FANNY JOHNSON                1157-ARK/#062                                   04
2
         YES MA'AM. I REMEMBERS THE DAYS OF SLAVERY. I WSA TURNED FIVE YEARS OLD
WHEN THE WAR RUSHING. NO MA'AM, I DIDN'T SEE MUCH OF THE YANKEES. THEY DIDN'T CO
ME THRU BUT TWICE. WAS I AFRAID? NO MA'AM. I WAS TOO BUSY TO BE SCARED. I WAS TO
O BUSY LOOKING AT THE BUTTONS THEY WORE. UNTIL THEY WENT IN MASTER'S SMOKE HOUSE
. THEN I QUIT LOOKING AND STARTED HOLLERING. BUT, I'LL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THAT L
ATER.
         MY FOLKS ALL COME FROM MARYLAND. THEY WAS SOLD TO A MAN NAMED WOODFORK
AND BROUGHT TO NASHVILLE. THE WOODFORK COLORED FOLKS WAS ALWAYS TREATED GOOD. MA
STER USED TO BUY UP LOTS OF PLANTATIONS. ONCE HE BOUGHT ONE IN VIRGINIA WITH ALL
THE SLAVES ON THE PLACE . HE DIDN'T BELIEVE IN SEPARATING FAMILIES. HE DIDN'T BE
LIEVE IN DIVIDING MOTHER FROM HER BABY.
         BUT THEY DID TAKE THEM AWAY FROM THEIR BABIES. I REMEMBER MY GRjNDMOTHE
R TELLING ABOUT IT. THE WAGON WOULD DRIVE DOWN INTO THE FIELD AND PICK UP A WOMA
N. THEN SOMEBODY WOULD MEET HER AT THE GATE AND SHE WOULD NURSE HER  BABY FOR TH
E LAST TIME. THEN SHE'D HAVE TO GO ON. LEASTWISE, IF THEY HADN'T SOLD HER BABY T
OO.
         IT WAS PRETTY AWFUL. BUT I DON'T HOLD NO GRUDGE AGArNST jNYkODY. WHITE
OR BLACK, THERE'S GOOD FOLKS IN ALL KINDS. I DON'T HOLD NOTHING AGAINST NOBODY.
THE GOOD LORD KNOWS WHAT HE IS ABOUT. MOST OF THE TIME IT WAS JUST FINE ON ANY W
OODFORK PLACE. MASTER HAD SO MANY PLACES HE COULDN'T BE AT 'EM ALL. WE LIVED DOW
N ON THE BORDER, ON THE ARKANSAS-LOUISIANA LINE SORT OF JOINING TO GRAND LAKE. M
ASTER WAS UP AT NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE. MOST OF THE TIME THE OVERSEERS WAS GOOD TO
US.
         BUT IT WASN'T THAT WAY ON ALL THE PLANTATIONS. ON THE NEXT ONE THEY W S
MEAN. WHY YOU COULD HEAR THE SOUND OF THE STRAP FOR TWO BLOCKS. NO THERE WASN'T
JNY BLOCKS. BUT YOU COULD HEAR IT THAT FAR. THE "NIGAH DRIVAH" WOULD STAND AND H
 T THEM WITH A WIDE STRAP. THE OVERSEER WOULD STAND OFF AND SPLIT THE BLISTERS W
I
TH A BULL WHIP. SOME THEY WHIPPED SO HARD THEY HAD TO CARRY THEM IN. JUST ONCE D
ID ANYBODY ON THE WOODFORK PLACE GET WHIPPED THAT WAY.
         WE NEVER KNEW QUITE WHAT HAPPENED. BUT MY GRANDMOTHER THOUGHT THAT THE
COLORED MAN WHAT TOOK DOWN THE AGES OF THE CHILDREN SO THEY'D KNOW WHEN TO SEND
THEM TO THE FIELD MUST HAVE WROTE MASTER. ANYBODY ELSE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT. AN
YHOW, MASTER WROTE BACK A LETTER AND SAID, 'I BOUGHT MY BLACK FOLKS TO WORK, NOT
TO BE KILLED." AND THE OVERSEER DIDN'T DARE DO SO ANY MORE.
         NO MA'AM, I NEVER WORKED IN THE FIELD. I WASN'T OLD ENOUGH. YOU SEE I H
ELPED MY GRANDMOTHER. SHE IS THE ONE WHO TOOK CARE OF THE BABIES. ALL THE WOMEN
FROM THE LOWER END WOULD BRING THEIR BABIES TO THE UPPER END FOR HER TO LOOK AFT
ER WHILE THEY WAS IN THE FIELD. WHEN I GOT OLD ENOUGH, I USED TO HELP ROCK THE C
RADLES. WE USED TO HAVE LOTS OF BABIES TO TEND. THE WOMEN USED TO SLIP IN AND NU
RSE THEIR BABIES. IF THE OVERSEER THOUGHT THEY STAYED TOO LONG HE USED TO COME I
N AND WHIP THEM OUT -- OUT TO THE FIELDS. BUT THEY WAS GOOD TO US, JUST THE SAME
. WE HAD PLENTY TO WEAR AND LOTS TO EAT AND GOOD CABINS TO LIVE IN. ALL OF THEM
WASN'T THAT WAY THOUGH.
         I REMEMBER THE WOMEN ON THE NEXT PLANTATION USED TO SLIP OVER AND GET S
 OMETHING TO EAT FROM US. THE WOODFORK COLORED FOLKS WAS ALWAYS WELL TOOK CARE O
F
. OUT WHITE FOLKS WAS GOOD TO US. DURING THE WEEK THERE WAS SOMEBODY TO COOK FOR
 US. ON SUNDAY ALL OF THEM COOKED IN THEIR CABINS AND THEY HAD PLENTY. THE WOMEN
ON THE NEXT PLANTATION, EVEN WHEN THEY WAS GETTING READY TO HAVE BABIES DIDN'T S
EEM TO GET ENOUGH TO EAT. THEY USED TO SLIP OFF AT NIGHT AND COME OVER TO OUR PL
ACE. THE WOODFORK PEOPLE NEVER HAD TO GO NOWHERE FOR FOOD. OUR WHITE FOLKS TREAT
ED US REAL GOOD.
         DIDN'T MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE WHEN THE WAR STARTED RUSHING. WE DIDN'T SEE
 ANY FIGHTING. I TOLD YOU THE YANKEES COME THRU TWICE -- LET ME GO BACK A SPELL.
         WE HAD LOTS OF BARRELS OF LOUISIANA MOLASSES. WE COULD EAT ALL WE WjNcE
D. WHEN THE BARRELS WAS EMPTY, WE CHILDREN WAS LET SCRAPE THEM. LAWSEY, I USED T
 GET INSIDE THE BARREL AND SCRAPE AND SCRAPE AND SCRAPE UNTIL THERE WAsN'T jNY2S
WEETNESS LEFT.
         WE WAS ALLOWED TO DO ALL SORTS OF OTHER THINGS TOO.-LrKE THnRE WAS-LOTS
 OF PECANS DOWN IN THE SWAMPS. THE BOYS AND GIRLS TOO FOR THAT-MATTnR f S&jLLOfE
D TO PICK THEM AND SELL THEM TO THE RIVER BOATS WHAT COME ALONG. THE MEN WAS LET
 CUT CORD WOOD AND SELL IT TO THE BOATS. FLAT BOATS THEY WAS. THERE WAS REGULAR
STORES ON THEM. YOU COULD BUY GLOVES AND HATS AND LOTS OF THINGS. THEY WOULD BUR
N THE WOOD ON THE BOAT AND CARRY THE NUTS UP NORTH TO SELL. BUT ME, I LIKED THE
SUGAR BARREL BEST.
         WHEN THE YANKEES COEM THRU, I WASN'T SCARED. I WAS TOO BUSY LOOKING AT
$HE BRIGHT BUTTONS ON THEIR COATS. I EDGED CLOSER AND CLOSER. ALL THEY DID WAS L
 AUGH. BUT I KEPT LOOKING AT THEM. UNTIL THEY WENT INTO THE SMOKE HOUSE. THEN I
T
URNED LOOSE AND HOLLERED. I HOLLERED BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY WAS GOING TO TAKE AL
 MASTER'S SIRUP. I DIDN'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN. NO MA'AM THEY DIDN'T TAKE NOTHING
. NEITHER TIME THEY CAME.
         AFTER THE WAR WAS OVER THEY TOOK US DOWN THE RIVER TO THE BEND. IT WAS
NEAR WICKSBURG -- AN ALL DAY'S RIDE. THERE THEY PUT US ON A PLANTATION AND TOOK
CARE OF US. IT WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFULEST PLACE I EVER SEE. ALL THE CABINS WAS WH
ITEWASHED GOOD. THE TREES WAS BIG AND THE WHOLE PLACE WAS JUST LO ELY. IT WAS OL
D MAN JEFF DAVIS' PLACE.
         THEY FED US GOOD, GAVE US LOTS TO EAT. THEY SnNT uP-NORTH, THE Yj kE S
DID, AND GOT A YOUNG WHITE LADY TO COME DOWN AND TEACH US. I DIDN'T LEARN NOTHIN
G. THEY HAD OUR SCHOOL NEAR WHAT WAS THE GRAVE YARD. I DIDN'T LEARN CAUSE I WAS
TOO BUSY LOOKING AROUND AT THE TOMBSTONES. THEY WAS BEAUTIFUL. THEY LOOKED JUST
LIKE FOLKS TO ME. LOOKS LIKE I OUGHT HAVE LEARNED. THEY WAS MIGHTY GOOD TO SEND
SOMEBODY DOWN TO LEARN US THAT WAY. I OUGHT HAVE LEARNED, IT LOOKS UNGRATEFUL, B
UT I DIDN'T.
         MY MOTHER DIED ON THAT PLACE. IT WAS A MIGHTY NICE PLACE.-LATnR-ON fE&C
OME TO ARKANSAS. WE FARMED. LOOKED LIKE IT WAS ALL WE KNOWED HOW TO DO. WE WORKE
D AT LOTS OF PLACES. ONE TIME WE WORKED FOR A MAN NAMED THOMAS N ALLEN. HE WAS A
T ROB REY ON THE ARKANSAS NEAR PINE BLUFF. THEN WE WORKED FOR A MAN NAMED KIMBRO
O. HE HAD A BIG PLANTATION IN JEFFERSON COUNTY. FOR FORTY YEARS WE WORKED FIRST
ONE PLACE, THEN ANOTHER.
$        AFTER THAT I WENT OUT TO OKLAHOMA. I WENT AS A lOOK. THnN I7 OT  HEIDE
 A OF FOLLOWING THE RESORT TOWNS ABOUT. IN THE SUMMER I'D GO TO EUREKA. IN THE W
I
NTER I'D COME DOWN TO HOT SPRINGS. THAT WAS THE WAY TO MAKE THE BEST MONEY. FOLK
S WHAT HAD MONEY MOVED ABOUT LIKE THAT. I DONE COOKING AT OTHER RESORTS TOO. I C
OOKED AT THE HOTEL AT WINSLOW. I DONE THAT SEVERAL SUMMERS.
         SOMEHOW I ALWAYS COME BA CK TO HOT SPRINGS. GOOD PEOPLE IN EUREKA. FrNE
ST MAN I EVER WORKED FOR -- FOR A RICH MAN WAS MISTER RIGLEY, YOU KNOW. HE WAS T
HE MAN WHO MADE CHEWING GUM. WE DIDN'T HAVE NO GAS IN EUREKA. HAD TO COOK BY WOO
D. I REMEMBER LOTS OF TIMES MISTER WRIGLEY WOULD COME OUT IN THE YARD WHERE I WA
S SPLITTING KINDLING. HE'D LAUGH AND HE'D TAKE THE AX AWAY FROM ME AND SPLIT IT
HISSELF. FINEST MAN -- FOR A RICH MAN I EVER SEE.
         COOKING AT THE HOTEL AT WINSLOW WAS NICE. THERE WAS LOTS OF FINE LADIES
WHAT WANTED TO TAKE ME HOME WITH THEM WHEN THEY WENT HOME. BUT I TOLD THEM, "NO
THANK YOU, HOT SPRINGS IS MY HOME. I'M GOING THERE THIS WINTER."
         I'M GETTING SORT OF OLD NOW. MY FEET AIN'T SO SURE AS THEY USED TO BE.
BUT I CAN GET ABOUT. I CAN GET AROUND TO COOK AND I CAN STILL SEE TO THREAD A NE
EDLE. MY DAUGHTER HAS A GOOD HOME FOR ME.
         PEOPLE IN HOT SPRINGS IS GOOD PEOPLE. THEY SEEM SORT OF FRIENDLY. FOKS
IN EUREKA DID TOO, EVEN MORE SO. BUT MAYBE IT WAS CAUSE I WAS YOUNGER THEN AND G
$T TO SEE MORE OF THEM. BUT THE LORD HAS BLESSED ME WITH A GOOD DAUGHTER. I GOT
 NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT, I DON'T HOLD GRUDGES AGAINST NOBODY. THE GOOD LORD K
N
OWS WHAT HE IS DOING.
  X   XXX
STP