WILLIE MCCULLOUGH                - NC/#
     "I WAS BORN IN DARLINGTON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA, THE 14TH-OFJUNE 1869.  M
Y MOTHER WAS  NAMED  MARION MCCULLOUGH.  I REMEMBER THEM VERY WELL AND MA5Y THR5
GS THEY TOLD ME THAT HAPPENED DURING THE CIVIL WAR.  THEY BELONGED TO A SLAVE OW
NER NAMED BILLY CANNON WHO OWNED A LARGE PLANTATION NEAR MARION, SOUTH CAROLINA.
  THE NUMBER OF SLAVES ON THE PLANTATION FROM WHAT THEY TOLD-ME W S& kOUT&FIFTh.
  SLAVES WERE QUARTERED IN SMALL HOUSES BUILT OF LOGS.  THEY HAD PLENTY OF-ROUGH
 FOOD AND CLOTHING.  THEY WERE LOOKED AFTER VERY WELL IN-REGjrD  O cHErRHEALTH,
 BECAUSE THE SUCCESS OF THE MASTER DEPENDED ON THE HEALcHOF HIS SLAVES.  A MAN
CAN'T WORK A SICK HORSE OR MULE.  A SLAVE OCCUPIED THE SAME PLACE ON THE PLANTAT
ION AS A MULE OR HORSE DID, THAT IS A MALE SLAVE.  SOME OF THE SLAVE WOMEN WERE
LOOKED UPON BY THE SLAVE OWNERS AS A STOCK RAISER LOOKS UPON HIS BROOD SOWS, THA
T IS FROM THE STANDPOINT OF PRODUCTION.  IF A SLAVE WOMAN HAD CHILDREN FAST SHE
WAS CONSIDERED VERY VALUABLE BECAUSE SLAVES WERE VALUABLE PROPERTY.

     "THERE WAS CLASSES OF SLAVERY.  SOME OF THE HALF-WHITE AND BEAUT FuL8 Ou G
WOMEN WHO WERE USED BY THE MARSTER AND HIS MEN FRIENDS OR WHO WAS THE SEETHEART
OF THE MARSTER ONLY, WERE GIVEN SPECIAL  PRIVILEGES.  SOME OF 'EM WORKED VERY LI
TTLE.  THEY HAD PRIVATE QUARTERS WELL FIXED UP AND HAD A GREAT INFLUENCE OVER TH
E MARSTER.  SOME OF THESE SLAVE GIRLS BROKE UP FAMILIES BY GETTING THE MARSTER S
O ENMESHED  IN THEIR NET THAT HIS WIFE, PERHAPS AN OLDER WOMAN, WAS GREATLY NEGL
ECTED.  MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER TOLE ME THAT THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED TO PICK THEIR
HUSBANDS.

     "MOTHER TOLE ME THAT WHEN SHE BECAME A WOMAN AT THE AGE-OF SIXcEnN hEjS&HE
R MARSTER WENT TO A SLAVE OWNER NEAR BY AND GOT A SIX-FOOT NIGGER MAN, ALMOST AN
 ENTIRE STRANGER TO HER, AND TOLD HER SHE MUST MARRY HIM. HHnRMARSTER READ A PA
PER TO THEM, TOLD THEM THEY WERE MAN AND WIFE AND TOLD THIS NEGRO HE COULD TAKE
HER TO A CERTAIN CABIN AND GO TO BED.  THIS WAS DONE WITHOUT GETTING HER CONSENT
 OR EVEN ASKING HER ABOUT IT.  GRANDMOTHER SAID THAT SEVERAL DIFFnRnNT-mnN6fnrE
PUT TO HER JUST ABOUT THE SAME AS IF SHE HAD BEEN A COW OR SOW.  THE SLAVE OWNER
S TREATED THEM AS IF THEY HAD BEEN COMMON ANIMALS IN THIS RESPECT.

     "MOTHER SAID SHE LOVED MY FATHER BEFORE THE SURRENDER AND JUST AS sOON& S T
HEY WERE FREE THEY MARRIED.  GRANDMOTHER WAS NAMED LUNA WILLIAMS.
SHE BELONGED TO A PLANTER WHO OWNED A LARGE PLANTATION AND FORTY SLAVES ADJOININ
G MR CANNON'S
 PLANTATION WHERE MOTHER AND FATHER STAYED.  MY GRANDMOTHER ON-MY-MOTHnR'S2bIDE
LIVED TO BE 114
YEARS OLD, SO THEY HAVE TOLE ME.

     "I RAN AWAY FROM HOME AT THE AGE OF TWELVE YEARS AND WENT TO CHARLEStO),2 O
UTH CAROLINA.  I WORKED WITH A FAMILY THERE AS WAITIN' BOY FOR ONE YEAR.  I THEN
 WENT TO SAVANNAH, GA .  I HAD NO PARTICULAR JOB AND I HOBOED EVERYWHERE I WnN,.
  I WOULD WAIT ALL DAY BY THE SIDE OF THE RAILROAD TO CATCH A TRArN AT-NI!H . &I
 RODE FREIGHT TRAINS AND PASSENGER TRAINS.  I RODE THE BLIND2B GG  EON PASSENGE
R TRAINS AND THE RODS ON FREIGHT TRAINS.  THE BLIND BAGGAGE IS THE CAR BETWEEN T
HE MAIL CAR AND THE ENGINE.  THE DOORS ARE ON THE SIDE AND NONE AT THE END.  I H
OBOED ON TO MIAMI OVER THE FLORIDA EAST COAST RAILROAD.  I NEXT WENT FROM MIAMI
TO  MEMPHIS, TENN  AFTER STAYING THERE A FEW DAYS AND WORKING WITH A CONTRACTOR,
9I  GAIN VISITED .HARLESTON, S C . I HAD BEEN ,H        RE6ON$Y3 wO&D \SWHEN I M
ET SOM
E YANKEES FROM MINNESOTA.  THEY PREVAILED ON ME TO GO HOME WITH THEM, PROMISING
IF I WOULD DO SO THEY WOULD TEACH ME A TRADE.  I WENT WITH THEM.  WE ALL HOBOED.
  WE WEDRE HALTED AT THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS BUT WE GOT BY WITHOUT pOrNG tO-JAI
L.  WE THEN WENT TO N J .  FROM N J  TO CHICAGO, ILL , THEN INTO MILWAUKEE,
WIS , THEN ON INTO MINNEAPOLIS, MINN .  MANY TOWNS AND CITIES I VISITED ON THIS
TRIP I DID NOT KNOW WHERE I WAS.  MY YANKEE COMPANIONS LOOKED OUT FOR ME.  THEY
TAUGHT ME THE TRADE OF MAKING CHAIRS AND OTHER RUSTIC FURNITURE.  THEY TAUGHT ME
 164 WAYS OF MAKING DIFFERENT PIECES OF FURNITURE.  I SPENT 11 YEARS IN MrNNEsOT
A BUT DURING THAT TIME I VISITED THE SOUTH ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS, SPENDING SEVE
RAL DAYS IN THE COUNTY OF MY BIRTH.  MOTHER AND FATHER FARMED ALL THEIR LIVES AN
 THEY OFTEN BEGGED ME TO SETTLE DOWN BUT THE WANDERLUST HAD ME AND FOR 30 YEARS
I TRAVELED FROM PLACE TO PLACE.  EVEN WHILE IN MINNESOTA I DID NOT STAY IN MINNE
APOLIS ALL THE TIME.  I VISITED MOST EVERY TOWN IN THE STATE DURING THE ELEVEN Y
EARS I STAYED THERE AND MADE HOBO TRIPS INTO MOST OF THE ADJOINING STATES.

     "THE MAIN YANKEE WHO TAUGHT ME THE TRADE WAS JOE BuRtOn. HE AND THE GANG H
ELPED ME TO GET FOOD UNTIL I LEARNED THE TRADE WELL ENOUGH SO I COULD MAKE A LIV
ING WORKING AT IT.

     "I HAVE MADE A LOT OF MONEY MAKING AND SELLING RUSTIC FURNITURE, BUT NOW I
AM GETTING OLD.  I AM NOT ABLE TO WORK AS I USED TOO.  NOT LONG AGO I MADE A TRI
P FROM RALEIGH TO CHARLESTON, S C , BUT THE TRIP WAS DIFFERENT FROM THE OLD
DAYS.  I HITCH-HIKED THE ENTIRE DISTANCE.  I RODE WITH WHITE FOLKS.  ON ONE LEG
OF THE TRIP OF OVER 200 MILES I RODE WITH A RICH YOUNG MAN AND HIS TWO PALS.  TH
EY HAD A FRUIT JAR FULL OF BAD WHISKEY.  HE GOT ABOUT DRUNK, RAN INTO A STRETCH
OF BAD ROAD AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED, THREW ME AGAINST THE TOP OF HIS CAR AND INJ
URED MY HEAD.  I AM NOT OVER IT YET.

     "I QUIT THE ROAD IN 1924.  MY LAST TRIP WAS FROM RALEIGH,-N C tO
HARRISBURG, PENN AND RETURN.  I HAVE MADE MY HOME IN RALEIGH EVER SINCE   DONE S
ETTLED DOWN, TOO OLE TO RAMBLE ANYMORE."