I WAS BORN AT WARRENTON IN WARREN COUNTY IN 1850. MY FATHER WAS NAMED
WASHINGTON, AFTER GENERAL WASHINGTON AND MY MOTHER WAS NAMED DIASIA AFTER
A WOMAN IN A STORY. US AND ABOUT FORTY OR FIFTY SLAVES BELONGED TO MISTER
RICHARD BOBBIT AND WE WORKED HIS FOUR HUNDRED ACRES OF LAND FOR HIM. I
JUST HAD ONE BROTHER NAMED CLAY,AFTER HENRY CLAY, WHICH SHOWS HOW MASTER
DICK VOTED, AND DELILAH, WHICH SHOWS DAT OLD MISTRESS READ THE BIBLE.
WE FARMED, MAKING TOBACCO, COTTON, CORN, WHEAT AND POTATOES. MASTER DICK
HAD A WHOLE PASSEL OF FINE HORSES AND OUR SUNDAY JOB WAS TO TAKE CARE OF
THEM, AND CLEAN UP AROUND THE HOUSE. YEA MAM, WE WORKED SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
FROM SUNUP TILL SUNDOWN 6 DAYS, AND FROM SEVEN TILL THREE OR FOUR ON A
SUNDAY. WE DIDNT HAVE MANY TEAR-DOWNS AND PRAYER MEETINGS AND SUCH, CAUSE
THE FUSS DISTURBED OLE MISSUS WHO WAS KIND OF SICKLY. WHEN WE DID HAVE
SOMETHING WE TURNED DOWN A BIG WASH POT IN FRONT OF THE DOOR, AND IT TOOK
UP THE FUSS, AND FOLKS IN THE YARD CANT HEAR THE FUSS. THE PATROLLERS
WOULD GET YOU IF YOU WENT OFF THE PREMISES WITHOUT A PASS, AND THEY
SAID THAT THEY WOULD BEAT YOU SCANDELOUS. I SAW A FELLER THAT THEY BEAT
ONCE AND HE HAD SCARS AS BIG AS MY FINGERS ALL OVER HIS BODY. I GOT ONE
WHIPPING THAT I REMEMBER, AND THAT WAS JUST A MIDDLING ONE. THE MASTER
TOLD ME TO PICK COTTON AND I SAT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE AND DIDNT WORK A
SPECK. THE OVERSEER COME AND HE FLAILED ME WITH A COTTON STALK; HE WAS A
HEAP MEANER TO THE NIGGERS THAN MASTER DICK WAS. I SAW SOME NIGGERS WHAT
WAS BEAT BAD, BUT I AINT NEVER HAD NO BAD BEATING. WE LIVED IN LOG HOUSES
WITH SAND FLOORS AND STICK AND DIRT CHIMNEYS AND WE WERENT ALLOWED TO
HAVE NO GARDEN, NOR CHICKENS, NOR PIGS. WE AINT HAD NO WAY OF MAKING
MONEY AND THE FUN WAS ONLY MIDDLING. WE HAD TO STEAL WHAT RABBITS WE ATE
FROM SOMEBODY ELSES BOXES ON SOME OTHER PLANTATION, CAUSE THE MASTER WOULD
NOT LET US HAVE NONE OF OUR OWN,AND WE AINT HAD NO TIME TO HUNT OR FISH.
NOW TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD GET A WHIPPING FOR, THAT WAS FOR
HAVING A PENCIL AND A PIECE OF PAPER OR A SLATE. IF YOU JUST LOOKED LIKE
YOU WANTED TO LEARN TO READ OR WRITE YOU GOT A LICKING. THERE WAS TWO
COLORED WOMEN LIVED NEAR US AND THEY WAS CALLED FREE ISSUES, BUT THEY WAS
REALLY WITCHES. I AINT REALLY SEEN THEM DO NOTHING BUT I HEARD A WHOLE
LOT ABOUT THEM PUTTING SPELLS ON FOLKS AND I SAW TRACKS WHERE THEY HAD
RIDDEN MASTER DICKS HORSES AND EVERY MORNING THE HORSES MANES AND TAILS
WOULD BE ALL TWISTED AND KNOTTED UP. I KNOW THAT THEY DONE THAT CAUSE I
SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES. THEY DOCTORED LOTS OF PEOPLE AND OUR FOLKS AINT
NEVER HAD NO DOCTOR FOR NOTHING THAT HAPPEN. YOU WAS ASKING ABOUT THE
SLAVE SALES, AND I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT I HAS SEEN SOME REAL SALES AND I
HAVE SEEN NIGGERS, WHOLE BUNCHES OF THEM, GOING TO RICHMOND TO BE SOLD.
HAVE SEEN NIGGERS, WHOLE BUNCHES OF THEM, GOING TO RICHMOND TO BE SOLD.
THEY WAS MOSTLY CHAINED, CAUSE THEY WAS NEW TO THE BOSS, AND HE DONT KNOW
WHAT TO EXPECT. I HAVE SEEN SOME REAL SALES IN WARRENTON TOO, AND THE
MAMMIES WOULD BE SOLD FROM THEIR CHILDREN AND THERE WOULD BE A WHOLE HEAP
OF CRYING AND MOURNING ABOUT IT. I TELL YOU FOLKS AINT LIKE THEY USED TO
BE,ESPECIALLY NIGGERS. USED TO BE WHEN A NIGGER CRIES HE WHOOPS AND
GROANS AND HOLLERS AND HIS WHOLE BODY ROCKS, AND THAT AM THE WAY THEY DONE
SOMETIME AT THE SALES. SPEAKING ABOUT HAINTS, I HAVE SEEN A WHOLE LOT OF
THINGS BUT THE WORST THAT EVER HAPPEN WAS ABOUT TWENTY YEARS AGO WHEN A
HAINT'S HAND HIT ME SIDE OF THE HEAD. I BET THAT HAND WEIGHED A HUNDRED
POUNDS AND IT WAS A COLD AS ICE. I AINT BEEN ABLE TO WORK FOR SEVEN DAYS
AND NIGHTS AND I STILL CANT TURN MY HEAD FAR TO THE LEFT AS YOU SEE.  I
RECKON ABOUT THE FUNNIEST THING ABOUT OUR PLANTATION WAS THE MARRYING. A
COUPLE GOT MARRIED BY SAYING THAT THEY WAS, BUT IT COULD NOT LAST FOR
LONGER THAN FIVE YEARS. THAT WAS SO IF ONE OF THEM GOT TOO WEAKLY TO HAVE
CHILDREN THE OTHER ONE COULD GET HIM ANOTHER WIFE OR HUSBAND. I
I REMEMBER THE DAY MIGHTY  WELL WHEN THE YANKEES COME. MASTER DICK HE
WALKED THE FLOOR AND CUSSED SHERMAN FOR TAKING HIS NIGGERS AWAY. ALL OF
WALKED THE FLOOR AND CUSSED SHERMAN FOR TAKING HIS NIGGERS AWAY. ALL OF
THE NIGGERS LEFT, OF COURSE, AND ME, I WALKED CLEAN TO RALEIGH TO FIND
OUT IF I WAS REALLY FREE, AND I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND HALF OF IT. WELL THE
FIRST YEAR I SLEPT IN FOLKS WOODHOUSES AND BARNS AND IN THE WOODS OR ANY
WHERE ELSE I COULD FIND. I WORKED HEAR AND THERE, BUT THE FOLKS JUST GAVE
ME SOMETHING TO EAT AND MY CLOTHES WAS IN STRINGS BEFORE THE SPRING OF THE
YEAR. YOU ASK ME WHAT I THINK OF MASTER LINCOLN? WELL, I THINK THAT HE
WAS DOING THE WORST THING THAT HE COULD TO TURN ALL THEM FOOL NIGGERS
LOOSE WHEN THEY AINT GOT NO PLACE TO GO AND NOTHING TO EAT. WHO HELPED US
OUT THEN? IT WA NOT THE YANKEES, IT WAS THE WHITE FOLKS WHAT WAS LEFT
WITH THEIR CROPS IN THE FIELDS AND WAS ROBBED BY THEM YANKEES TO BOOT. MY
OLD MASTER, FOR INSTANCE, WAS ROBBED OF HIS FINE HORSES AND HIS FEED
STUFF AND ALL THEM KEGS OF LIQUOR THAT HE DONE MAKE HIMSELF, BESIDES HIS
MONEY AND SILVER. SLAVERY WAS A GOOD THING THEN, BUT THE WORLD JUST GOT
BETTER AND OUTGROWED IT.