. In slavery times all de niggers was mos'ly called jes' Mary or John an' didn't bodder 'bout no odder names. Jes' say dey's John Barnes ' niggers er something lak dat. I nebber seed no jail fer slaves an' I nebber was in no jail 'cep' ter pray ober some one dat git heself in jail. Dar was er black man hung fer killing a cullud woman, Lucinda Edwards down on Waco Creek. I went an' prayed wid him, 'fore dey hung him. In de early days, dar allers had ter be a what de w'ite man call er money crop. Long 'fore dey did much fa'amin' 'roun' Waco, dar was fine grazin' land west ob town an' dey raised beef cattle an' driv hit up de Chisholm Trail ter Kansas an' sold hit. Some ob de slaves was trained ter be good cowboys as dey call de ones dat tend ter de cattle on de range. Everybody had crops of feed stuff a few cattle an' sold dese cattle ter de bigger cattle men w'en de drive ter Kansas started. I'ze bin ober de trail ter Kansas wid de cattle seberal times. In dose days de cattle was raised on de open range; dat's what dey called de open prairie, covered wid high grass an' not er fence nowhar. W'en de grass git low, dey'd move de cattle fudder north an' so, up de trail, grazin' dem erlong an' movin' ter de market. Dar was thousan's ob acres ob rank grass all erlong de way ter Kansas. What dey call de "Forney hay," cut an' baled up eroun' Forney, Texas, was sent up to St. Louis an' Chicago an' sold fer feed. Hit sold right well. Some de fa'amers up roun' Forney made money offen hit. Den atter erwhile, dey git ter fencin' up de range an' er puttin' de big herds ob cattle under fence. Dat was mos' ob hit sta'ated w'en dey 'gin ter make de bobwire fence. Long in der spring, de folks 'ud roun' up deir bes' beef cattle, buy all dey could an' git ready ter hit de trail north. 'Bout de neares' railway point was in Kansas. An' de buyers 'ud come down dar from Chicago er odder places an' buy de cattle. Den some ob de rich w'ite men 'ud drive deir cattle up fur ez Kansas, an' den rent dem some freight cars an' put deir own men in charge an' send deir cattle on to de cities. 'Twas long erbout 1867 'fore de railroad git west fur ez Abilene, Kansas. Den er little later, de railroad git on ter Lebenworth an' Dodge City an' den dese places was whar dey loaded de big herds ob beef cattle dat was driv up de trails f'om Texas befo' an' right atter de Freedom War. W'en de w'ite jenmans come home f'om de war an' foun' all dey property gone an' noddin' dey kin do, dey had lots ob lan' an' dem dat didn't, had de free grass so dey 'gin ter raise de beef cattle, an' some dat didn't hav so meny cattle, dey was de trail drivers. Den men had ter be sma't ter meet dust storms, robbers an' wild Injuns an' er dozen odder things on de trail. Some de trail dribers had fit at Goliad an' de Mexicans in jeneril. I reckon dat de mos' cattle was driv outten Texas between 1867 an' 'bout 1894 or 1895. Dar mus' er bin mo' dan three hunn'erd thousand cattle went ober de trails in er year. De cattle buizness not only brung money to Texas but hit brung settlers. Even folks in England across de waters bought land in Texas an' had boss men ober here ter raise cattle fer dem an' dribe dem ter Kansas. Dat got so bad dat de legislater down at Austin made a law ergin' eny boddy dat don' own no land in Texas er raisin' cattle an' shippin' em, dey got ter come here an' be a reg'lar votin' citizen lak all ob us.

De hailstorms an' blizzards was sho' bad on de folks on de trail. An' dar wuzn't no roads an' no bridges in dem days, so effen dar be much rain, de ribber bottom 'ud git so muddy an' de wagons an' eben de cattle 'ud git all bogged down an' some de cattle die. Dar was de wild cattle too, dat 'ud cause er stampede. Dem stampedes was sho' dangerous kase de cattle 'ud tromp men an' hosses ter death effen dey couldn't git out ob de way. Den dar was de Injuns dat 'ud skare de cattle ter git dem ter scatter so dat dey could steal some, an' dat 'ud cause er stampede. Some w'ite men was jes' nacherly bad an' dey'd do enything ter git ter run off some ob de cattle so dey could steal 'em. De Injuns an' de w'ite cattle thieves didn't no more mind ter kill a pusson an' git deir cattle, hosses, wagon an' outfit dan dey did ter kill a bird. Jes' enything unusual 'ud start a stampede, either sight or smell. De cowboys allers sang as dey rode de trail an' 'specially w'en de herd was er restin', dis kep' de cattle quiet. Den too, de cattle dey git uset to de cowboys' voices dat wukked wid 'em all de time; an' de special hosses dat dey uset in wukkin' de cattle, de cattle git uset ter dem, an' all dese things kep' de cattle contented. On account ob habin' ter be on de watch fer all dese things dar wuzn't much sleepin' done on de Chisholm Trail by de trail drivers an' deir helpers. An' I nebber am ter fergit dat water dat dey call de gyp water. My throat git tighter dan a drum at de thought ob hit. Dey allers tuk things ter eat fer de gang in a wagon dat dey call de chuck wagon. An' some ob de worst cooks in Texas allers git themselves signed up on de drive ter Kansas. Look lak mos' all de good cooks am afeared ob de robbers an' de Injuns an' won't go. Us crossed de Red Ribber shoutheast ob whar de present town ob Fletcher in Oklahoma. Us went through whar de towns ob Hillsboro, Fort Graham, Cleburne an' Fort Worth am now. All de trails didn't go though Cleburne an' Fort Worth am now. All de trails didn't go through Cleburne. Atter more farmers come ter Texas, dey fenced de free grass up an' den de ranches an' de cattle trail in Texas went to de west an' dar was annodder cattle trail; an' dey call hit atter Marster John S. Chisum who libed in Concho County; dat's way out in West Texas. An' dis was not de Chisholm Trail dat was name fer Marster Jesse Chisholm up in Oklahoma. Dar was a road in west Texas dat was name de ole Butterfield Route an' de stage coaches uset ter go ober hit an' carry things fer de Wells Fargo Express Company. Dat started long 'bout 1858 f'om what my ole Marster allers uset ter say. De Butterfield Route went through Sherman, Texas an' on out ter Roswell, New Mexico. 'Bout 1856, Marse Charlie Goodnight an' Oliver Loving drove deir cattle ober dis route up to Horsehead Crossing on de Pecos River an' on ter Rosewell, New Mexico. De ole settlers call dis de Goodnight-loving trail. An' some folks call hit de Horsehead Route. Den Marster Chisum he driv some cattle ober dat trail an' dat's how hit git dat name. Dar am lots ob changes in Waco sence dem days. Mos' all de ole famblies done gone an' de ole churches an' schools done gone er dey's moved an' built up diff'runt. Dey tore de ole Cowden Hall down on South Fifth Street down de odder day. Dat was built somewhar in 1875. Dey call hit de Maggie Houston Hall w'en hit was furst built. Dat was fur Marster Sam Houston's wife. Marster Compare gibe a lot ob money ter build this brick building an' hit was part ob de ole Waco University. Dere was anodder brick buildin' erlong side ob hit dey call de Georgia Burleson Hall. Dey tore de Georgia Burleson Hall on South Fifth Street down w'en de city opened Clay Street through dar. On Baylor University campus is er do'mitory call Georgie Burleson Hall, wid a tower on top ob hit. Long 'bout 1890 a Marster Cowden f'om Abilene gibe twenty thousan' dollars ter fix ober dis hall an' den dey don' call hit Maggie Houston Hall but Cowden Hall. Jes' back ob dese two buildings was de big school bell. Hit rang all time ter tell de young folks what ter do. Dat bell down on de Baylor Campus now. De Waco University changed into Baylor University atter a while an' dey built a lot ob new buildings out on South Fifth an' Speight an' don' use dese buildings no more, jes' rent 'em out.

 


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