Boss, I's born in Georgia, in Horcross, and I's ninety years old. My father's name was Roger Stielazen and my mother's name was Betty . Massa Earl Stielszon captures them in Africa and brung them to Georgia. He got kilt and my sister and me went to his son. His son was a killer. He got in trouble there in Georgia and got him two good-stepping hosses and the covered wagon. Then he chains all he slaves round the necks and fastens the chains to the hosses and makes them walk all the way to Texas. My mother and my sister had to walk. Emma was my sister. Somewhere on the road it went to snowin' and massa wouldn't let us wrap anything round our feet. We had to sleep on the ground, too, in all that snow. Massa have a great, long whip platted out of rawhide and when one the niggers fall behind or give out, he hit him with that whip. It take the hide every time he hit a nigger. Mother, she give out on the way. 'bout the line of Texas. Her feet got raw and bleedin' and her legs swell plumb out of shape. Then massa, he jus' take out he gun and shot her, and whilst she lay dyin' he kicks her two, three times and say, 'Damn a nigger what can't stand nothin'.' Boss, you know that man, he wouldn't bury mother, jus' leave her layin' where he shot her at. You know, then there wasn't no law 'gainst killin' nigger slaves. He come plumb to Austin through that snow, He taken up farmin' and changes he name to Alex Simpson , and changes our names, too. He cut logs and builded he home on the side of them mountains. We never had no quarters. When night-time come he locks the chain round our necks and then locks it round a tree. Boss, our bed were the ground. All he feed us was raw meat and green corn. Boss, I et many a green weed. I was hongry. He never let us eat at noon, he worked us all day without stoppin'. We went naked, that the way he worked us. We never had any clothes. He brands us. He brand my mother befo' us left Georgia. Boss, that nearly kilt her. He brand her in the breast, then between the shoulders. He brand all us.

My sister, Emma , was the only woman he have till he marries. Emma was wife of all seven Negro slaves. He sold her when she's 'bout fifteen, jus' befo' her baby was born. I never seen her since. Boss, massa was a outlaw. He come to Texas and deal in stolen hosses. Jus' befo' he's hung for stealin' hosses, he marries a young Spanish gal. He sho' mean to her. Whips her 'cause she want him to leave he slaves alone and live right. Bless her heart, she's the best gal in the world. She was the best thing God ever put life in the world. She cry and cry every time massa go off. She let us a-loose and she feed us good one time while he's gone. Missy Selena , she turn us a-loose and we wash in the creek clost by. She jus' fasten the chain on us and give us great big pot cooked meat and corn, and up he rides. Never says a word but come to see what us eatin'. He pick up he whip and whip her till she falls. If I could have got a-loose I'd kilt him. I swore if I ever got a-loose I'd kill him. But befo' long after that he fails to come home, and some people finds him hangin' to a tree. Boss, that long after war time he got hung. He didn't let us free. We wore chains all the time. When we work, we drug them chains with us. At night he lock us to a tree to keep us from runnin' off. Ho didn't have to do that. We were 'fraid to run. We knew he'd kill us. Besides, he brands us and they no way to get it off. It's put there with a hot iron. You can't git it off. If a slave die, massa made the rest of us tie a rope round he feet and drug him off. Never buried one, it was too much trouble. Massa allus say he be rich after the war. He stealin' all the time. He have a whole mountain side where he keep he stock. Missy Selena tell us one day we sposed to be free, but he didn't turn us a-loose. It was 'bout three years after the war they hung him. Missy turned us a-loose. I had a hard time then. All I had to eat was what I could find and steal. I was 'fraid of everybody. I jus' went wild and to the woods, but, thank God, a bunch of men taken they dogs and run me down. They carry me to they place. Gen. Houston had some niggers and he made them feed me. He made them keep me till I git well and able to work. Then he give me a job. I marry one the gals befo' I leaves them. I'm plumb out of place there at my own weddin'. Yes, suh, boss, it wasn't one year befo' that I'm the wild nigger. We had thirteen chillen. I farms all my life after that. I didn't know nothin' else to do. I made plenty cotton, but now I'm too old. Me and my wife is alone now. This old nigger gits the li'l pension from the gov'ment. I not got much longer to stay here. I's ready to see God but I hope my old massa ain't there to torment me again.

Sir, I was born in Norcross, Georgia, then before they were any towns much in the state, I'se 90 years old. My fathers name was Roger Stielszen . My mothers name was Betty Stielszen . Master Earl Stielszen captured them in Africa and brought them to Georgia. My master he then got killed and I became his sons property, and he was a killer. He let me and sister belong to him, he sells sister because she was, big and healthy good lookin negro girl. He gets good price for her. She name Emma Stielszen . After he comes to Texas. Boss we never had no home, nor any quarters. When night time comes he have chain that master locks around our necks then locks it around a tree. Boss, our bed were the ground. Master he gets in to trouble there in Georgia, see he get branding arn, brand seven men. My mother and myself, then sister Emma . Boss, that nearly killt my mother. He brand her in breast then on the back between the shoulders. Boss, he brand all us men that way cause he was mean man. My mother was all the negro women he have until sister Emma get big enough to take care all them negro men cause she was the wife of all seven negro slaves boss. But what I'se fixin to tell you was when he gets in to trouble there in Georgia. He got him two good stopping horses, and has him covered wagon then he chaines all the slaves he have around the necks and fastens to the horses and makes all the slaves walk same way and that was sister Emma and she had to walk some time all she get to ride was the couplin pole that come out behind the wagen bed about three feet. Somewhere on the road it went to snowing, and master would not let us have shoes or anything to wrap around our feet, and then we had to sleep on the ground in all that snow. Boss, he had great long whip platted out of raw hide, and when one of the negro begins to fall behind or give out, he would hit him with that whip. And he would take all the hide every time master hit a negro. Mother, she give out on the way some where about the line of Texas. Her feet got raw and bleeding and her legs swell plum out of shape. Then master he just take out his gun and shot her and while she was dying he kick her two or three times and say dam a negro that couldnt stand anything. He didnt need them anyway, cause he could get plenty more when he gets us boss, you know that man.

Wouldnt bury mother just left her laying where he shot her at. He come plum to Austin Texas through that snow. Boss you know that time they wasnt any law against killing negro slaves. After he got to Austin he take up farm and changes his name to Alex Simpson . Then boss, he changes our name on that there plantation. He cuts logs and builds his home on the side of one of them mountains. Then at night he stakes us out under one of them cedar trees and all he feeds us was raw meat, green corn. Sometimes he put it in the ashes and burn it. Boss, I'se eat a many green weed cause I would get hungry. Master would work us all day without stopping. He never let us eat at dinner time. Master he sold sister Emma when she was about 15 years old just before her baby was born, and I'se never seen her since, cause the people took her north. After marster come to Texas he never did get us any clothes. We went naked that was the way he worked us. Captain master was an outlaw. He come to Texas and dealt in stolen horses. And just before he was hung for stealing horses, he married a young Spanish girl. He sure was mean to her whipped her because she wanted him to live right and treat his slaves right. Yessir, bless her heart. She was the best girl in the world. She was the best thing God ever put life in the world. She would cry and cry ever time master would go off. She would let us alone and feed us good one time. I would have killed him if I could have got by with it. Mistress Selena she turn us lose and let us go. Wash in the creek there close by and she had just fastened the chain around our necks and give us great big pot cooked meat and corn bread and up he rides. Just gets his horses, never says word but come to see what we eatin then pick up his whip and whipped her until she falls. If I could have got lose I would have killed him. Then I swore if I ever got lose I would over power him and kill him. But it wasnt long after that he failed to come home and some people found him hanging to tree. Boss, that was after the war long time when he got hung.

They was 100 or more acres in the farm then he have a hole mountain side where he kept his stock. No sir, never seen any slaves sold except Sister Emma the man just ask master what he take for her and master told him so they traded. Boss, I cryed a week cause she was the only kin that I knew anything about. I didnt know who fathers people was. I never saw slaves in chains except the seven that master owned. we wore chains all time. Was never took off when we was at work, we wither drug the chains or was snapped together and at night we were lock to tree to keep us from trying to run off. He didnt have to do that, cause we were afraid to run we knew master would kill us besides he had already branded us and they was no way to get that off. It was put on there with hot iron. The white folks never tried to learn us how to read. They are master said negro wasnt worth the trouble. We didnt have any quarters except on the trees we were locked to. We mostly fell down and tried to rest cause we were a poor bunch of negro. Master he never feed us but just enough to keep us alive, and then he worked us nearly to death. He never let us have anything to eat in the middle of the day. Some time we would steal weed or two and eat them then at night he would pitch us some raw meat and corn. Sometimes the corn would be parched and that had to do us for breakfast. We only had Sunday to rest. He would work us on Saturday. When we got sick we had to be pretty sick if we wasnt master worked us just the same. If we were too sick to go master left us locked to tree. He never get doctor or give us anything to take said we wasnt worth the trouble. Well all right if we didnt we would drug off. He would make the other negro tie rope around our feet and drag us off never buried us or anything like that we was to much trouble he handles us lets worse than you would a mule. I dont remember much about the war, except what mistress told us. Master he married her during the war. He hide out wouldnt go to the war. Said when the war closed he would be rich man cause he was stealing all the time. Mistress told us one day that we was supposed to be free but master he didnt turn us a lose.

Then one night about three years after the war, he stole a bunch of horses and some white men caught him with them and they hung him to a limb. Then mistress liberated us but she make us go and take him down from the tree limb and buried him, but boss that white man was so mean until he couldnt be still after he was dead, cause he would wiggle around every time one us slave tuch him. Boss, I'se afraid that man going to come to life and kill him a bunch of slaves. The first year after the war that I was free I'se had a hard time getting something to eat. All I had to eat was what I could find and steal because I was afraid to ask for work. I just went wild and went to the woods but thank God a bunch of men took their dogs and run me down. They carried me to their place with General Houston had some negroes on his place and made these negroes feed me and keep me with them until I'se got well and able to work. Then he gives me a job, and then I'se married one this negroes girls before I'se leave them, Emma Brown . We just have home wedding and they had big supper and dance for a week. Yessir, boss, I'se plum out place there at my own weddin, cause it wasnt year before that I'se a wild negro. We have thirteen children, seven girls and six boys. I dunno how many grand children or great grand children I have some over fifty tho I dont know, but there are so many I can't count them. I didnt know any too much about what the war was fought for except I thought maybe the government would give us negro a good job and some spending money. Yessir, boss I was compelled to stay on with my master until he got killed then Mistress she frees us. Boss, I'se farmed, ever since I was freed cause that was all I could do as I didnt have education or know anything else to do. I'se generally made lots of cotton until those last few years. I'se gotten too told to farm or do any kind of work. All the children are married and gone, me and Emma here now. I thinks since the war was fought and freed the negro that it has been a great period for the negro race, as they have become educated and can hold most any kind of job. Some is government men and can hold office, course the young negroes they will lie and steal but as a hold, they are a pretty fair bunch of youngsters. Yessir, boss I'se seen the KKK but they never did get after this old negro, cause when I'se gets free I tend to me own business. No sir, boss, I never did vote, cause I'se couldnt read and write, but I'se do think the younger negroes ought to be allowed to vote moren they do cause they have to shoulder the same load that the white man has today. This old negro is getting small pension from the government. Course I'se not got much longer to stay here, but I'se done got ready to see God when I'se die. But boss, I hopes my old master is not up there to torment me this old negro again.