CHARLEY HURT, AGE-85.SLAVE IN GEO.                                      TEX.#215
     YES, SIR, I WAS BORNED IN SLAVERY AND NOT ASHAMED OF IT, CAUSE I CANT HELP
HOW I AM BORN.  DERE ARE FOLKS WHAT WONT SAY THEY BORNED IN SLAVERY.
     US PLANTATION AM NEAR MAXIE, OVER IN OGELTHORPE COuNTY,& NGEORGIA, AND MAS
SA AM JOHN HURT AND HE HAD NEAR A HUNDRED SLAVES.  WE LIVED IN DE LITTLE CABIN M
ADE FROM LOGS CHINKED WITH MUD AND STRAW AND TWIGS WERE MIXED WITH DAT MUD TO MA
KE IT HOLD.  DE BIG CHIMNEY WAS OUTSIDE DE CABIN MOSTLY, AND WAS LOG AND MUD TOO
.  DE CABIN WAS ABOUT 20 FEET AND JUST ONE ROOM.
     WOULD I LIKE SOME OF THE RATIONS WE USED TO GET NOW?  INDEED I WOULD.  THEM
 WAS GOOD, THAT MEAT AND CORNMEAL AND MOLASSES AND PLENTY OF MILK AND SOMETIMES
BUTTER.  THE MEAT AM MOSTLY PORK, WITH SOME BEEF, CAUSE MASSA RAISED PLENTY OF H
OGS AND TENDING MEAT CURING WAS MY FIRST JOB.  I PUT THAT MEAT IN THE BRINE AND
 THEN SMOKED THE HAMS AND SHOULDERS.  WHEN HOG KILLING TrME  O EI WAS BUSY WATC
HING THE SMOKEHOUSE, WHICH WAS BIG, AND HAMS AND SUCH HUNG ON RACKS ABOUT SIX FE
ET HIGH FROM THE FIREPLACE.  THEN IT WAS MY DUTY TO KEEP THAT FIRE SMOULDERING A
ND JUST SMOKING.  THE MORE SMOKE, THE BETTER.  THEN I PACKED THAT MEAT IN HOGSHE
ADS AND PUT SALT OVER EACH LAYER.  THAT WAS SOME MEAT]
     I MUST TELL YOU ABOUT THAT WHISKEY AND BRAN<Y.  M SSA8HAD8 SOWN STILL AND
 ALWAYS HAD THREE BARRELS OR MORE OF WHISK(Y AND BRAN<YOON8H n<. 3 (nNON CHRIST
MAS DAY, HE PUT A TUB OF WHISKEY OR BRANDY IN THE YARD AND HUNG TIN CUPS AROUND
 THE TUB.  WE HELPED OURSELVES.  AT FIRST WE STARTED JOKING WITH EACH OTHnR, THE
N STARTED TO SING AND EVERTBODY WAS HAPPY.  MASSA WATCHES US AND IF ONE OF US WA
S GETTING TOO MUCH TO DRINK, MASSA SENT HIM TO HIS CABIN AND HE SLEPT IT OFF.
ANYWAY, THAT ONE DAY ON MASSA'S PLACE ALL WERE HAPPY AND FORGOT THEY WERE SLAVES
.
     DE LAST CHRISTMAS BEFOR SURRENDER I GOT TOO MUCH TO DRINK AND WAS SICK.  GO
SH ALMIGHTY]  THAT WAS THE SICKEST I EVER HAVE BEEN AND THAT WAS THE LAST TIME I
 GOT DRUNK.  YES, SIR, THAT SPOILED THIS NIGGER'S TASTE FOR WHISKEY.
     NOW, ABOUT WHIPPINGS, THERE WAS ONLY ONE WHIPPING THAT WAS GIVEN.  JERRY pO
T THAT, CAUSE HE WOULDNT DO WHAT MASSA SAID.  HE TIED JERRY ON DE LOG AND HAD TH
E RAWHIDE WHIP.
     THERE WAS SYSTEM ON THE PLANTATION.  EVERYBO<Y DID8 SOWN WORK, SUCH AS FI
ELD HANDS, STOCK HANDS, THE BLACKSMITH AND THE SHOEMAKER AND THE WEAVERS AND
CLOTHES MAKERS.  I WAS AN ALL ROUND WORKER AND WENT AFTER THE MAIL, JUST RUNNING
 AROUND THE PLACE.
      WHEN THE WAR STARTED, ALL OF MASSA'S SONS JOINED THE ARMY.  HE HAD ,q E(.
JOHN WAS A CAPTAIN AND JAMES CARRIED THE FLAG AND I GUESS AUGUST WAS JUST A PLAI
N SOLDIER.  THEY ALL CAME HOME BEFORE THE WAR WAS FINISHED.  AUGUST GOT RUN OVER
 BY THE WHEEL OF A CANNON TRUCK AND IT CRIPPLES8HIS L GS  O8HE  OuL NTWALK GOOD
.  JAMES GOT SICK WITH SOME KIND OF FEVER MISERY AND HE WAS SENT HOME.  DEN JOHN
 WAS SHOT IN THE SHOULDER AND IT STAYED SORE AND WOULDNT HEAL. -ONE D YJERRY SA
ID TO MASSA THAT HE WANTED TO LOOK AT THAT SORE.  HE SAW SOMETHING STICKING OUT
AND HE PULLED IT.  IT WAS A PIECE OF YOUNG MASSA'S COAT AND THE BULLET HAD CARRI
ED IT INTO THE FLESH AND IT WAS THERE A WHOLE YEAR.  THE SORE GOT ALL RIGHT AFTE
R THAT WAS OUT.
     BEFORE THE BOYS WENT TO THE FIGHTING THEY TRAINED NEjR cHEPLACE WHERE THER
E WAS A BIG FIELD FOR TRAINING HUNDREDS OF SOLDIER BOYS.  I LIKED THAT, CAUSE TH
E DRUMS GO "TERUMP, TERUMP, TERUMP UMP UMP," AND THE FIFES GO "TE,TE,TE,TAT," AN
D PLAYED DIXIE.  ONE DAY YOUNG MASSA WAS TRAINING THEM SOLDIERS AND HE WAS WALKI
NG BACKWARDS AND FACING THE SOLDIERS, AND JUST AS HE SAID "HALT" DOWN HE WENT, F
LAT ON HIS BACK.  RIGHT AWAY QUICK HE SAID "ABOUT FACE" CAUSE HE DIDNT WANT THEM
 SOLDIERS TO LAUGH IN HIS FACE, SO HE TURNED THEM AROUND.
     WHEN SURRENDER CAME, ALL THEM WHAT WAS NOT KILLED CAME8+OME AND ,H(YHAD A
BIG RECEPTION IN MAXIM.  THEY HAD LOTS OF LONG TABLES AND THE FOOD WAS PUT ON BE
FORE THE TRAIN CAME IN.  THERE WAS TWO COACHES FULL OF THE BOYS AND THEY DIDNT W
AIT FOR THAT TRAIN TO STOP.  NO, SIR, THEY CRAWLED OUT THE WINDOWS.  WELL, THERE
 WAS HUGGING AND KISSING OF THE HOMEFOLKS, AND THEY WERE ALL LAUGHrNG jND lRY  G
 AT THE SAME TIME, CAUSE OF THE JOY THEY WERE FEELING.  THnN ,H(Y&jLLSAT DOWN T
O THE FEAST.  MASSA MADE THE WELCOME TALK.  I HID IN DE WAGON FULL OF HAMS AND C
AKES AND PIES AND THERE WAS A CANVAS OVER THAT STUFF, AND THAT WAS HOW I GOT TO
THAT WELCOME HOME FEAST.
     I CRAWLED OUT BEFORE THEY UNLOADED THE WAGON AND BEFORE  O G-M SbASAW ME
AND HE SAID,"GOSH FOR HEMLOCK]  BOY, HOW DID YOU COME HERE?" I LET MY FACE SLIP
A LITTLE, ABOUT HALF A LAUGH.  I SAID,"I RODE UNDER THAT CANVAS."  THAT STARTED
 HIM LAUGHING AND HE TOLD THE PEOPLE THAT I WAS A7PATR OTIC NGG .      R3 ((Y
ALL ATE US NIGGERS GOT TO EAT.  FOR ONCE, I GOT PLENTY OF PIE AND CAKE.
     WE NEVER HAD MU.H J;YMENTS IN SLAVE TIM(. 6ON$YWHEN DE CORN WAS READY FOR
HUSKING, ALL THE NEIGHBORS CAME THERE AND A WHOLE BIG CROWD WAS HUSKING AND SING
ING.  I CANT REMEMBER THE SONGS, CAUSE I'M NOT MUCH FOR SINGING.  ONE GO LIKE TH
IS:"PULL THE HUSK, BREAK THE EAR; WHOA, I'VE GOT THE RED EAR HERE."  WHEN YOU FO
UND A RED EAR, THAT ENTITLED YOU TO THE PRIZE, LIKE KISSING A GAL OR A DRINK OF
 BRANDY OR SOMETHING.  THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH RED EARS  O SUIT  \.
     I WAS THIRTEEN YEARS OLD WHEN SURRENDER CAME.  MASSA DIDNT CALL US  OHIM L
IKE OTHER MASTERS DID.  HE JUST WENT AMONG THE FOLKS AND SAID," WELL, FOLKS, YOU
 ARE FREE NOW AND NO LONGER MY PROPERTY, AND YOU ARE ENTITLED TO P Y6FOR6wO].
I REMEMBER OLD JERRY SANG,"FREE, FREE AS THE JAYBIRD, FREE TO FLY LIKE THE JAYBI
RD.  WHEW]"
     SOME OF THE COLORED STAYED AND SOME WENT.  MOST OF ,HEM ST YED ANDWORKED T
HE LAND ON SHARES.  I STAYED TILL I WAS EIGHTEEN YEARS AND THEN I WORKED FOR A F
ARMER,AND THEN FOR A BLACKSMITH AND THEM DID SOME CARPENTER WORK AND SOME RAILRO
ADING.  THE FACT IS, I WORKED AT ANYTHING I COULD FIND TO DO.  I DID THAT MOST
OF MY LIFE.
     IT WAS GOOD FOR ME TO STAY WITH MASSA HURT AFTER FREEDOM, CAUSE THEN THnRE
WAS PLENTY OF TROUBLE IN EVERY PLACE.  THERE WAS FIGHTING BETWEEN WHITE AND COLO
RED FOLKS OVER VOTING AND SUCH.  THEY TRIED TO ELECT MY BROTHER TO CONGRESS ONE
TIME, BUT HE WAS NOT ELECTED, CAUSE THE WHITE MAN WHO WAS RUNNING AGAINST HIM GO
T A COLORED PREACHER TO RUN AGAINST THEM BOTH.  THAT SPLIT THE COLORED VOTES AND
 THE WHITE MAN WAS ELECTED..  I VOTES LIKE DE WHITE MAN SAID A lOuPLE TrM S,BUT
 AFTER THAT I STOPPED VOTING.  IT AINT RIGHT FOR ME tO vOcE     SSI KNOW HOW AN
D WHY.  I LEARNED TO READ AND THEN STARTED TO VOTE AGAIN.
     AFTER THE WAR THE KU KLUX WAS ORGANIZED AND THEY MADE THE NIGGnRS-PLnNTYOF
 TROUBLE.  SOMETIMES THE NIGGERS HAD IT COMING TO THEM AND LO SOF TIMES THE WER
E IMPOSED UPON.  THERE WAS AN OLD COLORED MAN NAMED GEORGE AND HE DIDNT TROUBLE
 NOBODY, BUT ONE NIGHT THE WHITE CAPS -- THAT WAS WHAT ,H(Y6Wn ECC L ED-- CAME
 TO GEORGE'S PLACE.  NOW, GEORGE KNEW OF SOME FOLKS WHO WERE WHIPPED6oORNO CAUS
E, SO HE PREPARED FOR THEM WHITE CAPS.  WHEN THEY GOT TO HIS HOUSE GEORGE WAS IN
 THE LOFT.  HE TOLD THEM HE DIDNT DO ANYTHING WRONG AND FOR THnM  O7 O  f ,,OR
 HE WOULD KILL THEM.  THEY SAID HE WAS GOING TO HAVE A FREE SA PLEOF WHAT HE WO
ULD GET IF HE DID WRONG AND ONE OF THE WHITE CAPS STARTED UP THE LADDER TO GET G
EORGE AND GEORGE SHOT HIM DEAD.  ANOTHER WHITE CAP STARTED SHOOTING THROUGH THE
 CEILING.  HE CANT SEE GEORGE BUT THROUGH THE CRAlKS GnORGE  OuLD2bEEHHrMAND HE
 SHOT THE SECOND FELLER.  SO THEY LEFT AND SAID THEY WOULD COME BACK.  GEORGE RA
N TO HIS OLD MASSA AND HE TOOK GEORGE TO THE LAW MEN.  NEVER NOTHING WAS DONE AB
OUT HIM KILLING THE WHITE CAPS, CAUSE THE WHITE CAPS WENT AROUND ABUSING NIGGERS
.
     I CAME TO TEXAS ABOUT FORTY YEARS   O jND7 OT2[YPPRET,YWELL TILL THE DEPRE
SSION CAME, THEN IT WAS HARD FOR ME.  MY AGE WAS AGAINST ME, TOO, AND MANY DE TI
ME I HAVE WISHED FOR SOME OF THAT OLD HAM AND BACON ON THE OLD PLANTATION.
     FIRST I MARRIED ANN ARRANT, IN 1898 THAT WAS, AND WE HAD TqREE CHrLLuNBBUT
THEY ARE ALL DEAD.   WE GOT SEPARATED IN 1917 AND I MARRIED MARY DURHAM IN 1921,
AND WE ARE STILL LIVING TOGETHER.  WE HAVE NO CHILLUN.  MAMMY HAD TEN CHILLUN BU
T I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT IS LIVING NOW, CAUSE I WAS THE YOUNGEST.
  X   XXX