C. B. McRay is a tall, slender, old negro man with a very dark skin, broad, flat nose, and the general features of his race. He wears his kinky hair cut very short. At first, he is rather unapproachable and has a slow, secretive, and sophisticated manner as though he believes the human race will bear a little watching. He told of only one wife, but his present wife explained, confidentially, that he has had six wives in all. My name is C. B. McRay , better known as "Co 'nstalk ,' cause I's long an' slim. Also knowed as 'Racer ' cause I uster be very fleet on my feet. W'en I was ten year' ol' I very of'en caught a rabbit dat jump up befo' me, simply by runnin' him down 'cross de farm. Don' see why my boys can't do de same. I was bo'n in de town er Jasper, on Main street, right w'er Lanier's Sto' now stan's, on April 12, 1861. My father's name was Calvin Bell McRay , de same as mine. Mother's name was Harriet McRay . Father was bo'n in Virginny, an' Mother in Sabine County, Texas. My brudder's name' Bill McRay , Robert Dacus an' Duckin Dacus . I hab no sisters libin'. Father an' Mother sep'rate, Father marry 'gin an' has a younger fambly but I don' know dere name'. Father an' Mother was slaves right yere in Jasper, an' so was my gran'paren's. My Mother's father was bo'n in Africy. Gran'mother come from Virginny but her paren's was brung from Africy to Virginny.

Beginnin' w'er de new Pos' Office now stan's, wes' to de M.E. Chu'ch, an' sou'f to Gibb's Sto', was a neighborhood er w'ite people wid servant' libin' in all dere back yards. John H. McRay he was us marster. He was call' a 'nigger trader'. He was sich a easy marster dat uder people call' he slaves 'McRay's Free Niggers.' Marster marry a Miss Payne . She inherit a couple er niggers, Gibson an' Phoebe Payne . Dey fadder come from Africy an' dey mudder from Virginny. Dey hab six chillen, mekin' eight slaves inherit' by Marse McRay ' wife. Marster den 'gin to mek trips to N' Yawlin's to buy slaves w'ich he brung back an' sol' to de farmers. Mistess was de bes'es' w'ite woman to culled folks dat eber lib. I was too li'l to wuk much er earn money, but I 'member lotser t'ings. Us hab a big dinin' room wid a big long table fo' de culled folks an' us git jes' de same kin' er food dat de w'ite folks hab on dere table. Iffen a nigger sass de marster an' he couldn' control him, he was de fus' one to be sol' an' git rid er. He sol' my uncle dat way. De nigger women spun an' weave de clo's. All er dem was gib shoe' in de winter time. Marster lib in a big, frame house, right w'er de ol' no, de new Pos' Office now stan's. Dey hab two er dey chillen bury in dere garden, which was from de new Pos' Office to Gibb's Sto'. Dere name's Billie an' Emma McRay . Dey was bury' dere prob'ly sixty year' ago. Fo' a number er year' dere grabes was care' fo', but atter dere paren's die, dey plow right ober dem wid de res' er de garden. Now I hab los' dere location. Kelin McRay , de ol'es son went to de war an' was kill'. Benjamin Rush was de secon' son, den Richard , an' nex' a daughter, May , said to be de purties' woman in Jasper up to dat time. Marster hab no plantation. He rent lan' fo' de men slaves to cult'vate, but de women stay at home an' wove an' spun. I 'spec dat Cunnel McRay's was de on'ies' place in Jasper w'er you could go any time er day an' see a parlor full er nigger women, sittin' up dere as fat as dey could be, an' wid li'l er nuthin' to do. Marster's niggers all hab Sunday clo's an' shoes. Eb'ry one er dem hab to dress an' den come to de parlor so he could look dem ober befo' dey went to chu'ch. Us hab a fo'men (foreman) name Ol' Charlie . He was also de wagoner. It w'er his duty to keep de place stock' wid wood. He tuk de slaves an' wuk de patches w'en dey need it but much er de time dey was idle. Onct de Ol' master come home from a trip to N' Yawlin's an' foun' dem all sufferin' fo' want of fire. He call ol' Charlie an' ax him why he hab not git up plenty er wood. 'Well,' ol' Charlie say, 'de wood was sho't (short) an' befo' I could git any mo' dis col' spell come an' now it too awful col' to git wood.' Marster say, 'Charlie, you keep plenty er wood from now on er I gwineter sell you to a mean marster an' git someone to tek your place who do as he tol'.' Charlie git better fo' a w'ile but befo' long de same t'ing happen 'gin an' Charlie was tol' he on'y hab one mo' chanct. Marster went on anuder trip an' ol' Charlie 'low de wood run low 'gin. Cunnel McRay was rile' t'roo an' t'roo an' sol' him to Ballard Adams , a marster wid de name er bein' hard on he slaves. Ol' Charlie was, by dis time, not use to wuk an' he couldn' keep up wid de uder slaves. De new marster task' him an' he fail'. He call him up an' ax him why he hab not complete' he task. Charlie tol' him he jes' couldn'. He tol' him to git up befo' day an' finish an' den to do 's much as de res', fo' de res' er de day. Ol' Charlie fail' 'gin. De marster den put him in w'at known as de 'Louisiana shu't (shirt). Dat was a bahrel wid a hole cut in de bottom jes' big 'nuf fo' him to slip he head t'ree. Dey pull dis on to him eb'ry mawnin'. He couldn' sit down er use he arms, could jes' walk 'roun' all day, de brunt er de uder slave' jokes. At night dey tuk it off an' chain him to he bed. Atter he hab wo' (worn) dis Louisiana shu't a mont' de marster task' him 'gin. He fail' an' run off to de wood. Ballard Adams , de new marster, dey come to Cunnel McRay an' wanter sell him back to him. Cunnel McRay tol' him he couldn' buy him cause all de slaves done jes' been sot free. But he tol' him to jes' let him 'lone an' iffen he come back an' wanter stay wid him, he would gib him some kin'er wuk to do. Atter a w'ile he did come back an' de ol' marster 'low him to stay. I neber seed de McRay slaves whip'. Dey didn' try to teach us to read an' write, but Miss Mary McRay read de Bible to de slaves eb'ry Sunday. Parson Stovall was my fav'tie preacher. He was a Mef'dis' an' preach fo' many year'. Sattiday was like eb'ry under day. Eb'ry day was Sunday wid 'McRay's free niggers.' W'en us was chillen, 'Town Ball' an' 'marbles' was de fav'rit games. Mothers fav'rit lullaby was, 'Bye-o-Baby Buntin', Daddy' gone a huntin', To git a li'l rabbit skin. To wrop my Baby Buntin' in.' Iffen us git sick dey git ol' Dr. J. P. Haynes an' atter he day, Dr. Perkins . I neber seed any sojers 'til atter de war close den I seed dem camp on de Co'te House Square in Jasper. A sojer bait a hook an' t'row it under de tent an' a goose swaller de bait. Den de sojer pull de string 'til he git de goose under de tent an' den cook him an' eat him." W'en freedom come an' was 'clared, Miss Mary McRay call de niggers into de parlor an' tol' dem her husban' would be dere in a few minutes an' wanter talk to dem. W'en Cunnel McRay come he tol' dem dey's free an' could go an' wuk anyw'er dey wanter. He adivse dem to git wuk 'roun' Jasper w'er dey know de people an' was knowed. Den he tol' dem iffen dere was any er dem dat wanter stay wid him an' wuk to please rise to dere feet. Eb'ry pusson in dat house riz up. So dey all remain wid him fo' a time. Atter w'ile do' (though) he 'gin to rent an' cult'vate dif'ren plantations. Den dere treatment was not so good an' dey 'gin to be dissatisy' an' 'gin to pull loose. Mother an' Father sep'rate. Father go to N' Yawlin's an' ship aboard a wessel an' become a sailor. Fo' quite a spell he headquartered at Orange. Mother kep' all de chillen an' mek a good libin' fo' dem on de farm. She fin'lly marry a man by de name er Dacus .

I marry a woman name' Lizzie Bryan , from Louisiana. De time sot fo' de weddin' was de twenty-sebenth day er December but, owin' to de fac' (fact) dat all de creeks git up an' de ol' parson couldn' git dere 'til de water run down, us couldn' git marry 'til de las' er de Crissmus holerdays. Us hab comp'ny in de house waitin' so us gib a weddin' party an' dance right on eb'ry night 'til de water go'd down an' us was able to marry. Us call it a 'tracted (protracted) weddin' dance. Reveren' Peter Adams he marry us. I wo' (wore) a dark wook suit an' my wife was dress in w'ite wid a wreaf' on her head. I belong' to de Mef'dis' Chu'ch an' I hab sev'ral chillen an' gran'chillen. Brudder Bill , who is eight year ol'er dan I is, kin tell you mo' interestin' stories dan I kin cause I's too young to 'member de detail'.