JAKE MCLEOD SOUTH CAROLINA NO.107 AGE-83 8YOU SEE6>HAT O OR I A*. I6WAS ORN IN $YN.[B !,2 O ,H3C NA3,(E3 r E ENTH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 1854. I WAS BORN ON DE MCLEOD PLACE. MY GRANDPARENTS WER E BORN ON THE MCLEOD PLACE TOO. MY WHITE FOLKS, THEY DIDNT SELL AND BUY SLAVES AND THAT IS HOW-COME MY GRANDFATHER RILEY MCLEOD FELL TO FRANK MCLEOD AND GRAN DMOTHER FELL TO DE MCRAES. MY BOSS GIVE MY GRANDFATHER TO HIS SISTER, CAROLINA, 6>+OHAD MARRIED A MCRAE, SO THEY WOULDNT BE SEPARATED. THEY TOOK THEM AND WEN T TO FLORIDA AND WHEN THE YANKEES CAME TO FLORIDA, THEY HITCHED UP THE TEAMS AND OFFERED TO BRING THEM BACK TO SOUTH CAROLINA. SOME OF MY UNCLES AND AuN S3Cj E BACK, BUT MY GRANDFATHER AND GRANDMOTHER STAYED IN FLORIDA TILL THEY DIED. ,HE MCLEODS, ,H(Y WERE7GOOD7PE PL(. ,H(Y BEIEVED9 NHAVING PLENTY OF WO RK, TO EAT AND TO WEAR ALL THE TIME, BUT THEY WORKED US VERY REASONABLY. THE OV ERSEER, HE BLEW THE HORN FOR US TO GO TO WORK AT SUNRISE. THEY GAVE US A TASK T O DO AND IF YOU DIDNT DO IT, THEY PUT THE LITTLE THING TO YOU. THAT WAS A LEATH ER LASH OR SOME KIND OF WHIP. DIDNT HAVE NO WHIPPING POST IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. I RECOLLECT MY BOSS WHIPPED A MAN UNMERCIFULLY, I THOUGHT ,HE), BUT I6oOuNDOOUT THAT IT WAS REASONABLE. THE SLAVE BEAT UP MY UNCLE AND MY OLD BOSS PUT ITOON H IM. STRIPPED HIM DOWN AND TIED HIM WITH BUCKSKIN STRING, HE WHIPPED HIM TILL H E GET TIRED AND COME BACK AND WHIPPED HIM MORE. I LOOKED RIGHT ON AT IT. WHEN HE TURNED HIM LOOSE, HE TOLD HIM TO GO AWAY. I SAW THE OSS6>H P-*Y- O,(nRO NE TIME CAUSE SHE WHIPPED ME. HE CAUGHT HER BY THE HAND AND WHIPPED HER RIGHT I N THE SAME FIELD WHERE SHE WHIPPED ME. IT WAS SO HOT I DUG HOLES AND PUT MY FOO T IN THE HOLE AND THAT WAS THE REASON SHE WHIPPED ME. THEN IF HE FOUND ANYONE S TEALING A THING, HE WOULD WHIP THEM FOR THAT. THEY DIDNT HAVE ANY JAILS IN THOSE DAYS, BUT I RECOLLECT ONE WOMAN6WAS HANG ED ON THE GALLOWS. THEY HANGED THEM UP BY A HARNESS AND BROKE THEIR NECKS FOR W RONGDOING LIKE KILLING SOMEBODY OR TRYING TO KILL SOMEBODY. THE OLD WOMAN WHO C OOKED FOR THE SCOTTS, NAMED PEGGY, TRIED TO POISON THE SCOTTS. THEY WERE MEAN T O HER, SHE SAID, jND bHEPUT POISON IN THE COFFEE. MY MOTHER WALKED ABOUT TEN MILES tO SEE THAT HANGrNG CAUSE THEY TuRNED cHE2slAe SLOOSE TO GO TO A HANGING. THEY TOOK HER FROM THE QUARTERS IN THE WAGON AND I HEARD MY MOTHER TELL THAT THE OLD LADY, PEGGY, WAS SITTING ON HER COFFIN. MY MOTHER SAID SHE USED tO UbE sO MUCH WITCHCRAFT AND SOME ONE WHISPERED,"WHY DONT YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?" SH E SAID,"IT IS TOO LATE NOW." I HEARD TELL ABOUT THE HANGING, BUT I AINT SEEN NO NE OF IT. *Y2 SS8HAD FOUR SLAVE HOUSES ,HAT6 E3, EEOF FOUR HUNDRED YARDS FROM HI S HOUSE AND I RECKON HE HAD ABOUT 25 SLAVES. ONE WAS A POLE HOUSE WITH A BRIAK CC HIMNEY AND TWO ROOMS PARTITIONED OFF AND THE OTHER THREE WERE CLAY HOUSES. WE H AD A FRAME BED AND SLEPT ON SHUCKS AND HAY MATTRESSES. THEY DIDNT GIVE US ANY M ONEY BUT WE HAD PLENTY TO EAT EVERY DAY. THEY GIVE US BUTTERMILK AND SWEET POTA TOES AND MEAT AND CORN BREAD TO EAT MOSTLY. IF THEY CAUGHT A NIGGER WITH WHEAT, THEY WOULD GIVE HIM "WHEAT." THEN THEY LET US HAVE A GARDEN AND EXtRA PATCHES OF OUR OWN THAT WE WORKED ON SATURDAY EVENrNGS. jND6 E3CA !.T& SMANY RABBITS AN D FISH AS WE WANTED. WE CAUGHT PIKES AND EELS AND CATFISH. WE CAUGHT FISH WITH HOOKS AND LINE IN LYNCHES RIVER WITH SENATOR E D SMITH'S FATHER. -REVnRnND2BrLL SMITH WAS DE FATHER OF E D SMITH. THE WHITE FOLKS, THEY HAD A WOMAN ON EACH PLACE TO WEAVE THE lLOTH jNDMAKE ALL THE CLOTHES. THE WOMAN HAD TO WEAVE FIVE CUTS A WEEK, ONE CUT A NIGHT. yO U HAVE A REEL IN THE SHAPE OF A WHEEL AND SPOKES WHICH TURNS AND HOLDS THE THREA D AND TURNS AND WHEN IT CLICKS, IT IS A CUT. IF THERE WAS ANY OVER FIVE CUTS, S HE KEPT IT TILL THE NEXT WEEK. THEY WORE COTTON CLOTHES IN THE SUMMER AND WOOL CLOTHES IN THE WINTER AND HAD MORE THAN ONE GARMENT TOO. HAD DIFFnRnNT l OcH S tO WEjR-ON SuNDAY CAUSE THE sLAVES WnNT O3 (EWHITE FOLKS' CHURCH IN THAT DAY AND TIME. THEN THEY HAD A SHOEMAKER TO COME THERE AND MAKE ALL THE COLORED PEOP LES' SHOES. THE DURANT SHOEMAKER CAME TO THE MCLEOD PLANTATION AND MADE THE SHO ES. I'M TELLING YOU MY BOSS WAS A GOOD MAN AND HE HAD A BIG PLANTATrON WITH2SIX OR SEVEN HUNDRED ACRES OF LAND, BUT HE DIDNT HAVE TO MIND TO SEE ABOUT NONE-OF THE WORK. THE OVERSEER WAS NAMED DENNIS AND HE WAS THE ONE TO LOOK OUT FOR ALL THE PLANTATION WORK. HE LIVED ON THE MCLEOD PLACE AND HE WAS A GOOD MAN TO US. I HAD TO THIN THE COTTON AND DROP PEAS AND CORN AND I WAS A HALF HAND TWO YEARS DURING THE WAR. IF A WHOLE HAND HOES ONE ACRE, A HALF HAND8+O S8Hj F N Al (. THAT IS WHAT A HALF HAND IS. I WAITED ON THE WOUNDED THE LAST YEAR OF THE WAR. WHEAT, PEAS CORN AND COTTON WERE THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE PLANTED MOSTLY rN T HOSE DAYS. THIS IS HOW I SAW THEM FLAIL THE WHEAT OUT: YOU PUT A POLE IN HARD L AND AND DROVE HORSES IN A CIRCLE AND LET THEM STAMP THE WHEAT OUT. YOU COULD RI DE OR WALK. TWO HORSES TRAMP AND SHAKE IT OUT AND THEN YOU TAKE STRAWS AND HAVE SOMETHING TO CATCH IT IN AND WIND IT OUT. WE HAD TO PICK AND THRASH A BUSHnLOO F PEAS A DAY. WHEN CORN HAuLI G TrME CjME, EVnRY-PLjNTAT ONHHA EDC N& nDPUT IT IN A C IRCLE IN FRONT OF THE BARN. YOU HAVE TWO PILES AND APPOINT TWO CAPTAINS. DEY T AKE SIDES AND GIVE CORN SHUCKING LIKE THAT. SHUCK CORN AND THROW IT IN FRONT OF THE DOOR AND SOMETIMES SHUCK CORN ALL NIGHT. AFTER THEY OT ,O !H6WI,H jLL T HE SHUCKING, THEY GAVE A BIG SUPPER AND MARCHED ALL ROUND MASSA'S KITCHEN AND HOUSE. HAVE TIN PANS, BUCKETS AND CANES FOR MUSIC AND DANCED IN FRONT OF THE HO USE IN THE ROAD. GO TO ANOTHER PLACE AND HELP THEM SHUCK CORN THE NEXT TIME AND SO ON THAT WAY. MY OLD MISS AND MASSA, THEY ALWAYS LOOKED AFTnR THErR2sLAV S6 HnN ,H(YG T SICK. THEY USED HERBS FOR THEIR MEDICINE. I USED TO KNOW DIFFERENT HERBS MY MO THER WOULD GET. BONESET AND LIFE-EVERLASTING MAKE TEAS FOR FEVER AND COLDS. WH EN I WAS A BOY, THEY USED TO CARRY THEM WHO HAD SMALLPOX TO THE SWAMP AND BUILT A DIRT HOUSE FOR THEM. THEY KEPT THEM THEIR AND SOMEBODY CARRIED FOOD TO THEM. PEOPLE USED TO HAVE HOLES IN THEIR SKIN WITH THAT DISE SE jnDMOST OF THEM DIED . I HEARD ABOUT ONE MAN RUNNING AWAY FROM BLACK CREEK AND GOING TO THE FREE S TATES. HE CAUGHT A RIDE WITH PEOPLE THAT USED TO TRAVEL TO CHARLESTON HAULING C OTTON AND THINGS. HE CAME BACK ABOUT FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER THE WAR AND LIVED IN T HAT PLACE NEXT TO ME. HE CAME BACK WITH BARRELS AND BOXES OF OLD SECOND HAND CL OTHES AND ACCUMULATED RIGHT SMART HERE. HE TALKED A GOOD DEAL ABOUT HOW HE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE WHITES. I DONT KNOW WHY HE RAN AWAY, BUT THEY DIDNT CATCH U P WITH HIM TILL IT WAS TOO LATE. THE COMMUNITY HAD MEN THEN CALLED PATTEROLLERS AND THEIR BUSINESS WAS TO CATCH THOSE THAT RAN WWAY. SAY LIKE YOU WERE AUTHORI ZED TO LOOK AFTER MY PLACE, YOU CAUGHT THEM THAT SLIPPED OFF TO ANOTHER MAN'S PL ACE. YOU COULDNT LEAVE OFF THE PLANTATION TO GO TO ANOTHER PLACE WITHOUT ASKING FOR A PASS AND HAVING IT WITH YOU. WHITE FOLKS USED TO KILL BEEF WITH WHAT THE Y CALLED A BEEF CLUB. IF YOU KILLED A BEEF THIS WEEK, YOU WOULD SEND THIS ONE A ND THAT ONE A PIECE TILL THE BEEF WAS ALL GONE. THE WHITE FOLKS GAVE ME A PASS AND TOLD ME TO CARRY THE BEEF AND DELIVER IT. NEXT TIME, ANOTHER MAN SENT US BE EF. I RAN AWAY ONE TIME AND SOMEHOW OR OTHER THE OVERSEnR-KNEW6fHnrE&I6f . &I RECOLLECT OLD MISS HAD ME TIED TO THE TESTnR BEDSTEAD jND SHE WHrPPEDME TILL THE WHIP BROKE. I SAW HER GETTING ANOTHER ARM ABOUT FULL AND I TORE LOOSE AND R AN AWAY. I SLIPPED HOME ON THE STEPS AT MY MOTHER'S HOUSE, LOOKING DOWN PLAYING WITH THE CAT AND LOOKED UP IN HER FACE. SHE SAID,"yOU pOoD oORNOTHING, YOU G ET OUT OF HERE AND GET TO THAT BARN AND HELP THEM SHUCK CORN." I WENT BUT I DID NT GO IN CAUSE I KEPT A WATCH ON HER. ANOTHER TIME BOSS HAD A HORSE APPLE TREE THAT JUST HAD ONE APPLE ON IT AND HE WjNTED tO2SAVE THAT&jPPlE crLL&TGO T RIPE ENOUGH FOR SEED AND FELL. WHITE MAN, I COULDNT STAND IT. I ATE THAT APP LE. HE PUT IT ON ME THAT TIME CAUSE HE SAW MY TRACKS AND THAT WAS HOW HE KNEW I T WAS ME. HE KNEW IT WAS ME AND I COULDNT GET OUT OF IT. I GOT MARRIED IN 1876. MY OLD BOSS, WE jLL WnNT toGEcHnr. cHERED SHIRTS CANVASSED THE COUNTRY. PEOPLE TRIED TO GET ME TO-QUIT-MY WIFE&CA bE cHEY2bAID THE DEMOCRATS WOULD BRING BACK SLAVERY. SOME VOTED EIGHT OR TEN TICKETS. I WAS ON THE STAND WHnN HjMPtON sPOKE rN SuMTnR. &CHj BnRlArNWf SELECTED ON THE REPUBLICAN TICKET. SAM LEE WAS ONE OF THE MEN. HE WAS WHITE. I BELIEVE HE WAS lOLORED. WADE HjMPtON HAD HrMBkROdGHTON THE STAND AND ASK QUESTIONS. ASKED W HAT KIND OF GOVERNMENT IT WAS GOING TO BE. THEY HAD TISSUE TICKETS AND A BLIND FOLDED MAN AND HE DIDN'T TAKE OUT TISSUE TICKETS. THE NAME AND NUMBER WAS ON TH E TICKET. ALL I KNOW ABOUT THE WjR THAT kROUGHT&orEEmOM f S cHAT cHEWfjRWAS GOING ON . I REMEMBER WHEN THEY COULDNT GET SUGAR, COFFEE OR NOTHING LIKE THAT. YOU KNO W THAT WAS A TOUGH TIME TO THINK ABOUT; WE COULDNT GET NO SALT. WE CUT UP POTAT OES AND PARCHED THEM TO MAKE COFFEE. SWEETENED WITH SYRUP AND BEFORE THE WAR CL OSED, MADE SUGAR FROM SUGAR CANE. BOILED DIRT OUT IN THE SMOKE HOUSE AND PUT LI QUOR IN THE FOOD. EAT POKE BERRY FOR GREENS. THEN ONE DAY WE HEAR A GUN FIRE I N CHARLESTON AND MISS MADE A MIGRATION. I DONT REMEMBER FREEDOM, BUT I KNOW WHE N WE SIGNED THE CONTRACT, THE YANKEES GAVE US TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE WAS FREE AS -OuR-MASSA WAS. I lOuLmNT wRITE,JUST HAD TO TOUCH THE PEN. ASK US WHAT WE WANTED TO GO IN. WE WORKED ON THEN FOR ONE THIRD OF THE CROP THE FIRST YEAR WIT H THE BOSS FURNISHING EVERYTHING. SOON AS I GOT A LITTLE AHEAD I WENT INTO SHAR ECROPPING. I TELL YOU IT HAS BEEN A PRETTY HjRD TrME tOBBE uP&AGAr c. I OWN THIS HER E PLACE AND MY NEPHEW LIVES HERE WITH ME. THEY GIVE HIM A GOVERNMENT JOB WITH T HE UNDERSTANDING THAT HE WOULD HELP ME. I GET 24.60 DOLLARS A MONTH AND LIVE OF F OF THAT. MY DAUGHTERS IN NEW YORK PAY TAX. IF THEY CARRY OUT THE PRESIDENT'S PLAN IT WILL BE A GOOD ONE. IT HAS BEEN PRETTY TOUGH IN sOME rNScjnC b. &poDS ENT THAT THING. I TELL YOU IT IS A GOOD THING. IF CARRIED OUT LIKE THE PRESIDE NT WANTS IT CARRIED OUT, IT WILL BE BETTER THEN SLAVERY TIME. YOU KNOW SOME SLA VES GOT ALONG MIGHTY BADLY CAUSE MOST OF THE WHITE FOLKS WONT LIKE OUR WHITE FOL KS. I BELONG TO THE METHODIST CHURCH AND I BELIEVE IT IS THE-RIGHT cHr G. MAN OUGHT TO DO AS GOD ARRANGED IT CAUSE HE-PLjNNED IT. fEKNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG.