$@ CHARLY HURT TEXAS NO. 215 AGE-85 8YE\, I, I WAS BORNED IN SLAVEY AND OT A\HA EDOF 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 IN6OGEL,+O PE O N,,,9 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? INDEED9IWOULD. THEM 6WAS7 OO<, ,HAT MEAT AND ORNMEAL AND OL S S NDPLENTY 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 TIME COME I 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 BRANDY. MASSA HAD HIS OWN STILL AND ALWAYS HAD THREE BARRELS OR MORE OF WHISKEY AND BRANDY ON HAND. THEN ON 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 STjRTED- Kr G6WI,H EA.HOTHER, 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 mRr K jND6W S2S . 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 WHISK(Y. NOW, ABOUT WHIPPINGS, THERE WAS ONLY ONE6>H PPr G ,HAT6W S7G Vn). JER RY GO 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. EVERYBODY DID HSOOwN6wO],2SU.H SFI 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 THRE(. 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 CRIPPLES HIS LEGS SO HE COuLmNT6Wj K7 OoD . 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 wOuLmNT HEj . ONE DAY JERRY 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. E ,HE ;YSWENT TO THE FIGHTING THEY TRAINED NEAR THE PLACE 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 OuN<. WHEN SURRENDER CAME, ALL THEM WHAT WAS NOT KILLED CAME HOME AND TH(Y8HAD 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 jLL-LA ! G ND3 G AT ,HE SAME TIME, CAUSE OF THE JOY ,H(Y6WERE6FEnL !. ,(nN ,((Y LLSAT 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 THE6W ON AND2 EL G-M SSASAW 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 A PATRIOTIC NGG . FT R ,((Y ALL ATE US NIGGERS GOT TO EAT. FOR ONCE, I GOT PLENTY OF PIE AND CAKE. WE NEVER HAD MUCH JOYMENTS IN SLAVE TIME. ONLY WHEN 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 EjS O2SUIT \. I WAS THIRTEEN YEARS OLD WHEN SURRENDER CAME. MASSA DIDNT CALL US TO HIM 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 PAY FOR WOK. 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. - STOOF ,HnMSTAYED AND WORKED 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. MY LIFE. IT WAS GOOD FOR ME TO STAY WITH MASSA HURT AFTER FREEDOM, CAUSE THEN THERE 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 ,HEWHITE MAN WAS ELECTED.. I VOTES LIKE DE WHITE MAN SAID A COUPLE TIMES, BUT FT R ,HAT9I S PPED O I !. 9IT INT9R!HTFOR ME TO VOTE UNLESS I KNOW HOW A N D WHY. I LEARNED TO READ AND THEN STARTED TO VOTE AGAIN. FT R ,HEWAR THE KU KLUX WAS ORGANIZED AND THEY MADE THE NIGGERS PLE NTY OF ROUBLE. SOMETIMES THE NIGGERS HAD IT COMING TO ,HEM AND OTS6OF I ES ,(EWER E IMPOSED UPON. THERE WAS AN OLD COLORED MAN NAMED GEORGE AND HE DIDNT TROUBLE O O ITE C PS -- ,HAT6WASWHAT THEY WERE CALLED -- CAME TO GEORGE'S PLACE. NOW, GEORGE KNEW OF SOME FOLKS WHO WERE >HPPED6R5 O CA S 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 THEM O7 O W Y,OR HE WOULD KILL THEM. THEY SAID HE WAS GOING TO HAVE A FREE SAMPLE OF WHAT8HE6WO 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 CRACKS GEORGE COULD SEE HIM AND8HE SHOT THE SECOND FELLER. SO THEY LEFT AND SAID THEY WOULD COME BACK. 7G O GE 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 AGO AND GOT BY PRETTY WELL 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 ,HREE .HrLLuNBUT 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.