SARAH HARRIS                 0086-NC/#022                                    014
          "SARAH HARRIS IS MY NAME.  I WUZ BORNED APRIL 1861, ON DE PLANTATION O
F MASTER JOHN WALTON.  MY FATHER WUZ NAME FRANK WALTON AND MY MOTHER WUZ NAME FL
ORA WALTON.  MY BROTHERS WUZ NAME LANG AND JOHNNY.  MY SISTERS: HANNAH, MARY, EL
LEN, VIOLET AND ANNIE.  MY GRANDMOTHER WUZ NAME ELLEN WALTON.  SHE WUZ ONE HUNDR
ED AND FOUR YEARS OLD WHEN SHE DIED.  MY MOTHER WUZ ONE HUNDRED AND THREE YEARS
OLD WHEN SHE DIED;  SHE HAS BEEN DEAD THREE YEARS.  SHE DIED IN OCTOBER, THREE Y
EARS THIS PAS' OCTOBER.
          "I 'MEMBER SEEING THE YANKEES.  I WUZ NOT AFRAID OF 'EM, I THOUGHT DEY
 WERE THE PRETTIEST BLUE MENS I HAD EVER SEED.  I CAN SEE HOW DE CHICKENS AND GU
INEAS FLEW AND RUN FROM 'EM.  DE YANKEES KILLES 'EM AND GIVE PART OF 'EM TO THE
COLORED FOLKS.  MOST OF DE WHITE FOLKS HAD RUN OFF AND HID.
          "I CAN'T READ AND WRITE.  I NEBBER HAD NO CHANCE.
          "DE YANKEES HAD THEIR CAMPS ALONG THE FAYETTEVILLE ROAD.
          "DEY CALLED US DINAH, SAM, AND OTHER NAMES.
          "DEY LATER HAD DE PLACE DEY CALL DE BUREAU.  WHEN WE LEFT DE WHITE FOL
KS WE HAD NOTHING TO EAT.  DE NIGGERS WAIT THERE AT DE BUREAU AND THEY GIVE 'EM
HARD TACK, WHITE POTATOES, AND SALTPETER MEAT.  OUR WHITE FOLKS GIVE US GOOD THI
NGS TO EAT, AND I CRIED EVERY DAY AT TWELVE O'CLOCK TO GO HOME.  YES, I WANTED T
O GO BACK TO MY WHITE FOLKS; THEY WERE GOOD TO US.  I WOULD SAY, 'PAPA LE'S GO H
OME, I WANT TO GO HOME.  I DON'T LIKE THIS SUMPTIN' TO EAT.'  HE WOULD SAY, "DON
'T CRY, HONEY, LE'S STAY HERE, DEY WILL SEN' YOU TO SCHOOL."
          "WE HAD NOTHING TO EAT 'CEPT WHAT DE YANKEES GIVE US.  BUT MISTER BILL
 R WRD GIVE *Y FA,HER AND MOTHER WORK.  YES, HE WUZ A SOUTHERN MAN, ONE O' OU
R WHITE FOLKS.  DADDY WUZ HIS BUTCHER.  MY MOTHER WUZ HIS COOK.  WE WERE TURNED
OUT WHEN DEY FREED US WITH NO HOMES AND NUTHIN'.  MASTER SAID HE WUZ SORRY HE DI
DN'T GIVE US NIGGERS PART OF HIS LAN'
          "WHILE I WUZ BIG ENOUGH TO WORK I WORKED FOR PORTER STEADMAN.  I GOT T
WENTY FIVE CENTS A WEEK AND BOARD.  WE HAD A GOOD HOME THEN.  I JUST SHOUTED WHE
N I GOT DAT TWENTY FIVE CENT, AND I JUST RUN, I COULDN'T RUN FAS' ANUFF TO GIT T
O MY MOTHER TO GIVE DAT MONEY TO HER.  MY FATHER DIED, AND MY MOTHER BOUGHT A HO
ME.  SHR GOT HER FIRST MONEY TO BUY DE HOME BY WORKING FOR DE MAN WHO GIVE HER W
ORK AFTER DE SURRENDER.  THE FIRST MONEY SHE SAVED TO PUT ON DE HOME WUZ A DIME.
  SOME WEEKS SHE ONLY SAVED FIVE CENTS.  LAN' SOLD  FUR TEN DOLLARS A ACRE DEN.
          "JUST AFTER DE WAR DE WHITE AND COLORED CHILDREN PLAYED TOGETHER.  DEY
8HAD A TENT IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.  I WUZ DE COOK FOR DE WHITE CHILLUNS PARTIES.
WE PLAYED TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME AFTER DE WAR.
          "I MARRIED SILAS COOPER OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.  HE WORKED IN THE NAVY Y
ARD.  I WUZ MARRIED IN RALEIGH.  I HAD A CHURCH WEDDING.
          "I THINK ABRAHAM LINCOLN WUZ A GREAT MAN.  HE WOULD CURE OR KILL.  BUT
 I LIKE MY OLE MASTER.  THE LORD PUT IT INTO ABRAHAM LINCOLN TO DO AS HE DONE.
THE LORD KNOWED HE WOULD BE KILLED.
         8"I THINK SLAVERY WUZ WRONG.  I HAVE A HORROR OF BEING A SLAVE.  YOU SE
E ALL DIS LAN' AROUN' HERE.  IT BELONGS TO COLORED FOLKS.  DEY WERE CUT OFF WID
NOTHIN', BUT DEY IS STRUGGLIN' AN' DEY ARE COMIN' ON FAST.  DE BIBLE SAY DAT DE
BOTTOM RAIL WILL BE ON TOP, AND IT IS COMIN' TO PASS.  SOMETIME DE COLORED RACE
WILL GIT UP.  DE BIBLE SAY SO.
          "I THINK MISTER ROOSEVELT IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MANS IN DE WORLD.  HE
WANTS TO HELP EVERYBODY.
          "I DOAN THINK MUCH OF MISTER JEFF DAVIS.  DEY USED TO SING SONGS UV HA
NGING HIM TO A APPLE TREE.  DEY SAY HE LIBED A LONG TIME ATTER DE WAR DRESSED LI
KE A 'OMAN, HE WUZ SO SKEERED."
  X   XXX
STP