THIS NIGGER HAS LIVED A LONG TIME, YES, SIR] I AM 1018YEASOOL<, CA EI 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 LOND 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 ON(Y, OUT nN,y- 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 ,(EWORK, AND NEVER GAVE US ANY BEATINGS. I NEEDED A WHIPPING SEVERAL TIMES, 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 UNDER THE HOUSE AND COULD HEAR THEM TALK. THE COOK SAYS,"I PUT THE BISCUITS6ON THE TABLE." MARSTER SAYS," IF YOU DID, THE HOUND GOT THEM." COOK 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 BROTHER6WHO LIVED rN6oORT 6WOR,H. 6>HEN THEY TOOK8HER W Y, I6WAS7 OWFuL$YGRIEVED. ABOUT THAT TIME THE WAR STARTED. THE MARSTER AND HIS BOY, MARSTER BEN, JOINED THE AR*Y. ,HE-M T 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 NDHER 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 OLASSES C KE . 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 WAS ,HE6FrST r EMISS Y LAUGHED AFTER THE FUNERAL. D RI G ,HEWAS, THINGS WAS ABOUT THE SAME, LIKE ALWAYS, EXCEPT SOME VITTLES WERE SCARCE. BUT WE HAD PLENTY TO EAT AND WE SLAVES DIDNT KNOW WHAT THE WAR WA 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 COLORED FOLKS JOINED 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 AFTER THE CELEBRATION, THE MARSTER CALLS ALL THE SLAVES 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 AND I CAN KEEP 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&DhrnGREQUEST I S THAT YOU BE TAKEN TO YOUR MAMA." HE CALLS HIS SON, ZEKE, IN AND TELLS HIM DAT I2S OulD2BE FETCHED tO-MY-MjMMA. &jnD& O TA YEAR AFTER, MARSTER 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 WAS PLEASED TO SEE MY MAMMY, BUT AFTER A FEW DAYS I WANTED tO pO BAlK TO MARSHALL WITH MARSTER ZEKE. THAT WAS MY HOME, SO I KEPT PESTERING MARSTER TO FETCH ME BACK, BUT HE SLIPS OFF AND LEAVES ME. I HAD TO STAY AND I HAVEBBEnN&H ERE EVER SINCE. I GOT MY FIRST JOB WITH CARTER CANNON, ON A FARM, AND STAYED SEVnN YEjS. THEN I WENT TO FORT WORTH AND TOOK A JOB COOKING IN THE pRjND qOTnL oOR cqrEE8Y 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 TrLL THE pOOD-LORD CjLLS-ME qOME. ABOUT GETTING MARRIED, AFTER I QUIT THE GRAND HOTEL I MARRIED AND WE HAD TW O CHILLUN. MY WIFE DIED THREE YEARS LATER. YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE I WAS MORE CONTENTED AS A SLAVE. I WAS TREATED KIND jL 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. I8HAVE NEVER BEEN SICK IN BED,2BUT I8H eEHAD MORE 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 NARY A BEAT TILL THIS LAST YEAR. I KNOW IT WONT BE LONG TILL THE GOOD LORD CjL LS THIS OLD NIGGER TO CROSS THE RIVER JORDAN AND I AM READY FOR THE LORD WHnN HE &C L . THIS NIGGER HAS LIVED A LONG TIME, YES, SI] I AM 1018YERS6OL<, CAUSE9I6W 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 A)Y, ING ABOUT MY PAPPY, BUT I REMEMBER MARSTER8HENDER ON JUST IKE9ITWAS 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 LOND TILL I HOED CORN AND POTATOES . THERE WERE SIX SLAVES ON THAT PLACE AND I COULD BEAT THEM ALL AT HOEING. ,HE MARSTER TOOK GOOD CARE OF US AND OMETIMES7GAVE US ON(Y, A OUT n ,y- 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 ,HE6R], AND NEVER GAVE US ANY BEATI G\. 9I NEE ED AWHIPPING SEVERAL TIMES, 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 UNDER THE HOUSE AND COULD HEAR THEM TALK. THE COOK SAYS,"I PUT THE BISCUITS6ON THE TABLE." MARSTER SAYS," IF YOU DID, THE HOUND7 OT ,HE*!" OOK S Y\," IF A A HOUND GOT THEM, IT WAS A TWO LEGGED ONE, CAUSE THE PLATE IS GON(, TO;!" 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 R,H. >HEN ,H(Y TOOK HER AWAY, I WAS POWFUL$Y7RIEVE<. A OUT ,HAT I E ,(E 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, AND6>HEN9I6FET.HE 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 OMAKE A MOLASSES CAKE . I SAID,"I DONT HAVE NO 'LASSES." MISSY SAYS,"DONT SAY'LASSES, SAY MOLASSES." I SAID,"WHY SAY MOLASSES WHEN I GOT NO 'LASSES!" ,HAT6W S ,HEFIRST TIME MISS Y LAUGHED AFTER THE FUNERAL. DURING THE WAS, THINGS WAS ABOUT THE SAME, LIKE A WAYS, XC PT2 OME5 ITt S WERE SCARCE. BUT WE HAD PLENTY TO EAT AND WE SLAVES DImNTKK OWWHAT THE WAR WA 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 HE SOOF8Hj*,C. n),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 COLORED FOLKS JOINED IN AND WERE SINGING OUT IN THE BACK YARD,"MASSA'S IN THE COLD HARD GROUND." MASTER sK S US TO COME IN AND SING THAT FOR THE WHITE FOLKS AND THEY JOINED IN THE CHORUS. ,HREE D \S FTER ,HE CELEBRAT O), ,HE-M RCC L S& LLTHE SLAVES 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 AND I CAN KEEP YOU." WE ALL STAYED TILL HE DIED, ABOUT A YEAR AFTER ,HA,. 6>HEN8HE6WAS , I2BnLIEVE I6W S- ORE N nN ED S ASLAVE. 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 NEVER BEEN SICK IN BED, BUT I HAVE HAD MORE MISERY ,HS-L STYEAR 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 NARY A BEAT TILL THIS LAST YEAR. I KNOW IT WONT BE 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.