|
Texas Slave Narrative
Lou Austin
"I was born in the country, four miles east of Corckett, Houston County, Texas. My Marster was Henry
Masters
, the bes' man ebber wore shoe leather, I know. He fought in de Injun wars. My ole Miss' was Louisa
Masters
. She named me atter her. Marse had five chillun by his furst wife an' five by he las', all ob 'em dead now. Dar was 'bout twenty five or thirty chillun, black an' w'ite in dat yard at one time an' dey all dead now but me. My Mammy was Julia Ann
and my Daddy was Ned Masters
. Dar was ten chillun in my Mammy's family, Becky
, Alfred
, Frieland
, Ned
, Millie
, Lewis
, me an' three dat died as babies. Mis' Louisa
allus had a hankerin' atter me from de cradle. My Gran'ma was Millie
an' my Gran'dad was Lewis Roberts
. My daddy's folks come from No'th Ca'lina. Marse Masters
had all Houston an' Crockett Counties gib him kase he fit in de Injin wars an' fit de Mexicans. De soljers got paid off in land. Marse Henry Masters
' daddy was named Jake
. W'en he died my daddy fell to his son, Marse Henry Masters
. Marse Henr
come to Texas an' fit de Injins an' Mexicans an' w'en things kinder settled down, he brung ole Mis an he slaves to Texas. My Mammy an' daddy come wid him. "I was born in January 1850. Marster Bill English,
a w'te man now, was chillun on de yards wid us. He daddy was ole Mis' brudder. She was Miss Louisa English
w'en she married Marse Henry Masters
. Marster Bill English
, he swar I'ze 87 years ole. Dat's what he put on de paper fer de ole age pension man. I married Jack Jackson
de furst time, an' he died. Den I married Dan Dean
. My third husband was Wan Austin
. De furst time I married us libed down on de ribber (Brazos) an' us traded at Waco an' Marlin. Us wukked as share croppers. "I only had one month's schoolin'. Marse Henry Masters
moved from East Texas to Mastersville, McLennan county. He had 11,000 acres ob land. Atter he died, dey changed de name of de place to Bruceville. He was de furst settler to build at Mastersville, dat's why it got its name. De stage ran in front ob he door. Hit ran from Belton to Waco right in front ob he
door. His brudder libed jes' 'cross de krik from him an' kep' de stage stand. Dat was Marse Jake Masters
, he named fer he daddy, de real ole Marse back in de ole states. Dey changed de stage hosses an' de passengers et dinner at Marse Jake's
house. Den dey'd pull out to Belton. "Dar was no settlers, cep' Marse Henry
an' Marse Jake
hardly. You could go from Waco to Belton an' I don' speck you could count five houses. Dar was nuddin' but horses an' cattle. In dem days, eny stock dat you put your brand on, dey was yourn. Marse Henry
had cullud Sam
an' he own son, Bob
, to round up an' brand cattle de year roun. Some ob de neighbors dat later moved in 'roun Mastersville, was Marsters Mixson
, Tom Cox
, Abe English
, Bill Holcomb
, Billie Jackson
, who libed whar Lorena is now. Neighbors in dem days libed from eight to twenty miles away. Marse Henry Masters
come to Mastersville befo' freedom. He brung Jake
, Sam
, Ellis
, Moore
, dem four men an' dere wives an' chillun. Dar was Aunt Julia
, an' Aunt Emmeline
'sides. Aunt Julia
an' Aunt Emmeline
spun an' wove cloth fer everyboddy on de plantation. Us gals used to hab so meny cuts of thread to spin at night. Dey ust to gib my cousin Clara an' me three cuts of thread apeice to spin in one night. I'ze so sleepy headed dat Clara
, she allus beat me. "Marse Henry
moved he spinnin' wheels an' looms from East Texas w'en he come. In fac' he move eberything. Dey come in ox waggins. De w'ite folkses come in kerridges an' buggies an' de men an' boys mos'ly on hoss back, so dey could bring Marse' fine hosses an' cattle. Dar was no roads an' de hans 'ud offen hab to camp an'
build er pole bridge to git er cross on. Marse Henry
had de lumber to build he big house at Mastersville hauled in ox waggins from de piney woods in East Texas. Hit was a two-story, white house wid nine er ten rooms. Ob course, at furst he had a double log cabin built to lib in till he git ebery thing fer de big house."Marse Jake
Masters was already here in McLennan County, an' I specs dat hit was on 'count ob he tales dat Marse Henry
up an' lef' East Texas. De Quarters fer de slaves was in behime de big house. Dey was one-room log cabins wid board roofs an' no windows, an' er stick an' dirt chimbly. Some ob 'em had split picket fences, effen de husban' he git ambi'shus nuff to cut dem palins. My Mammy was de boss cook fer Marse
Henry
. Dey all, black an' w'ite, cooked on fire places. C'ose w'en eny ob de w'ite folkses brung stoves inter de houses, Marse Henry, he ain't gwine be behime de res' an' he git one too. Fust stove I ebber seed, Marse Henry
brung hit ter de big house. Him an' de boys had er time er gittin' de pipe up an' den Mis' Louisa
an' Mammy, dey feared to light hit fer fear hit 'ud blow up. But twarn't long till dey had dat piece ob fernichure mastered. I 'members atter Miss Sissy Jane
, Marse Henry's
daughter, married dey cook cooked on de fire place a long time 'fore dar was eny stoves. "De w'ite folkses had one great big garden an' de sarbants an' ebery boddy git all dey wants ob vegetables an' water melons. De orchards dey nebber was eny good lak dat back in East Texas. An' Marse
Henry
he brung trees, an' brung trees from back dar, but hit ain't no good. Dey nebber did habe fruit lak back dar. In East Texas us had figs, cherries, apples, an' peaches ter throw away. "De whole prairie was full ob wild chickens an' de woods was full ob antelope, turkeys, an' bears. De las' bar I 'member
was w'en us libed at what is now Mooreville, den hit was Bruceville. My husban' an' de chillun an' me was gone to church. W'en us git back from Meetin' de folkses had been a bar huntin' an us had bar meat fer mos' er week. Dar was painters too (Panthers), in dem bottoms. One ob de negro wimmin' dat libed
neighbors to us said she was huntin' turkey eggs down in de bottom an' she heard a child er cryin'. She kep' followin' dat cry an' bye-me-bye she git close to er thicket. An' a painter jump on her. Dey fought, her an' dat painter, an she jes' gibbed 'tirely out; an' she drap down. An' she close her eyes; he
come smell ob her, den he dig er hole an' brug her inter hit. She so scairt she jes hole her bref' an' close her eyes. Den de painter went off tru de brush' er callin' he mate. An' she says ter herself 'I gotter git outten hear 'fore he git back'. An' she scramble an' drawl an' git home finally. But she so
tore up an' so weak dat she ain't outter her bed fer er week. "Dar was er lot ob desperadoes in dis country in dem days. 'Bout de year 1865, Bruceville or as dey call hit den, Mastersville was de only village in de southern part of dis county. By dat year, right atter de war ob freedom, dar was a store,
a blacksmith shop an' dat was de town. Dar was a grove ob libe oak trees kinder out on de edge ob town an' dey had dere church under dem trees fer some time. Endurin' de war ob freedom, de bushwhackers, deserters from de army an' other bad men jes' nacherly drifted inter de country. Marster
Tom Cox
an Marster Henry Williams
had 'em some dogs dat dey trained to run niggers an' ter help in deer hunts. De outlaws had er camp hid in de upper thickets on South Cow Bayou. An' Marster Cox's dog trailed er antelope inter de outlaws camp. Dey knew de dog an' thot Marse Cox atter dem. Dey writ er note an' lot ob 'em sign hit an' den dey
lef' in er store on Rat Row in Waco. Dey was er warnin' Marse Cox
to lebe 'em erlone er dey gwine shoot he hide full ob holes. De store keeper he sont de note ter Marse Cox
an' he an he frens' answer hit. De outlaws dey moved down to Owl Creek beyon' de Leon Ribber
. Marse Henry
had er lot ob cattle. Atter de freedom war, he took de cattle to Kansas fer ter sell 'em. He had a lot ob hosses too. He sont de hosses ter Galvez. Dat black Sam
he had er lot ter do wid de hosses an' cattle. He'd cut de hosses' tails an' make rope outtern de har. But dat black boy was shore full ob debblement. Come night time, an' held cotch him up a horse to ride. He'd go rarin' all ober de country. W'en dat hoss 'ud git tired, he'd cotch him anodder an' ride till
day light. One day Mammy was in de kitchen er cookin' an' ole Mis' Louisa she come to der door. Marse he in nodder door. Mis she ask whar Sam
an' Moore
? An' Marse he say 'Dey in dar etin' dere brekfas'.' She say 'Dey jes' got in come daylight, in time ter git dere brekfas'. I bet dey bin' ridin' hosses agin.' Marse, he jes' laff an' laff'. Sam
an' Moore
allus git in time to git ter de fiel'. Marse, he know whar dey bin. He gal, Mis' Lucy
, my young Mis', she 'ud write Sam
an' Moore
a pass. De patty-rollers, dey try an' try ter cotch dem black hellions widout dere pass, but no good. Mis' Louisa say our neighbors all call dem Marsters' free niggers.' "On de day Marse Henry Masters
tell de sarvants dey free, he jes' call 'em togedder an' he tell dem dey was free. Nebber gibed 'em noddin'. Dey didn't git what de Children of Izre'l got, dey was sont fo'th to make dere way barefoot an' almos' nakkid. Marse say 'Now you all free as I am an' doze dat want ter stay wid me, come up an' tell
me and de odders go way.' "I nebber saw him whip a servant an' nebber heard of him havin' one whipped. Oh, chilluns, you know how dey is, dey got ter hab dere hide loosened iffen dey gwine grow up right. But Mammy an' de odder sarvants whipped dem, white an' cullud. You see, de sarvants dey had to look
atter de w'ite one er growin' up same as de cullud. An' effen dey didn' make 'em mind den dey grow up no-'count. Marse Henry
was he own ober seer. Mammy stayed wid him awhile atter freedom. Us all, white an' black, wore home made close. C'ose de Masters family had store close too. Us wimmin had blue, brown er white dresses. All de black chillun wore long shirts an you couldn't tell er gal from er boy till dey git 'bout fo'teen.
"Majer George Erath
was big friends wid de Masters boys. He surveyed de lan fer dem 'roun ole Mastersville. Marster Joseph Naler
an' he son come from back in Ge'gia an' dey settled whar de town of Moody now is. Marse Joe Naler
had him a big rock house built up on a big hill. Dat house is dar right today. Mr. J. D. Reynolds
was born in dis house an' he was sixty-eight years ole tother day. Den dar was de Connallys
. Marster Tom Connally
, de Senator, he daddy libed 'bout whar de town ob Eddy is now. Marse Tom's nuss boy libes at Eddy now. He name Steve Connally
. Den dar was Marster Bob McClain's
fambly, dey libed over near what is Moody now. Marse Bob McClain
, he de Dist'ct Clerk ober in de County C'ote House dis day. An' den dar was Gubbernor Neff's
fambly. Dey libed 'bout eight miles west of whar Moody is now. All on dem folkses come to Marse Henry's
ter de big goin's on. "No ma'am, dere wan't no mills nowhere roun Masterville is de furst times. Fer some time atter us move dar, Marse Henry
sont wheat an' meal ober de ribber (Brazos), ter de Towash mill ter be groun' on de Dyer water mill. Den dey got er mill at Waco. Dar was a ferry 'cross de ribber in dem days. Den de Earls
an odder folkses git tired ob dat an' dey build a bridge. Dat's de 'spension bridge. Fer a long time, folkses jes shore dat ar bridge gwine kallapse. But one time a whole herd ob steers stampede an git jammed on hit at one time. Atter dat, dey 'cides hit gwinter stan' er lot. Hit was a toll bridge at furst.
I'ze crossed hit meny er time. "W'en I gits de misery in my back, I puts terpentime on a string an' tie it 'roun my leg an' purty soon hit's all right. "W'en you shiver, dar's a rabbit er runnin' ober your grave, shore's you born. "Dat blue-winged, long
fly, he a snake doctor. Don't kill him Miss, case he cures de snake when he gits hurt. Effen you turn ober an old stump an' finds er ole stump tail moccasin er takin' a nap, an' you gits you a stick an' beats him up, den you go off, dat snake doctor, he come er-long an' he fan dat snake an' blow on him an'
purty soon, de snake he crawl in de water an' he's all right. De onlest way ter keep a snake dead an' ter keep dat snake doctor from bringin' him alive agin' is ter cutt off dat snake's head. "Ole Jim
, he a lazy, slick nigger. Effen he can't cotch a wild turkey er a 'possum he gwine git one ob Marse's pigs. One time dough, he mos' night git heself cooked 'stead ob de pig. He went huntin' an' didn't cotch noddin', so he gits a pig outten de pen. 'Bout midnight he started ter cook hit. He lit er light an' Marse
Henry
he happen' ter be awake an' see de light. He think maybe some one sick, so he slips down to Jim's
cabin. Jim
had de pig under he arm er fixin' ter kill hit, w'en he heard Marse Henry
comin'. Jim stuck de pig in de hen house. Marse come er knockin' at de door an' ax is eny one sick. Jim
say 'No.' Jes den de chickens dey git 'roused an' de pig grunts. Marse he heard de soun' but he can't quite tell what it is. He say 'Jim
, dars a fox atter your chickens.' Jim
, he say 'No, Marse, dat's a sick rooster; he jes' er floppin' 'roun.' Den Marse he say he gwine see. So Jim
, say 'Marse, dat rooster gwine git out effen you open dat door, an' den he slip away an' die 'cause I can't fin' him in de dark ter doctor him. But Marse he go on out to der hen house. Den Jim
say 'All right, open de door, kotch dat fox effen you can, but you ain' gwine cotch me.' An' off he run.
"A song dat us servants ust ter sing was "Jesus Gonner Make Up My Dying Bed." it goes something lak dis: "When you hear dat I'm dyin' I don' want you to be afraid,
All I want my friens ter do Is take de pillow from under my head. Well, well, well, so I kin' die easy Well, well, well, so I kin' die easy Well, well, well, so I kin' die easy Jesus Gonner Make Up My Dyin' Bed. "Atter de reg'lar preachin' us'd gather fer a ring shout an' sing:
"Sit down, sister, sit down, walk right in an' sit down. W'en I gits ter heaben, gwine ter sit down, sit down an' res' er little w'ile; My Laws tol' me fer ter sit down, sit down an' res' a little w'ile. De folks 'ud git in er ring
an' march 'roun in time ter der singin' an den w'en dey git wa'amed up, dey shout an' clap an' dance an' sing. Some on 'em 'ud git weak an' drop down den de odders 'ud keep on wid de singin' till mos' come day. Some on de w'ite folkses 'ud whip dar sarbants effen dey cotch dem at er ring shout meetin'. But
dey shore had er big time down in de thickets an' in de deep woods. "I don' 'member clear meny ob de songs but I allus had a hanker in' fer dis one: "I wrastled wid Satan, I wrastled wid sin Stepped ober hell an' come back agin'. Isiah mounted on
de wheel ob time Spoke ter God A-mighty 'way down de line. Oh hear dat lumberin' thunder a-roll from door to door, A-callin' de people home to God, dey'll git home bye-me-bye.
Dey crucified my Lawd, an' He nebber say a mumblin' word Dey crucified my Lawd, an' He nebber say a mumblin' word Not a word, not a word-not a word. De blood come twinklin' down an' He nebber say a mumblin' word De
blood come twinklin' down an' He nebber say a mumblin' word Not a word, not a word---not a word. "De folks on de plantation liked to sing dis one, an' my Daddy shore could make it ring: "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child Sometimes I
feel like a motherless child Sometimes I feel like a motherless child A long ways from home. Sometimes I feel like an eagle in de air Some-a dese mornin's bring an' fair I'ze gwine to lay down my heavy load Goin' to spread my wings an' cleave de air. Anodder
song dey used at de ring shouts was dis one: "Sister, you better min' how you walk on de cross Yo' foot might slip an' you soul git los'. De debbil am a liar an' a kunjurer too, Effen yo' don' look out, he'll kunjur you too. "Har
some ob de songs my Gran'mammy ust ter teach us to sing w'en us was little er playin' on de yard; I'ze mos' forgot dem but I kin 'member some ob dem. C'ose us sings some ob de line ober an' ober wid jes a kinder change in de tune, you know, high an' den low, an' sech.
"Oh, I want two wings ter veil my face, Oh, I want two wings to fly away, Oh, I want two wings to veil my face, Oh, I want two wings ter fly away.
Oh, meet me Jesus, meet me Lawd, meet me in de middle ob de air An' if my two wings should fail me, Lawd, I'll hitch on anodder pair. "My Lawd calls me, see can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump for joy, see can't you jump fer joy. Brother
can't you jump fer joy, can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy. Way down in de valley I kneel and pray. Sister can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer
joy. I pray all night, an' I pray all day, sister can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy. Chillun can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump for joy, see can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy.
My Saviour's voice done bid me rise, chillun can't you jump fer joy, see
can't you jump fer joy, see can't you jump fer joy.
"I been in de storm so long, I been in de storm so long, chillun I been in de storm so long Oh, gimme er little time to pray; Oh, let me tell you mother jus' how I come erlong, Oh, gimme er little time to pray.With a hung down head an' an achin' heart, Oh,
gimme er little time ter pray.
BACK TO TEXAS "A" SLAVE NARRATIVE INDEX
|