Susan Merritt , an 87 year old ex-slave, was born in Rusk County, near Henderson, as a slave of Andrew Watt . She vividly recalls, as a girl about 15 years old, slave life on the Watt plantation. After being freed a year after the war, she re-moved to Harrison County with her parents. Several years after the war, Susan was married to Will Merritt , and reared a family of fifteen children to be grown and married. Since the death of her husband, she has resided with Willie Merritt , a son, who lives west of Marshall on the Hynson Springs Road.  

I couldn't tell how old I is, but do you think I could ever fergit them slave days. I was a good size girl spinning all the thread for the white fo'ks clothes and helping Mistress with the looms when they let us loose after surrender. I was bo'n down in Rusk County, near Henderson, on Master Andrew Watt's place. Hob Rollins , my pappy, came from North Carolina and belonged to Dave Blakely . Mammy came from Mississippi and belonged to the Watts . There was eleven of us children, but four died when they was babies. Albert , Hob , John , Emma , Anna , Lula , and me lived to be grown and married. Master Watt had four children, two boys and two girls, and lived in a big log house what set upon a hill so you could see all round for miles. The slaves lived over the fiel' in little log huts all "huddled" along together. They had home-made beds nailed to the wall and two legs and baling sack mattresses. We called them bunks. The Negroes never had no munney but plenty of clothes and grub. We had to wear the same clothes the year round. Master Watt made our shoes hisself. He made furniture, saddles, ha'ness, tools and run a grist mill and whiskey still there on the place. That man had everything. The hands was woke up in the morning with a big bell. When Master pulled that bell rope the Negroes fell out of them bunks like rain falling. They was in the fiel' 'fore day and stay until dusk dark. They worked slap up till Saturday night, then they all had to wash their clothes. Some time on Saturday night there was parties where we played ring plays. I only remember part of the words to one play. That was "Rolling river, roll on, the old cow die in cold water .. now we'se got to drink bad water cause the old cow died in cold water When the hands come in from the fiel' at night, they had to tote water from the spring, cook and eat supper and be in bed by the time that bell rang at nine o'clock. 'Bout dusk they called all the chil'ren in and give them a piece of co'n-pone bread 'bout the size of my hand, a tin cup of milk and put them to bed. The grown folks et fat po'k, greens, beans, co'n bread dumplings and sich like, and had plenty of milk to drink. On Sunday Master gave all of them butter, flour, and a chicken. Lots of the Negroes caught a good cow-hiding for slipping 'round and stealing a chicken 'fore Sunday. We wore white "lowel" home-spun cotton clothes. They gave us one garment at a time and we wore that the year round. The slaves never had no munney but plenty of grub. My pappy made tar at night and traded it for whiskey. Master Watt didn't have no overseer, but he had a "Nigger driver" that was just as bad.

He carried a long whip 'round his neck and beat the other Negroes just like he was a white man. I'se seen slaves tied to a tree and cow-hided till the blood run down off them onto the ground. Some of the women would get slothful and not able to do their part but they made them do it. They dug a hole, 'bout body deep, and would make the women lie face down in it and beat them nearly to death. They would whip the chil'ren for not keeping their row up with the "lead-man". When that Nigger driver would holler "Come On" or "Let's go" you'd see the hands brighten up on that hoe. They made some of them drag long chains while they wo'ked in the fiel'. They was so hard on them that sometimes they couldn't stand it, and some of them run off. But they oughtn't to have done it for they chased them with hounds and nearly kill them when they catch them. The slaves warn't 'lowed to go anywhere without a pass. Some time they would slip off and go over to a jining place. They just wanted to get away from home and talk. They had patrollers along the road and if he catch a slave without a pass he sure treated him rough. Lots of time Master Watt would give us a pass to go over to George Petro's or Dick Greggs place. Mr. Petro run a slave market on his place. He had a big, high scaffold with steps to it where he sold the slaves. They were stripped off to the waist when they was being sold to show how strong they was. The slave buyers would chain them together like steers and a white man on a horse would drive them home like cattle. There warn't no chu'ch on the place for the Negroes. The white fo'ks had a big white chu'ch off the place. We'd hook up oxen to the wagon and go to church over there. They had a place for us in the back of the church. At night the slaves would gather round the fire place on their knees and pray, and sing, and cry, but they darsn't let the white fo'ks know anything about it. I didn't know than what they was cryin' 'bout, but I does now. Thank the Lord we can now worship when we wants to. I 'member one favorite song was:  I heard the voice of Jesus saying   unto me and live' Lie down, lie down weeping one And rest they head on my breast I come to Jesus as I was Weary, lone, tired and sad I found in him a resting place And he has made me glad.  The slaves warn't 'lowed to have no religious services at funerals or any other place. When a Negro died he was buried there on the place. My uncle Steven Watt was a Christian man and would pray at the grave. They took good care of us when we was sick. Two white doctors, Dr. Dan and Dr. Gill Shaw , of Camben waited on us. Lots of the Negroes wore asfidity bags (asfidity and camphor) around their neck to keep off certain diseases. A white man named Long died there on the place. Lots of the Negroes said if they went certain places that Long would chase them away. I allus lived in Master Watt's house after I was big enough to work. They never 'lowed me to go down to Mammy's house. I had a good Master, buy my Mistress was a devil. I don't believe I can tell you how I was treated. I come on Master's side. She had her slaves that come on her side, and never did like me. Lots of times she tied me to a stob out in the yard and "cow-hide" me till she give out, then she leave me and go rest and come back and beat me some more. She had a boy 'bout seven years old that would git mad, lay down in the floor, hold his breath and turn purple and die off. Once he had one of his mad spells and Mistress Jane 'cused me of hurting him. She stomp me and beat me nearly to death. They had to grease my back where she "cow-hided" me, and I was sick a week with a fever from it. If I had a dollar for every cowhiding I got, I'd never have to work anymore. My young Mistress Bessie liked me and tried to learn me to read and write. She would slip to my room, and had me doin' right good. I learned the alphabet. One day Mistress Jane catch her "schoolin'" me, and lammed me over the head with the butt of a cowhide whip and tell Miss Bessie that she would cowhide her if she caught her learnin' me anything. 'Niggers don't need to know anythin', she said. That white woman was so rough that one day we was makin' soap and some little chickens got in the fire 'round the pot and burned to death. She said I let them do it and made me walk barefooted through a bed of coals several times.  

I heard 'bout freedom in September, but don't 'member the day. They was pickin' cotton on the place. A white man ride up to Master's house on a big white horse. The house boy tells Master that a white man out the front wants to see him. Master walked to the door and hollers "Light, stanger". That's what he allus say when anyone rides up to the place. It was a Government man. He had a big book and a bunch of papers and wants to know why Master Watt hadn't turned his Negroes loose. Master told him he was trying to get his crop out. He tole Master to call the slaves in. Uncle Steven blowed the cow horn that they used to call the hands in at dinner and all the Negroes come running cause when that cow horn blowed during the day that meant "Come to the house, quick". The man read a paper to the slaves telling them they was free. That's the first we knowed anything about it. Master worked them on several months after the man was there. Master said we was going to get 20 acres of land and a mule, but we didn't get it. Lots of Negroes was killed after freedom. The slaves was turned loose in Harrison County right after the war. Negroes in Rusk County heard about it and lots of them run away from slavery in Rusk to freedom in Harrison County. Their owners had them "bushwhacked" ... shot down while they was trying to get away. You could see lots of Negroes hanging to trees in Sabine bottom right after freedom. They would catch them swimming across Sabine River and shoot them. There sho' is going to be lots of soul cry against them in Judgment.