JAMES HAYES, AGE-101. SLAVE IN TEXAS. TEX.#210 THIS NIGGER HAS LIVED A LONG TIME, YES, SIR] I AM 101 YEARS OLD, CAUSE I W AS BORN DECEMBER 28,1835. THAT MAKES ME 102 COME NEXT DECEMBER. I CANT REMEMBE R MY FIRST MASTER'S NAME, CAUSE WHEN I WAS ABOUT TWO YEARS OLD, ME AND MY SISTER , ABOUT FIVE, AND OUR MAMMY WAS SOLD TO MARSTER JOHN HENDERSON. I DONT REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT MY PAPPY, BUT I REMEMBER MARSTER HENDERSON JUST LIKE IT WAS LAST WEEK. I WAS SETTING HERE THINKING OF THEM OLD DAYS WHEN I WAS A LITTLE NIGGER CUTTING UP ON OLD MARSTER'S PLANTATION. HOW I DID PLAY ROUND WITH THE CHILLUN T ILL I WAS BIG ENOUGH FOR TO WORK. AFTER I WAS ABOUT THIRTEEN, I JUST PADDLES RO UND THE HOUSE FOR ABOUT A YEAR, THEN IT WASNT LONG TILL I HOED CORN AND POTATOES . THERE WERE SIX SLAVES ON THAT PLACE AND I COULD BEAT THEM ALL AT HOEING. THE MARSTER TOOK GOOD CARE OF US AND SOMETIMES GAVE US MONEY, ABOUT TWENTY- FIVE CENTS, AND LET US GO TO TOWN. THAT WAS WHEN WE WERE HAPPY AND CELEBRATED. WE SPENT ALL THE MONEY ON CANDY AND SWEET DRINKS. MARSTER NEVER CROWDED US ABOUT THE WORK, AND NEVER GAVE US ANY BEATINGS. I NEEDED A WHrPPrNG SEVnRjL TrMES, BUT THE MARSTER NEVER GAVE THIS NIGGER MORE THAN A GOOD SCOLDING. THE NEAREST I CAME TO GETTING WHIPPED WAS ONCE WHEN I STOLE A PLATE OF BISCUITS OFF OF THE TA BLE. I WASNT IN NEED OF THEM, BUT THE DEVIL IN ME CAUSED ME TO DO IT. MARSTER AND ALL THE FOLKS CAME IN AND SAT DOWN, AND HE ASKS FOR THE BISCUITS, AND I WAS UNDnR THE qOUSE jND COULD HEAR THnM TjLK. THE& O K2bA\S,!IPUT THE BISCUITS ON THE TABLE." MARSTER SAYS," IF YOU DID, THE HOUND GOT THEM." lOOK SAYS, " IF A A HOUND GOT THEM, IT WAS A TWO LEGGED ONE, CAUSE THE PLATE IS GONE, TOO." I MADE THE MISTAKE OF TAKING THE PLATE. MARSTER GAVE ME THE WORST SCOLDING I EV ER HAD AND THAT LEARNED ME A LESSON. NOT LONG AFTER THAT, MARSTER SOLD MY MAMMY TO HIS BROTHER WHO LIVED IN FORT WORTH. WHEN THEY TOOK HER AWAY, I WAS POWERFULLY GRIEVED. ABOUT THAT TIME THE WAR STARTED. THE MARSTER AND HIS BOY, MARSTER BEN, JOINED THE ARMY. THE MARST ER WAS A SERGEANT. THE WOMEN FOLKS WAS PROUD OF THEIR MEN FOLKS, BUT THEY WAS P OWERFUL GRIEVED. ALL THE TIME THAT THE MEN WERE AWAY, I COULD TELL MISSY ELLINE AND HER MAMMA WAS WORRIED. THEY ALWAYS SENT ME FOR THE MAIL, AND WHEN I FETCHE D IT, THEY RUN TO MEET ME, ANXIOUS LIKE, TO OPEN THE LETTER, AND THEY WERE AFRAI D TO DO IT. ONE DAY I FETCHED A LETTER AND I COULD FEEL IT IN MY BONES, THERE WAS TROUBLE IN THAT LETTER. SURE ENOUGH, THERE WAS TROUBLE, HEAPS OF IT. IT TO LD THAT MARSTER BEN HAD BEEN KILLED AND THAT THEY WERE SHIPPING HIM HOME. ALL T HE OLD FOLKS, COLORED AND WHITE, WAS CRYING. MISSY ELLINE, SHE FAINTED. WHEN T HE BODY CAME HOME, THERE WAS A POWERFUL BIG FUNERAL AND AFTER THAT, THERE WAS POWERFUL WEEPINGS AND SADNESS ON THAT PLACE. THE WOMEN FOLKS DONT TALK MUCH AND NO LAUGHING LIKE BEFORE. I REMEMBER ONCE MISSY ASKS ME TO MAKE A-MOLASSES CjKE . I SAID,"I DONT HAVE NO 'LASSES." MISSY SAYS,"DONT SAY LASSES, SAY MOLASSES." I SAID,"WHY SAY MOLASSES WHEN I GOT NO 'LASSES." THAT W S THEFFrST crmEMISS Y LAUGHED AFTER THE FUNERAL. DURING THE WAR, THINGS WAS ABOUT THE SAME, LIKE ALWAYS, EXCEPT SOME VITTLES WERE SCARCE. BUT WE HAD PLENTY TO EAT AND WE SLAVES DImNTKKNOW6WHAT HE6fjRWA S ABOUT. I GUESS WE WERE TO IGNORANT. THE WHITE FOLKS DIDNT TALK ABOUT IT BEFO RE US. WHEN IT WAS OVER, THE MARSTER CAME HOME AND THEY HELD A BIG CELEBRATION. I WAS WORKING IN THE KITCHEN AND THEY TOLD ME TO COOK HEAPS OF HAM, CHIlKnN,-P IES, CAKES, SWEET POTATOES AND LOTS OF VEGETABLES. LOTS OF WHITE FOLKS CAME AND ATE AND DRANK WINE, THEY SANG SONGS AND DANCED. WE lOLORED&oO KSJOINED IN AND WERE SINGING OUT IN THE BACK YARD,"MASSA'S IN THE COLD HARD GROUND."-MASTnR sK S US TO COME IN AND SING THAT FOR THE WHITE FOLKS AND THEY JOINED IN THE CHORUS. THREE DAYS AFTnR THE CnLEBRATrON, THE-MjRSTnR CjL S&jLL cHESLAVES IN DE HO USE AND SAYS, "YOU ARE ALL FREE, FREE AS I AM." HE TOLD US WE COULD GO IF WE WA NTED TO. NONE OF US KNEW WHAT TO DO, THERE WASNT ANY PLACE TO GO AND WHY WOULD W E WANT TO GO AND LEAVE GOOD FOLKS LIKE THE MARSTER? HIS PLACE WAS OUR HOME. SO WE ASKED HIM IF WE COULD STAY AND HE SAID," YOU CAN STAY AS LONG AS YOU WANT tO jND&I&CjNKEEP YOU." WE ALL STAYED TILL HE DIED, ABOUT A YEAR AFTER THAT. WHEN HE WAS DYING, MARSTER CALLS-ME tO HIS BED jND2SA\S?^MY&Dhr GREQUEST I S THAT YOU BE TAKEN TO YOUR MAMA." HE CALLS HIS SON, ZEKE, IN AND TELLS HIM DAT I SHOULD BE FETCHED TO MY MAMMA. AND ABOUT A YEjR AFTnR,-MjRSTnR ZEKE FETCHES ME TO MY MAMMA, IN JOHNSON STATION, SOUTH OF ARLINGTON. SHE WAS WORKING FOR JAC K DITTO AND I WAS PLEASED TO SEE HER. I WASPLEASED TO SEE MY MAMMY, BUT AFTER A FEW DAYS I WANTED TO GO BACK TO MARSHALL WITH MARSTER ZEKE. THAT WAS MY HOME, SO I KEPT PESTERING MARSTER TO FETCH-ME BAlK, BUT HE SLIPS OFF jND-LEAe SME. I HAD TO STAY AND I HAVE BEEN H ERE EVER SINCE. I GOT MY FIRST JOB WITH CARTER CANNON, ON A FARM, AND STAYED SEVEN YEA\. THEN I WENT TO oORT WORTH AND TOOK A JOB O Kr G rN ,HE7pRjND8 OTnL6oOR ,qREE8Y EARS. THEN I WENT TO DALLAS AND COOKED FOR PRIVATE FAMILIES, AND WORKED FOR MAR STER JAMES ELLISON FOR THIRTY YEARS. I STOPPED FOUR YEARS AGO AND CAME OUT HERE TO WAIT TILL THE GOOD LORD CALLS ME HOME. ABOUT GETTING MARRIED, AFTER I QUIT THE GRAND HOTEL I MARRIED AND WE HAD W O CHILLUN. MY WIFE DIED THREE YEARS LATER. yOUKNOW, I BELIEVE I WAS MORE CONTENTED AS A SLAVE. I WAS TREATED KIND AL L THE TIME AND HAD NO FRETTING ABOUT HOW I WAS GOING TO GET ON. SINCE I HAVE BEEN FREE, I SOMETIMES HAVE HAD HEAPS OF FRETTING. COURSE, I DONT WANT TO GO BA CK INTO SLAVERY, BUT I HAVE PAID FOR MY FREEDOM. I&HAVE-NEVnR BEnN SIlK rN BED,2BUT&I&HAeEHHADMORE MISERY THIS LAST YEAR TH EN ALL MY LIFE. IT'S MY HEART. IF I LIVE TILL DECEMBER, I WILL BE 102 YEARS OL D, AND THIS OLD HEART HAS BEEN PUMPING AND PUMPING ALL THEM YEARS AND HAS MISSED -NjRY ABBEAT TrLL THIS-LAST YEjR. IKKNOW&IT6wONTBE LONG TILL THE GOOD LORD CAL LS THIS OLD NIGGER TO CROSS THE RIVER JORDAN AND I AM READY FOR THE LORD WHEN HE CALLS. X XXX