Texas Slave Narrative
Charlie Trotty
Yes'sm I members bein a slave, but I never did have to work much, cause I was too little when all de slaves was freed, but I members seein lots of happnings befo de war and after. My maw's name was Em , my paw's was Jack . Don't member anything bout my paw, don't member ever seein him, don't guess I ever did. My maw and me longed to a man named Jim Trotty . Marster Jim was a real old man and owned a big farm. He owned about seven darkies sides maw and me, and all of dem had to work hard all day and sometimes into de nights. Times was hard den, and marster hadn't lived here long den; no'm don't know whar he come from, somewhar way cross de states though. Maw said dey come in ox wagons. It took em a moon to git here whar Marster Jim bought a farm. No'm I don't member whar it was, I never did git to go to town, not when I was little, didn't know de was any. Seem's like hit was close to Marshall, wouldn't say for sure. Marster owned two other small slaves, little boys like me, and mos we done was play. Cose we had chores to do, like feedin de chickens and hogs, and waterin de flowers in de summer, and keepin de leaves raked up and burned, and watchin de white chillerns while dey played, or swinging dem in de big swing what was under a big oak tree. Den we brought in stove wood, and kindlin and run errands and carried water to de fields to de hands down dere, soas dey wouldn't have to stop and lost so much time going to de spring. Yes'm I seed niggers whipped at de post; some of em had to be tied. For stealing, lots of dem niggers stealed from marster, and when he caught em, dey knowed he would have em whipped, den dey jist keep stealin. No'm I never did git no whippin, never did steal nothing, but one time, and den I didn't git caught. Dat one time was when I stold some apples from de old cellar under de house. Mostly I picked de ones dat was rotten, and Mistress didn't never asked me did I take dem, so I jist didn't say nothin. Yes'm all de supplies and grub and stuff was kept in a house locked up, jist behind de big house de marster lived in. All de colored folks dat worked on de place libed in cabins down de hill from de big house. One time every week, de young Marster called up all de colored folks, and rationed out nouf eats for one week, and dat was supposed to last de whole week. Hit would too, iffen you didn't waste nothin. Iffen all of hit was et up befo de week was up, you had to do widout, lessin you could kill a squirrel or a rabbit. Yes'sm you could hunt, iffen you got permission from de marster, but you had to have a pass, soas if somebody asked you whar you was goin, and iffen you had run away you could allus show em your pass and de would let you alone.
Yes'm lots of slaves tried to run away, but mostly dey allus got caught. All de marsters had blood hounds and when a slave runned away, dey set de blood hounds on em and dey nearly allus caught em. Lots of times dey nearly tore em up fo any body could git to em when dey caught de run-a-way. Jist member one nigger what got away. Dat was durin de war. He jumped in de creek and swam down de stream, and de dogs lost de scent, and we never did see him anymo. Don't know whether he got to some Yankee camp, or drowned in de creek. I heard tell dey was fixin to burn him, de reason he run away, guess I would of too iffin my Marster was mean to me. Don't member too much bout de war. Young marster went, but old marster stayed home to see atter de farm and de women's and childerns and de slaves. Member runnin to de fence and peepin through de cracks at de long line of soldiers when dey marched through de country, wid all de horns blowin, and de flags wavin. Boy dey was sho pretty. Member we didn't have much to eat, nearly all de supplies had to be sent to de men dat was fightin, but we had all de fish we could git, and all de wild birds and rabbits and things, so we got along alright. Member maw stayin up lots of nights, nearly all de night, spinnin and weavin for de soldiers, makin socks and shirts. Marster sent lots of cow hides to a man what made lots of shoes for de fightin men. Lots of peoples died cause dey didn't have nouf to eat and wear, and sometimes de weather was so bad, something like we been havin lately, rainin all de time and cold. Never will forgit when marster said all de niggers was freed. Marster got a letter from somebody, tellin him young marster was real sick abed in Louisiana. He took one of de niggers and started in a wagon atter him. He told us we was all free to do what we wanted to, but he wanted us all to stay, on de farm till he got back, and help wid de work. We all stayed, don't know as any of em left; we was all willin to stay and help. We all loved Marster Jim and young marster too; jist befo Marster Jim left, he come up to me and said, "Charlie , you is gittin to be a big boy now, and I is askin you to stay and be good, and allus bring in de wood, and water and help git nouf wood sawed up to last all night, and iffen you will, I'se gonna bring you something from town from de store when I come back." I stayed long wid de other slaves, and we all worked hard all de time he was gone, and when he come back, he brought everybody on de farm something from town. He brought me a pair of real pants, real town made pants. Never did have none befo. Allus wored home made pants, most of de time jist made outten old cloth done wored by somebody else. Was I proud of my pants, jist as proud as I could be, and I never did wear dem pants but what I thought of old marster.
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