Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Peter Ryas

Peter Ryas , about 77 years old, was born a slave of Volsant Fournet , in St. Martinville Parish, Louisiana. He speaks a French patois more fluently than English. Peter worked at the refineries in Port Arthur for sixteen years but ill health forced him to stop work and he lives on what odd jobs he and his wife can pick up.

I's borned 'bout 1860, I guess, in a li'l cypress timber house in de quarters section of de Fournet Plantation, Dat in St. Martinville Parish, over in Louisiana. Dem li'l houses good and tight, with two big rooms. Two families live in one house. Dey 'bout ten houses. Mr. Volsant Fournet , he my old massa and he wife name Missus Porine . Dey have eight chillen and de baby boy name Brian . Him and me. us grow up togedder. Us allus play togedder. He been dead three year now and here I is still. All dem in my family am field workers. I too li'l to work. My mama name Annie and papa name Alfred . I have oldes' brudder, dat Gabriel , and 'nother brudder name Yarice , and two sisters, Harriet and Amy . Old massa's house have big six or eight room. Galleries front and back. Us cullud chillen never go in de big house much. Old massa he done feed good. Coosh-coosh with 'lasses: Dat my Favorite dem day. Dat make with meal and water and salt. Dey stir it in big pot. Sometime dey kill beef. Us have beef head and neck and guts cook with gravy and spread on top coosh-coosh. Dat good food. Down on Vermilion Bayou am alligators. Dey fish and snakes, too. Us eat alligator tail steak. Taste like fish. Jes' skin hide off alligator tail. Slice it into steak. Fry it in meal and hawg fat. Dat like gar fish. Sometime git lamper eel. Dey hard to cotch. Perches and catfish and mudcat east to cotch. Water bird, too. Duck and crane. Crane like fish. Us take boat, go 'long bayou, find nesties in sedge grass. Old massa allus good. He 'low papa and some to have li'l patch round dey door. Dey eat what dey raise. Some sells it. Papa raise pumpkin and watermelon. He have plenty bee-gum with bees.

After freedom he make money awhile. He sell de honey from dem bees. Dat plantation full cotton and corn. Us chillen sleep in de cottonhouse. It be so soft. In de quarters houses chillen didn't have no bed. Dey slept on tow sack on de floor. Dat why dem cotton piles felt so soft. Massa have special place in woods where he have meanes' niggers whip. He never whip much, but wartime comin' on. Some de growed ones runs away to dem Yankees. He have to whip some don. He have stocks to put dey neck in when he whip dem. Massa never chain he slaves. I seed talkin' parrots. Massa didn't have one. but other massas did. Dat parrot talk. He tell when de nigger run away or when he not work. Us white folks all Catholic. Us not go to church, but all chillen christen. Dat in St. Martinville Catholic Church. All us christen dere. After freedom I start go to church reg'lar. I still does. Dey ain't give us pants till us ten year old. In winter or summer is wore long, split tail shirt. Us never even think of shoes. After I's twelve papa buy my first pair shoes. Dey have diamond brass piece on too. I so 'fraid dey wear out I won't wear dem. De war goin' on. Us see sojers all de time. Us hide in bresh and play snipe at dem. All de white folks in town gang up. Dey send dere slaves out on Cypress Island. Dey do dat try keep Yankee sojers from find dem. It ain't no use. Dem Yankee find dat bridge what lead from mainland to island. Dey come 'cross dat bridge. Dey find us all. Dem white folks call deyselves hidin' us but dey ain't do so good. Dey guard dat bridge. But some de niggers dey slip off de Island. Dey jine de Yankees. Dey plenty alligators in dat bayou. Sometime I wonder if dem niggers what try go through swamp ever git to Yankees. Dem alligators brutal. I 'member black gal call Ellen . She washin' clothes in bayou. Dey wash clothes with big rocks den. Dey have wooden paddle with hole and beat clothes on rocks. Dis gal down in de draw by herself. She washin' clothes. Big alligator had dug hole in side de bank. He come out and snap her arm off jes' 'bove elbow. She scream. Men folks run down and killed alligator. Us chillen wouldn't watch out for alligator. Us play in li'l flat, bateaux and swing on wild grapevine over water. I done see snakes. Dey look big 'nough swallow two li'l niggers one bite. Dey alligator turtles, too. If dey snap you, you can't git loose less you cut dey neck slap off. I kill lots dem. Dey old mens on plantation what they think which mens. Dey say could put bad mouth on you. You dry up and die 'fore you time. Dey take your strengt'. Make you walk on knees and hands. Some folks carry silver money 'round neck. Keep off dat bad mouth. Old massa oldes' son, Gabriel , he Colonel in war. He and old massa both Colonels. Lots sojers pass our place. Dey go to fight. Dem with green caps was white folks. Dem with blue caps was Yankees. Us hear guns from boats and cannons. After war over massa come home. Dey no law dem time. Things tore up. Dey put marshal in to make laws. Some folks call him Progo (provost) Marshal. He come 'round. See how us doin'. Make white folks 'low niggers go free. But us stay with massa a year. Dey finish crop so everybody have to eat. Den us papa move to Edmond LeBlanc farm. 'ork on shares. Second move to Cade place, run by Edgar DeBlieu . Jes' railroad station, no town. I shave cane for money. It 1867 or 1877 yellow fever strike. People die like dem flies. Dat fever pay no 'tention to skin color. White folks go. Black folks go. Dey die so fast dey pile dem in wagons. Dey pay mens $10.00 to go inside house and carry dem out to wagon. Lots niggers makes $10.00. Dat fever strike quick. Man come see me one mornin! He all right. Dat man dead 'fore dark. It bad sickness. It sev'ral years after dat dey have smallpox sickness. It bad, too. All us stay 'round farm till I's 22 year. I never go to school. In 1882 I marry Viney Ballieo . She Baptist. I marry in Baptist church. Cullud preacher. Never white preachers 'round dere. Allus white priests. Viney die and all us four chillen dead now. I merry Edna LeBlank in 1917. I git dissatisfy with farmin' in 1911. I come to Lake Charles. To Port Arthur nex' year. I work at refinery sixteen year. I too old now. Us git what work us can. Jes' from dere to here.


A huge, broad shouldered man, inclined to paunchiness about the middle, Peter Ryas , Louisiana negro, now living in Port Arthur, is youthful in appearance despite his advanced years. He has a jutting smooth shaven jaw, and a black mustache, only slightly curly, while silver rimmed glasses cover his eyes below thick sprouting eyebrows. His hairless, egg-shaped head is usually covered with a soiled felt hat, minus a band, and he is clad in decent black trousers with suspenders, and a clean blue print shirt. Peter is a native of St. Martinville parish, Louisiana, a former slave of Volsant Fournet , and like most of his contemporaries he speaks French more fluently than English. The old negro has worked at the refineries in Port Arthur for 16 years but ill health has caused him to retire and now he lives with his second wife in the south end section of the city. I's bo'n 'bout 1860 in a li'l cypress timber house in de quarters section of de Fournet plantation in St. Martinville parish in Lou'sana. Dem houses was good tight houses wid two big rooms in dem. Two famblies lib in one house. Dey's 'bout 10 houses on de place. Mister Volsant Fournet he was my ol' marster and Porine was de ol' mistus. Her name was Garry befo' she marry I t'ink but I can't 'member jes' 'zackly. Dey hab eight chillen. De gals was Vallie Ree , Victoria , Matise and Laura , and de boys was Gabriel and Paul and Jack and Alex and Brand . De baby boy he name' Brian . Him and me, us growed up togeder. Us was 'bout de same age and allus play togeder. Dat young marster done been dead t'ree year' now though, and here I is still. All dem in my fambly was fiel' wukers. I was de on'ies' one w'at was too li'l to wuk in slav'ry time. I neber did do no wuk to speak of 'till atter freedom. My mama name' Annie and my daddy name' Alred . Dey was bofe fiel' han's. Den I hab a ol'es' brudder, dat Gabriel ' and anudder boy name' Varice , and two sisters Harriet and Amy .

De ol' marster's house was a big six or eight room house wid galleries front and back. It was jes' one story but it spread out. Dey hab nuss gals to tek care of de li'l w'ite chillen mos' times up in de big house. Us li'l cullud chillen neber go up to de big house very much. Dey hab a ol' lady w'at couldn' hardly walk to watch de li'l nigger chillen, and a ol' black man cook w'at fix de food for all de li'l cullud chillen w'en dey folks wukin' in de fiel'. De ol' marster he done feed us good. Coosh-coosh wid mo'lasses, dat was my fav-o-rite in dem day. I couldn' eat all dat now but it sho' tas' good den. Dat was mek wid meal and water and salt stir' in a big pot. Den dey mek yaller hominy, and serve dat wid milk. Sometime dey kill a biff (beef) and us have biff head and neck and guts all cook' up in gravy and eat dat on de coosh-coosh or wid de hominy. Down on Vermilion Bayou dey uster ketch alligators and fish and snakes. Us eat many a alligator tail steak. It tas' jes' like fish. Dey jes' skin de thick hide offen de alligator tail, slice it into steak and fry in meal and hog fat jes' like gar fish. Dey sometime' git lamper eel, but dey too hard to ketch w'en dey's so many perches and catfish and mudcat w'at is better eatin' anyway. Out in dem marshes dey was sho' plenty water bird too, like duck and crane. Crane tas' lots like fish. Dey's jes' like li'l pigeon w'en dey small and dey's better den dan w'en dey gits too big and tough. Us uster tek a boat and go 'long de edge of de bayou and find de water birds' nestes in de sedge grass and ketch dem dat way. Us neber did bodder wid de eggs though lots of people did eat de bird eggs. Ol' marster he was allus good to he slaves. He 'low my daddy and some de others to hab a li'l patch 'roun' dey do' w'ere dey could raise w'at dey want to eat or sell. My daddy raise' lots of pumpkin and watermilion, and hab plenty bee-gums wid bees. Atter freedom come, dat de way he mek money for a w'ile, sellin' de honey from dem bees. Dey raise plenty cotton and co'n on de plantation. In cotton time us chillen uster lub to go and sleep in de cotton house 'cause it be so sof'. In de quarters houses us li'l chillen didn' hab no beds but slep' on a tow sack on de flo'. Dat why dem cotton piles felt so sof' w'en us slep' on dem. Ol' marster wouldn' 'low de overseers or nobudy like dat to whip any of de smaller chillen. Dey hab a special place hid down in de woods w'ere he hab some de meanes' niggers whi' w'en dey git out of han'. He ain't nebber whip much 'till de wartime comin' on and den he hatter whip to keep some de growed up ones from runnin' off to de Yankees. Dey was sev'ral git 'way and runned off wid de Yankees anyway. W'en I's jes' li'l, me and Brian us slip off and sneak down in de woods and see de stocks w'ere dey put dey necks w'en dey git out of han'. He ain't nebber whip much to keep some de growed up ones from runnin' off to de Yankees. Dey was sev'ral git 'way and runned off wid de Yankees anyway.

W'en I's jes' li'l, me and Brian us slip off and sneak down in de woods and see de stocks w'ere dey put dey necks w'en dey whip dem. Dey hab kinder yokes to put 'roun' dey necks so dey can't git 'roun' fas' and splits to keep dey legs stiff so dey can't run off. I hear tell some de marsters hab big chain 'roun' dey han's or barrels or bells on dey neck, but us ol' marster didn' use any dat. I seed talkin' parrots like some de marsters use to tell off on dey slaves. Dat was atter freedom though. I nebber seed any of dem do no talkin' befo' I's growed up. Us w'ite folks was all Cath'lic. Dey didn' hab de slaves go to chu'ch much befo' freedom though. I nebber seed any of dem do no talkin' befo' I's growed up. Us w'ite folks was all Cath'lic. Dey didn' hab de slaves go to chu'ch much befo' freedom but all de li'l chillen, w'ite and black, was christen' in de St. Martinville Cath'lic chu'ch. All my li'l brudders and sisters was christen' and me too. I don' 'member de ceremony 'cause I was too small w'en dey done it. One de fus' t'ings I did atter freedom was to start to go to chu'ch reg'lar, and I still goes to de Cath'lic chu'ch. Us li'l chillen play all de time outdo's. Dat muster been good for us. Us uster eat plenty too, but nuthin' fancy. Dat was good too, 'cause us wasn' nebber sick. I don' eber 'member bein' still 'till jes' lately since I been gittin' ol'. Dey ain' give us no pants 'till atter us 10 year ol'. In de winter or summer us li'l boys wo' long, split tail shu'ts, open on de side. Us neber eben t'ink of shoes. Atter I's 12 year' ol' my daddy buy me my fus' pair of shoes. Dey hab diamond brass pieces on de toe'. I's so 'fraid dem shoes gwineter wear out dat I mos' 'fraid to wear dem. I wo' and wo' dem 'till dey git so small dey cramp up my toes. Brian and me uster play togeder 'way from de other chillen. Us play stick hosses and play Yankees. De war's goin' on den and us could see de sojers comin' and goin' all de time. Us would hide in de bush and play like us snipe at dem. Us ain' keerin' w'ich one us snipin' at 'cause us ain' pay no 'tenshun to w'ich one us for or ag'in'. Dat was us fav-o-rite game, playin' like us sojers on hosses, ridin' down de road and waterin' us hosses down to de edge of de bayou like us seed de real sojers do. De way it happen all de w'ite folks in town gang up and send dey slaves out on Cypress Island, dat way out in de bayou. Dey do dat to try to keep de Yankee sojers from findin' dem but it ain' no use. Dem Yankee' find de bridge w'at lead from de mainland over to de island and dey come 'cross de bridge and find us all jes' de same. De w'ite folks call deyse'fs hidin' us but dey ain' doin' so good. Dey guard de bridge but some de slaves dey done slip off and swim de bayou and git away and jine de Yankees. Dey's sho' plenty of alligators in dem bayou. Sometime' I wonder iffen all dem cullud mens w'at runned off and try go through de swamp eber did git to de Yankee. Dem alligators was brutal. I 'member one time dey was a black gal name' Ellen w'at was down to de stream washin' de clo's. Dey didn' wash clo's in dem days like dey does now. Dey go down to de edge of de bayou and holler out a place back in de bank. Den dey use dat place wid big rocks to wash de clo's. Dey hab wooden paddles wid holes in dem and beat de clo's on de rocks wid dem paddles. Dis gal Ellen she was down in de draw by herse'f washin' de clo's w'en a big alligator w'at had dug him a hole in de side of de bank come out he hole and snap' her arm off jes' 'bove de elbow, jes' like dat. De gal she scream and de men folks runned down and killed de 'gator, but dat ain' bring back de gal's arm. Dey tell us chillen us better watch out for de 'gators, but us couldn' be boddered. Us play in dem li'l flat bateaux boat' and swing on wil' grapevine swing out over de water. I done seed snakes in dem place too, w'at look like dey big 'nuff to swaller two li'l niggers in one bite. Dey was ol' alligator tuttles (turtles) too, bigger dan yo' hat. Iffen dem t'ings snap you dey ain' neber tu'n you loose 'til you cut dey neck slap off. Some de ol' folks say dey bad luck but I done kill a many of dem and dey ain' neber done nuthin' to me. I done kill mud puppy, groun' dogs, too, but dey ain' done me nuthin' eder. Dey was ol' mens on us plantation w'at lots of de peoples t'ink was witch mens. Dey t'ink dey could put a mou'f (bad mouth) on you and you dry up and die befo' yo' time. Dey t'ink dey say t'ings and tek yo' skin right off and all sich foolishness. Dey kin tek all yo' strength and mek you walk on yo' knees and han's, dat w'at dem t'ink. Some folks wo' silver money on a string 'roun' dey ankle or sumpin' in a bag 'roun' dey neck to keep off de bad mou'f. I can't tell you much 'bout dat foolishness 'cause I was too li'l. I neber was 'roun' no very ol' people. I can't eben 'member none my gran' folks. I 'member jes' one my mama's brudders and he name was Pete too. De ol' marster's ol'es' son, Gabriel , he was a Colonel in de war. Bofe he and de ol' marster was Colonels. I dunno w'ere dey fit. I neber pay much 'tenshun to dem but I 'member openin' up de big gate for dem sometime' w'en dey comin' home on furlough'. Dey was lots of sojers pass  

Den us all move to a place near Lauraville on de Edmond LeBlanc farm and wuk on de shares. Us secon' move was to de Cade place, w'at was run by a man name' Edgar DeBlieu . Dat wasn' a town at all, jes' a railroad station. Dat w'ere I mek de fus' money I eber earn', but it ain' do me no good 'cause I hafter give it to my mama and daddy. I was a'shavin' sugar cane for Mister Maurine . I can't 'member if it were '67 or '77 w'en de yeller fever struck. People jes' die' like flies. Dat fever pay no 'tenshun to de color of yo' skin, de w'ite folks go and de black folks go too. Dey die so fas' dey hafter pile dem in wagons to carry dem away. Dey pay mens as much as $10 to go inside a house and carry dem out. Dat w'ere lots of niggers mek $10.00. Dey sometime' tek a man dat was half-dead and bury him any way 'cause dey know he ain' goin' git well. Dat fever strike quick. Dey's a man come to see my brudder one mawnin' and he feelin' allright. Dat man done dead befo' dark. De yeller fever was de wuss sickness dat eber was. It were sev'ral year' atter dat dey hab a bad time wid de smallpox. Durin' de time of de Klu Klux and de riders, us folks neber was boddered much. Us folks neber did clash wid de w'ite folks and lots stay right on wid dey ol' marsters. Dey was mo' mean marsters dan good ones in slav'ry time though. All us stay right 'roun' and farm 'till I'se 22 year' ol'. I ain' neber been to no school a day in my life.

In '82 I done marry a gal name' Viney Ballieo . She was a Baptis' so I done marry her in de Baptis' chu'ch in St. Martinville. Dey was a culled preacher. I ain' neber seed many w'ite preachers down 'roun' dere. Dey was allus w'ite priests since I kin 'member, but de w'ite preachers dey done come later. Viney done dead now and all us fo' (four) chillen dead too. I had two other chillen in meantime, and one gal by de wife w'at I got now. My secon' wife name' Edna LeBlanc and I marry her in 1917. I git dissatisfy wid farmin' w'at I done all my life and come to Lake Charles in 1911, and to Port Arthur de nex' year. Den I start wuk at de refinery and wuk dere 16 year' 'till I done got mos' too ol' to keep up wid de younguns. Now, I go jes' from here to dere, and don' do much of anyt'ing much.


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