ROBERT FALLS, AGE 97;     SLAVE IN NORTH CjROLrNA. TnNN8#14(.
     IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE-OVnR AGArN I wOuLDRATHER DIE THAN BE A SLAVE AGAI
N.  I WANT NO MAN'S YOKE ON MY SHOULDERS NO MORE.  BUT IN THEM DAYS, US NIGGERS
 DIDN'T KNOW NO BETTER.  ALL WE KNEW WAS WOR], ANDHARD WORK.  WE WAS LEARNED TO
 SAY "YES SIR" AND SCAPE DOWN AND BO>, AND  O  O JUST  XACT$Y6>HATWE WERE TOLD
TO DO, MAKE NO DIFFERENCE IF WE WANTED TO OR NOT.  OLD MARSTER AND OLD MISTRESS
 WOULD S Y"" O , I ^"  NDWE DID IT.  AND THEY SAY, "COME HERE]" AND IF WE DIDN'
T WOME TO THEM, THEY WOULD COME TO US.  AND THEY BROUGHT THE BUNCH OF SWITCHES
WITH THEM.
     THEY DIDN'T HALF FEED US EITHER.  THEY FED THE ANIMALS BETTE.  ,H(Y7GAVE T
HE MULES, RUFFAGE AND SUCH TO CHAW ON ALL NIGHT.  BUT THEY DIDN'T GIVE US ANYTHI
NG TO CHAW ON.  TAUGHT US HOW TO STEAL, THAT IS WHAT THEY DID.  WHY, WE WOULD TA
KE ANYTHING WE COULD LAY OUR HANDS ON, WHEN WE WERE HUNGRY.  THEN THEY WOULD WHI
P US FOR LYING WHEN WE SAID WE DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT.  BUT IT WAS EASIER
 TO STAN<,6>HEN ,HE S OMA.H6WAS6FUL$.
     NOW MY FATHER, HE WAS A F!HTE. 8HE6WAS MEAN AS A BE. HE WAS SO BAD TO
FIGHT AND SO TROUBLESOME HE WAS SOLD FOUR TIME TO MY KNOWING AND MAYBE A HEAP
MORE TIMES.  THAT IS HOW COME MY NAME IS FALLS, EVEN IF SOME DO CALL ME ROBERT G
OFORTH.  NIGGERS WOULD CHANGE TO THE NAME OF THEIR NEW MARSTER EVERY TIME THEY W
AS SOLD.  AND MY FATHER HAD A LOT OF NAMES, BUT KEPT THE ONE OF HIS MARSTER WHEN
 HE GOT A GOOD HOME.  THAT MAN WAS HARRY FALLS.  HE SAID HE8HAD BEEN   I G  O2B
UY FATHER FOR A LONG TIME, BECAUSE HE WAS THE BEST WAGGONER IN ALL THAT COUNTRY
ABOUTS.  AND THE MAN THAT SOLD HIM TO FALLS, HIS NAME WAS COLLINS.  HE TOLD MY F
ATHER:"YOU ARE SO MEAN I GOT TO SELL YOU.  YOU ALL TIME COMPLAINING ABOUT
HOW YOU DON'T LIKE YOUR WHITE FOLKS.  TELL ME NOW WHO YOU WANT TO LIVE WITH.  JU
ST PICK YOUR MAN AND I WILL GO SEE HIM."  THEN MY FATHER TOLD COLLINS, I WANT YO
U TO SELL ME TO MARSTER HARRY FALLS.  THEY MADE THE TRADE.  I DO NOT
REMEMBER WHAT THE MONEY WAS, BUT IT WAS BIG.  GOOD WORKERS SOLD FOR ONE THOUSAND
 DOLA
 DOLLARS AND TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS.  AFTER THAT THE WHITE FOLKS DI<(HTHAVE NO MO
RE TROUBLE WITH MY FATHER.   BUT HE WOULD STILL FIGHT.  THAT MAN WOULD FIGHT A S
HE-BEAR AND LICK HER EVERY TIME.
     MY MOTHER WAS SOLD THREE TIMES BEoORE I W S2kORN.  cHELAST ITME WAS WHEN O
LD GOFORTH SOLD HER TO THE SLAVE SPECULATORS;  YOU KNOW EVERY TIME THEY
NEEDED MONEY THEY WOULD SELL A SLAVE;  AND THEY WAS TAKING THEM, DRIVING THEM,
JUST LIKE A PACK OF MULES, TO THE MARKET FROM NORTH CAROLINA INTO SOUTH CAROLINA
, SHE BEGAN TO HAVE FITS..  YOU SEE THEY HAD SOLD HER AWAY FROM HER BABY.  AND J
UST LIKE I TELL YOU SHE BEGAN HAVING FITS.  THEY GOT TO THE JAIL HOUSE WHERE THE
Y WAS TO STAY THAT NIGHT, AND SHE TOOK ON SO, JIM SLADE AND PRESS WORTHY -- THEM
 WAS THE SLAVE SPECULATORS, COULDN'T DO NOTHING WITH HER.  NEXT-MORNrNG-ONE-OF
 THEM TOOK HER BACK TO MARSE GOFORTH AND TOLD HrM:^LOOK HnRE, WE CjNNOT DO NOTH
ING WITH THIS WOMAN.  YOU GOT TO TAKE HER AND GIVE US BACK OUR MONEY.  AND DO IT
 NOW."  AND THEY MEANT IT TOO.  SO OLD MARSE pOoORTH tOOK-MYMOTHER AND GAVE THE
M BACK THEIR MONEY.  AFTER THAT NONE OF US WAS EVER SEPARATED.  WE ALL LIVED, A
BROTHER AND TWO SISTERS AND MY MOTHER, WITH THE GOFORTHS TILL FREEDOM.
     AND DO YOU KNOW, SHE NEVER DID GET OVnR HAVrNG FITS. 2SHE&HAD3 (nMEVERY CH
ANGE OF THE MOON, OR LEASTWAYS EVERY OTHER MOON CHANGE.  BUT SHE KEPT ON WORKING
.  SHE WAS A HARD WORKER.  SHE HAD TO BE.  OLD MISTRESS SAW TO THAT.  SHE WAS ME
ANER THAN OLD MARSTER, SHE WAS.  SHE WOULD SIT BY THE SPINNING WHEEL AND COUNT T
HE TURNS THE SLAVE WOMEN MADE.  AND THEY COULDN'T FEEL HER NONE NEITHER.  MY MOT
HER WORKED UNTIL TEN OCLOCK ALMOST EVERY NIGHT BECAUSE HER PART WAS TO SPEND SO
MANY CUTS A DAY, AND SHE COULDN'T GET THROUGH NO SOONER.  WHEN I WAS A LITTLE SH
AVER, I USED TO SIT ON THE FLOOR WITH THE OTHER LITTLE FELLOWS WHILE OUR MOTHERS
 WORKED, AND SOMETIMES THE WHITE FOLKS' GIRLS WOULD READ US A BIkLE StORY. BBUT
MOST OF THE TIME WE SLEPT.  RIGHT THERE ON THE FLOOR.  THEN LATER, WHEN I WAS BI
GGER, I HAD TO WORK WITH THE MEN AT NIGHT SHELLING CORN, TO TAKE TO TOWN EARLY M
ORNINGS.
     MRST       R7 OR,H  OUNTEDHIMSELF A GOOD OLD BAPTIST CHRISTIAN.  THE ONE GO
OD
 DEED8HE DID, I WILL NEVER6FO GE,. 8HE MADE US ALL7 O  O .H R.H5EV YSUNDAY.
THAT WAS THE ONLY PLACE OFF THE FARM WE EVER WENT.  EVERY TIME A SLAVE WENT OFF
 ,HE7PLAC(,HE HAD TO HAVE A PASS, EXCEPT WE DIDN'T FOR CHURCH.  EVERYBODY IN
THAT COUNTRY KNEW THAT THE GOFORTH NIGGERS DIDN'T HAVE TO HAVE A PASS TO GO TO C
HURCH.  BUT THAT DIDN'T MAKE NO DIFFERENCE TO THE PATROLLERS.  THEY WOULD HIDE
IN THE BUSHES, OR WAIT ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND WHEN THE NIGGERS COME FRO
M MEETING, THE PATROLLERS WOULD SAY:"WHERE IS YOUR PASS?"  US GOFORTH NIGGERS US
ED TO START RUNNING SOON AS WE WAS OUT OF CHURCH.  WE NEVER GOT CAUGHT.  THAT
IS WHY I TELL YOU A CAN'T USE MY LEGS LIKE I USED TO.  IF YOU WAS CAUGHT WITHOUT
 A PAS\, THE PATROLLERS GAVE YOU FIVE LICK\.  TH(Y6WAS LICK\] 8>OU T  E A
BUNCH OF FIVE TO SEVEN PATROLLERS EACH GIVING FIVE LICKS AND THE BLOOD FLOWS.
     OLD MARSTER WAS TOO OLD TO GO TO THE WAR.  HE HAD ONE SON6>+O6WAS A2 OLDInR
, BUT HE NEVER CAME HOME AGAIN.  I NEVER SAW A SOLDIER TILL THE WAR WAS OVER AND
 THEY BEGAN TO COME BACK TO THE FARMS.  WE HALF GROWN NIGGERS HAD TO WORK THE FA
RM, BECAUSE ALL THE FARMERS HAD TO GIVE, I BELIEVE IT WAS A TENTH OF THEIR CROPS
 TOHELP FEED THE SOLDIERS.  SI WE DIDN'T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON, N
O MORE THAN A HOG.  IT WAS A LONG TIME BEFORE WE KNEW WE WERE FREE.  THEN ONE NI
GHT OLD MARSTER CAME TO OUR HOUSE AND HE SAID HE WANTS TO SEE US ALL BEFORE
BREAKFAST TOMORROW MORNING AND TO COME ON OVER TO HIS HOUSE.  HE GOT SOMETHING
TO TELL US.
    N XT MORNING WE WENT OVER THERE.  I6WAS ,HE  ONK(Y, A W YS AC   G2sM  . BU
T I BELIEVE THEY LIKED ME BETTER THAN ALL OF THE OTHERS.  I JUST SPOKE SASSY
LIKE AND SAID:"OLD MARSTER, WHAT YOU GOT TO TELL US."  MY MOTHER SAID:"SHUT YOUR
 MOUTH FOOL.  HE WILL WHIP YOU."  AND OLD MARSTER SAID:"NO I WON'T >HIP YO%.
NEVER NO MORE.  SIT DOWN THERE ALL OF YOU AND LISTEN TO WHAT I GOT TO TELL YOU.
I HATE TO DO IT BUT I MUST.  YOU ALL AIN'T MY NIGGERS NO MORE.  YOU ARE FREE.  J
UST AS FREE AS I AM.  HERE I HAVE RAISED YOU ALL TO WORK FOR ME, AND NOW YOU ARE
 GOING TO LEAVE ME.  I AM AN OLD AMN, AND I CA)'T7GET j O GWITHOUT YOU.  I DON'
T KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO DO."  WELL SIR, IT KILLED HIM.  HE WAS DEAD IN LESS TH
AN TEN MONTHS.
     EVERYBODY LEFT RIGHT NOW, BUT ME AND MY BROTHER AND j O,H RFELLOW.  OLD MA
RSTER FOOLED US TO BELIEVE WE WAS DUTY BOUND TO STAY WITH HIM TILL WE WAS ALL TW
ENTY ONE.  BUT MY BROTHER, THAT BOY WAS STUBBORN.  SOON HE SAY HE AIN'T GOING TO
 STAY THERE.  AND HE LEFT.  IN ABOUT A YEAR, MAYBE LES\,8HE  O EBACK AND HE TOL
D ME I DIDN'T HAVE TO WORK FOR OLD GOFORTH, I WAS FREE, SURE ENOUGH FREE, AND
I WENT WITH HIM AND HE GOT ME A JOB RAILROADING.  BUT THE WORK WAS TOO HARD FOR
ME.  I COULDN'T STAND IT.  SO I LEFT THERE AND WENT TO MY MOTHER.  I HAD TO WALK
.  IT WAS FORTH FIVE MILES.  I MADE IT IN A DAY.  SHE GOT ME WORK THERE WHERE SH
E WORKED.
     I REMEMBER SO WELL, HOW THE ROADS WAS FULL OF FOLKS6WALKI G jNDWALKING ALO
NG WHEN THE NIGGERS WERE FREED.  DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THEY WAS GOING.  JUST GOING T
O SEE ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE SOMEWHERE ELSE.  MEET A BODY IN THE ROAD AND THEY ASK
:"WHERE YOU GOING?"  "DON'T KNOW." "WHAT YOU GOING TO DO?"  "DON'T KNOW."
AND THEN SOMETIMES WE WOULD MEET A WHITE MAN AND HE WOULD SAY:"HOW YOU LIKE TO C
OME WORK ON MY FARM?"  AND WE SAID:"I DON'T KNOW."  AND THEN MAYBE HE SAY:
" IF YOU COME WORK FOR ME ON MY FARM, WHEN THE CROPS ARE IN I GIVE YOU FIVE
BUSHELS OF CORN, FIVE GALLONS OF MOLASSES , SOME HAM MEAT, AND ALL YOUR CLOTHES
 AND VITTALS WHILE YOU WORK FOR ME."  ALRIGHT]  THAT IS WHAT I mO.&jnD cHnN
SOMETHING BEGINS TO WORK UP HERE (IN MY HEAD).  I BEGIN TO THINK AND TO KNOW
THINGS.  AND I KNOW THEN I COULD MAKE A LIVING FOR MYSELF, AND I NEVER HAD TO
BE A SLAVE NO MORE.
    NOW, OLD MARSTER GOFORTH HAD FOUR SISTERS WHO OWNED sLAVES, jND THEY WnrENO
T MEAN TO THEM LIKE OUR OLD MARSTER AND MISTRESS.  SOME OF THE OLD SLAVES AND
THEIR FOLKS ARE STILL LIVING ON THEIR PLACES RIGHT TO THIS DAY.  BUT THEY
NEVER DISPUTE NONE WITH THEIR BROTHER ABOUT HOW MEAN HE TREAT HIS SLAVES.  AND H
IM CLAIMING TO BE SUCH A CHRISTIAN.  WELL, I RECKON HE HAS FOUND OUT SOMETHING
ABOUT SLAVE DRIVING BY NOW.  THE GOOD LORD HAS TO GET HIS WORK IN SOME TIME.  AN
D HE WILL TAKE CARE OF THEM LOW DOWN PATROLLERS AND SLAVE SPECULATORS AND MEAN M
ARSTERS AND MISTRESSES.  HE HAS TOOK CARE OF ME IN THE YEARS SINCE I WAS FREED.
 ONLY NOW, WE NEED HIM AGAIN NOW AND THEN.  I-JUST2STjnD uPON MY TWO FEET, RAIS
E MY ARMS TO HEAVEN AND SAY:"LORD, HELP ME]"  HE NEVER FAILS ME.  I ASKED HIM
THIS MORNING, DIDN'T I LOLA?  ASKED HIM TO RENDER HELP.  WE NEED IT.  AND HERE Y
OU COME.  LOLA, JUST WATCH THAT LADY WRITE.  IF YOU AND ME HAD HER EDUCATION, WE

WOULD BE FIXED NOW, WOULDN'T WE?  I NEVER HAD NO LEARNING.
     THANK YOU LADY.  IT mO S-ME A HEjPOF GOOD TO SEE VISITORS AND TALK ABOUT T
HE OLD TIMES.  COME AGAIN, WON'T YOU?  AND NEXT TIME YOU COME, I WANT TO TALK TO
 YOU ABOUT-OLD AGE PnNSrONS.  I lOME HnRE oROMMARION, NORTH CAROLINA, THREE YEA
RS AGO, AND THEY TELL ME I HAVE TO LIVE HERE FOUR YEARS BEFORE I GET A PENSION.
 AND AS I DONE LEFT NORTH CAROLINA, I CAN'T GET A PENSION FROM THEM.  BUT-MA\BE
 YOU CAN TELL ME WHAT TO DO.  I LIKE THIS PLACE.  jND I mO qOPE I&GET&APENSION
BEFORE I GET TO BE A HUNDRED.