GEORGE YOUNG,AGE-91.SLAVE IN ALA9                                       ALA. #20
     I WAS BORN ON WHAT WAS KNOWN AS DE CHAPMAN PLACE, FIVE MILES NORTHWEST OF
LIVINGSTON, OF AUGUST 10, 1846.  MY NAME WAS GEORGE CHAPMAN AND I HAD FIVE BROT&
ERS, ANDERSON, HARRISON, WILLIAM, HENRY AND SAM, AND THREE SISTERS, PHOBE, FRANC
ES AND AMELIA.  MY MOTHER'S NAME WAS MARY ANN CHAPMAN AND MY FATHER'S NAME WAS S
AM YOUNG, BUT HE BELONGED TO MISTER CHAPMAN.  US ALL BELONG TO GOVERNOR REUBEN C
HAPMAN OF ALABAMA.
     THE OVERSEER'S NAME WAS MISTER JOHN SMITH, AND A O,Hn'S NjME6W S MISTER LA
WLER.  HE WAS DERE DE YEAR I WAS BORN, AND THEY CALLED IT "LAWLER YEAR."  BOTH O
F EM WAS MEAN, BUT LAWLER, I HEAR TELL, WAS DE MEANEST.  DEY HAD OVER THREE HUND
RED SLAVES, CAUSE DEY HAD THREE PLANTATIONS, ONE AT BODKA, ONE IN HUNTSVILLE
AND DIS HERE ONE.  I CAN'T SAY MARSE CHAPMAN WASN'T GOOD TO US, CAUSE HE WAS ALL
 DE TIME IN HUNTSVILLE AND JES COME DOWN NOW AND DEN AND BRING HIS FAMILY TO SEE
 ABOUT THINGS.  BUT DE OVERSEERS WAS SURE MEAN.
     I SAW SLAVES PLENTY TIMES WITH IRON BANDS AROUND THEIR ANKLES AND A HOLE
IN DE BAND AND AN IRON ROD WHAT WENT UP DE OUTSIDE OF THEIR LEG TO DE WAIST AND
 FASTEN TO ANOTHER IRON BAND AROUND DE WAIST.  DIS WAS TO KEEP EM FROM BENDING T
HEIR LEGS AND RUNNING AWAY.  DEY CALL IT PUTTING DE STIFF KNEE ON YOU, AND IT SU
RE MADE EM STIFF]  SOMETIMES IT MADE EM SICK, TOO, CAUSE DEY HAD DEM IRON BANDS
 SO TIGHT AROUND DE ANKLES, DAT WHEN DEY TOOK EM OFF LIVE THINGS WAS UNDER EM, A
ND DAT IS WHAT GIVE EM FEVER, DEY SAY.  US HAD TO GO OUT IN DE WOODS AND GET MAY
 APPLE ROOT AND MULLEN WEED AND ALL SUCH TO BOIL FOR TO CURE DE FEVER.  MISS,
WHERE WAS DE LORD IN DEM DAYS?  WHUT WAS HE DOING?
     BUT SOME OF EM RUNNED AWAY, ANYHOW. MY BROTHER, HARRISON, WAS ONE, AND DEY
SET DE NIGGER DOGS ON HIM LIKE FOX HOUNDS RUN A FOX TODAY.  DEY DIDN'T RUN HIM
DOWN TILL ABOUT NIGHT, BUT FINALLY DEY CAUGHT HIM, AND DE HUNTERS FETCHED HIM TO
 DE DOOR AND SAY:"MARY ANN, HERE HARRISON."  DEN DEY TURNED DE DOGS LOOSE ON HIM
 AGAIN, AND SUCH A SCREAMING YOU NEVER HEARD.  HE WAS ALL BLOODY AND MAMMY WAS H
OLLERING, "SAVE HIM, LORD, SAVE MY CHILE, AND DON'T LET DEM DOGS EAT HIM UP."
MISTER LAWLER SAID:"DE LORD AIN'T GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS HERE," AND IT SURE
 LOOK LIKE HE DIDN'T, CAUSE DEM DOGS ABOUT CHEWED HARRISON UP. DEM WAS HARD TIME
S, SURE.
     DEY DIDNT LEARN US NOTHING AND DImNT jLLOW US tO-LEjRN-NOTHrnG.&IF &DEYCAT
CH US LEARNING TO READ AND WRITE, DEY CUT OUR HAND OFF.  DEY DIDNT ALLOW US TO G
O TO CHURCH, NEITHER.  SOMETIMES US SLIP OFF AND HAVE A LITTLE PRAYER MEETING BY
 OURSELVES IN A OLD HOUSE WITH A DIRT FLOOR.  DEY WOULD GET HAPPY AND SHOUT AND
 COULDNT NOBODY HEAR EM, CAUSE DEY DIDNT MAKE NO FUSS ON DE DIRT FLOOR, AND ONE
 STANDING IN DE DOOR AND WATCH.  SOME FOLKS PUT DEY HEAD IN DE WASH POT TO PRAY,
 AND PRAY EASY, AND SOMEBODY WATCHING FOR DE OVERSEER.  US GET WHIPPED FOR EVERY
THING IF IT WAS PUBLIC KNOWED.
     US WASNT ALLOWED TO VISIT NOBODY FROM PLACE TO PLACE, AND I SAW JIM DAWSON,
 THIS HERE IVERSON DAWSON'S DADDY; I SAW HIM STAKED OUT WITH STAKES.  DEY LAID
HIM DOWN ON HIS BELLY AND STRETCH HIS HANDS OUT ON BOTH SIDES AND TIE ONE TO ONE
 STAKE, AND ONE TO DE OTHER.  BOTH HIS FEET WAS STRETCHED OUT AND TIED TO DEM ST
AKES.  DEN DEY WHUPPED HIM WITH A WHOLE BOARD WHAT YOU COVER A HOUSE WITH.  DE D
ARKIES HAD TO GO DERE IN DE NIGHT AND TAKE HIM UP IN A SHEET AND CARRY HIM HOME,
 BUT HE DIDNT DIE.  HE WAS ACCUSED OF GOING OVER TO DE NEIGHBORS PLANTATION AT N
IGHT.  NINE O'CLOCK WAS DE LAST HOUR US HAD TO BE CLOSED IN. HEAD MAN COME OUT A
ND HOLLERED "OH YES]  OH YES]  EVERYBODY IN AND DOORS LOCKED."  AND IF YOU WASNT
, YOU GOT WHIPPED.
     WASNT NOBODY ALLOWED TO COURT.  US JES TOOK UP TOGETHER AND GO AHEAD, AND D
AT THING WASNT FIXED TILL AFTER SURRENDER.
     DE PATTEROLLES COME FROM DIFFERENT PLACES, AND DE TANKSLEYS, DE POTTS, DE C
OCKERELLS AND DE GREGORYS WAS NEIGHBORS.  I MAY OF WENT TO DEY HOUSE AND DEY CLA
IM TO PROTECT ME PLAYING WITH DEIR LITTLE NIGGER CHILLUN, BUT IF DE PATTEROLLERS
 CATCH ME, DEY CLAIM DET WASNT RESPONSIBLE.  ONE DAY, DEY TOOK OUT AFTER ME AND
 I COME RIGHT HERE IN LIVINGSTON, BUT I WAS GOING TO RUN AWAY ANYHOW, CAUSE I HA
D SEEN OLD UNCLE THORNTON  DAT MORNING.  SEE, I WAS DE CALF NURSER AND SOON AS I
 LEFT DE HOUSE I MET HIM, AND HERE COME DE OVERSEER, MISTER SMITH.  HE SENT AFTE
R ME AND HE SAID:"I SAW SIX NIGGERS IN DE WOODS WHAT RUN AWAY, AND ASKED DID I S
EE OLD MAN THORNTON.  I SAID " NO, I AINT SEEN NOBODY."  HE SAID:"NEVER MIND.  I
 MAKE YOU TELL A BETTER TjLE DjN DAT rN DE-MORNr G!" SO WHEN I WENT WITH DE SLO
P TO THEM CALVES I GOT TO THINKING ABOUT THAT WHIPPING SO I COME RIGHT HERE.


     MISTER NORVILLE HAD A WOOD SHOP RIGHT ACROSS DE ROAD DERE BY DE WHITE FOLKS
' BAPTIST CHURCH AND I HID IN DE BACK OF IT DAT NIGHT.  BUT DEY FOUND ME AND TOO
K ME BACK.  DEN DEY STOPPED ME FROM CALF NURSING AND PUT ME IN DE FIELD UNDER TH
E HEAD MAN.  I WAS GLAD OF DAT, CAUSE I WANTED TO BE WITH DE OTHER HANDS, BUT WH
EN I WAS OUT HOW IT WAS, I WANTED TO BE BACK.  IT WAS A HARDER TASK DEN WHEN I
WAS NURSING CALVES AND KEEPING EM FROM BREAKING IN DE FIELD AND EATING UP DE CRO
P.
     I WAS A GOOD HAND AND OBEYED DE OWNERS AND DE HEAD MAN AND NEVER HAD NO ABU
SE ABOUT WORK.  I WENT ONE TIME TO BENNET'S STATION, TEN MILES BELOW HERE, WITH
 JES SEVEN MORE NIGGERS FROM DE CHAPMAN PLACE, AND US DRIVE OVER A THOUSAND HEAD
 OF CATTLE TO ATLANTA, GEORGIA, AND NEVER HAD NO TROUBLE.  I WAS EASY PLEASED, G
IVE ME A PIECE OF CANDY AND I'D LICK IT TILL MY MOUTH WAS SORE.  I RECKON IT WAS
 ALL RIGHT, BUT I DONT KNOW.  ALL THE NATIONS COULDNT RULE JES LIKE IT IS NOW, D
E STRONGEST PEOPLE MUST RULE.
     AFTER SURRENDER, DEY TOOK A DARKY FOR PROBATE JUDGE, BUT DAT NIGGER DIDNT K
NOW NOTHING AND HE COULDNT RULE; SO DEN THEY TOOK A WHITE MAN NAMED SANDERS AND
 HE DONE ALL RIGHT.  WE WAS UNDER HARD TASK MASTERS AND I AM GLAD DEY SET ME FRE
E, CAUSE I WAS UNDER BURDEN AND BOUND.  BUT IGNORANCE CANT RULE, IT SURE CANT.
WE IS DARKIES, AND WHITE FOLKS OUGHT TO BE FAVORABLE.  SOME SPEAKS BETTER WORDS
DAN OTHERS, BUT EVERYBODY GOT DE SAME HEART, AND DAT IS ALL I KNOWS.
     NO, MAM, I DONT KNOW NOTHING ABOUT NO SPIRITS, EITHER, BUT CHRIST APPEARED
TO DE APOSTLES, DIDNT HE, AFTER HE BEEN DEAD?  AND I HAVE SEEN FOLKS DONE BEEN D
EAD JES AS NATURAL IN DE DEY AS YOU IS NOW.  ONE DAY ME AND MY WIFE WAS PICKING
 lOTtON-rIGHTOUT YONDER ON MISTER WHITE'S PLACE,AND I LOOKED UP AND SAW A MAN A
LL DRESSED IN BLACK, WITH A WHITE SHIRT BOSOM, HIS HAT SITTING ON ONE SIDE, RIDI
NG A BLACK HORSE.
     I STOOP DOWN TO PICK SOME COTTON, DEN LOOK UP AND HE WAS GONE.  I SAID TO M
Y WIFE -- I CALL HER GLOVER BUT SHE GO BY TWO NAMES -- I SAID,"GLOVER, WONDER WH
ERE DAT MAN WENT WHAT WAS RIDING ALONG YONDER ON DAT PACING HORSE?"
     SHE SAY:"WHAT PACING HORSE AND WHAT MAN?"
     I SAID:"HE WAS COMING DOWN DAT BANK BY DAT DITCH.  DEY AINT NO BRIDGE DERE,
 AND NO HOSS COULD JUMP IT."
     GLOVER SAID:"WELL, I'M GOING IN DE HOUSE CAUSE I DONT FEEL LIKE PICKING COT
TON TODAY."
     BUT I AINT SCARED OF EM.  I GETS OUT OF DE PATH PLENTY OF TIMES TO LET EM B
Y, AND IF YOU CAN SEE EM, YOU WALK AROUND EM.  IF YOU CANT SEE EM, DEN DEY WILL
 WALK AROUND YOU.  IF DEY GETS TOO PLENTIFUL, I JES HANGS A HOSS SHOE UPSIDE DOW
N OVER DE DOOR, AND DONT HAVE NO TROUBLE.  BUT EVERYBODY OUGHT TO HAVE DAT KIND
OF MIND, TO HONOR GOD.  HE APPEARED TO DE DISCIPLES AFTER HE DIED, AND HE SAID A
LSO:"PETER, I WILL GIVE YOU DE KEYS TO DE KINGDOM."  BUT PETER DIDNT HAVE NOBODY
'S KEYS EXCEPT HIS OWN.  DONT YOU KNOW IF HE HAD OF GIVEN PETER ALL DEM KEYS, TH
ERE IS A HEAP OF FOLKS PETER GOING TO KEEP OUT OF DERE JES FOR SPITE?  GOD AINT
GOING TO DO NOTHING THAT FOOLISH. PETER DIDNT HAVE NOBODY'S KEYS EXCEPT HIS OWN.
  X   XXX