X   XXX
ESSEX HENRY                  0091-NC/#158


          "I WUS BORNED FIVE MILES NORTH OF RALEIGH ON DE WENDELL ROAD, EIGHTY T
HREE UEARS AGO.  MY MAMMY WUS NANCY AN' MY PAPPY WUS LOUIS.  I HAD ONE SISTER, M
ARY, AN' ONE BRUDER, LOUIS.
          "WE 'LONGED TER MISTER JAKE MORDECAI, AN' WE LIVED ON HIS SIX HUNDERT
ACRES PLANTATION 'BOUT A MILE FROM MILLBROOK.  RIGHT ATTER DE WAR HE SOLD DIS LA
N' TER DOCTOR MILLER AN' BOUGHT DE BETSY PINTON TRACT AT MILOURNIE.  MISTER JAKE
 HAD FOUR OR FIVE HUNDERT NIGGERS HYAR AN' I DOAN KNOW HOW MANY AT DE EDGECOMBE
COUNTY PLACE.
          "DE WUCK WUS HARD DEN, I KNOWS CASE I'SE SEED MY LITTLE MAMMY DIG DITC
HES WID DE BEST OF 'EM.  I'SE SEED HER SPLIT THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY RAILS A DAY
  MANY'S DE TIME.  DAT WUS HER PO'TION YOU KNOWS AN' DE MENS HAD TER SPLIT FIVE
HUNDRED.  I WUS TOO LITTLE TER DO MUCH BUT MIN' DE CHICKENS OUTEN DE  GYARDEN, A
N' SO I FARED BETTER DAN MOST OF 'EM.  YOU SEE MISS TEMPIE 'UD SEE ME OUT AT DE
GATE MORNIN'S AS DEY WUS EATIN' BREAKFAS' ON DE FERANDER, AN' SHE WOULD CALL
  ME TER
 HER AN' GIVE ME BUTTER TOASTED LIGHTBREAD OR BISCUITS.  SHE'D GIVE ME A HEAP IN
 DAT WAY, AN' DO DE REST OF DE SLAVES GOT HONGRY, I DOAN THINK DAT I EBER DID.
I KNOW DAT MISS JENNY PERRY, IN A NEIGHBORIN' PLANTATION, 'UD GIVE MY MAMMY FOOD
 FER US CHILLUNS.
          "MO'NIN'S WE SOMETIMES AIN'T HAD NOTHIN' TER EAT.  AT DINNER TIME DE C
OOK AT DE BIG HOUSE COOKED NUFF TURNIP SALET, BEANS, 'TATERS, ER PEAS FER ALL DE
 HAN'S AN' LONG WID A LITTLE PIECE OF MEAT AN' A LITTLE HUNK OF CO'NBREAD DE DIN
NER WUS SONT TER DE SLAVES OUT IN DE FIEL' ON A CART.
          "DE SLAVES 'UD SET ROUN' UNDEDE TREES AN' EAT AN' LAUGH AN' TALK TIL
L DE OBERSEER, BOB GRAVIE, YELLS AT 'EM TER GIT BACK TER WUCK.  IFFEN DEY DOAN G
IT BACK RIGHT DEN HE STARTS TER FRAILIN' LEF' AN' RIGHT.
          "DAR WUS A FEW SPIRITED SLAVES WHAT WON'T BE WHUPPED AN' MY UNCLE WUS
ONE.  HE WUS FINALLY SOLD FER DIS.
          "HIT WUS DIFFERENT WID MY GRAN'MOTHER DO'.  DE OBERSEnR tRIED cnR6fHuP
 HER AN' HE CAN'T, SO HE HOLLERS FER MISTER JAKE.  MISTER-J KE  OM S j)'HE CAN'
T SO HE HAULS OFF AN' KICKS GRANNY, MASHIN' HER STOMICK IN.  HE HAS HER CARRIED
TER HER CABIN AN' THREE DAYS ATTERWARD SHE DIES WID NOTHIN' DONE FER HER AN' NOB
ODY WID HER.
          "MISTER JAKE ORDERS DE COFFINMAKER TER MAKE DE PINE BOX, AN' DEN HE FE
RGITS HIT.  DE SLAVES PUTS DE COFFIN ON DE CYART HIN' DE TWO BLACK HOSSES AN' WI
D SIX OR MAYBE SEBEN HUNDERT NIGGERS FOLLERIN' DEY GOES TER DE SIMMS' GRAVEYARD
AN' BURIES HER.  ALL DE WAY TER DE GRAVEYARD DEY SINGS, "SWING LOW SWEET CHARIOT
," "DE PROMISED LAN', "DE ROAD TER JORDAN," AN' "OLE TIME RELIGION."
          "HITS A GOOD THING DAT NONE OF THE WHITE FOLKSES AIN'T6WENT  O DE6FUNE
RALS CASE IFFEN DEY HAD DE NIGGERS CAN'T SING DEIR HYMNS.  DOES YOU KNOW DAT DEY
 WARN'T NO 'LIGION ' OWED6ON DAR PLANTAT ON. 6OLE LA<Y2BE \Y8 OLM SWUS WHUPPED
TIME EN' AG'IN FER TALKIN' 'LIGION ER FER SINGIN' HYMNS.  WE SOMETIMES HAD PRAYE
R MEETIN' ANYHOW IN DE CABINS BUT WE'D TURN DOWN DE BIG POT FRONT O' DE DOOR TER
 KETCH DE NOISE.
          "DEY WON'T GIB US NO PASS HARDLY, AN' IFFEN W RUNS AWAY DE PATTEROLLE
RS WILL GIT US.  DEY DID LET US HAVE SOME DANCES DO' NOW AN' DEN, BUT NOT OFFEN.
  DEY LET US GO POSSUM HUNTIN' TOO CASE DAT WUS GITTIN' SOMETHING TER EAT WIDOUT
 MISTER JAKE PAYIN' FER HIT.
          "MISTER HENRY, MISTERAKES' BRUDER AN' HIS UNCLE MOSES USTER COME A-V
ISITIN' TER DE HOUSE FER DE DAY.  MISTER HENRY  WUS LITTLE WID A SHORT LEG AN' A
 LONG ONE, AN' HE HAD DE WUST TEMPER DAT EBER WUS IN DE WORL'; AN' HE LOVED TER
SEE SLAVES SUFFER, NEAR 'BOUT MUCH AS HE LOVED HIS BRANDY.  WE KNOWED WHEN WE SE
ED HIM COMIN' DAT DAR WUS GWINE TER BE A WHUPPIN' FROLIC 'FORE DE DAY WUS GONE.
          "DAR WUS THREE NIGGERS, JOHN LANE, ANANIAS RUFFIN AN' DICK ROGERS WHAT
 GOT DE BLAME FER EBER'THING WHAT HAPPENS ON DE PLACE.  FnR rNSTjNCE-MISTnR HnNR
Y 'UD LOOK IN DE HAWG PEN AN' 'LOW DAT HIT 'PEARED DAT HE BRUDER'S STOCK WUS GRO
WIN' LESS ALL DE TIME.  DEN MISTER JAKE SEZ DAT DEY DONE BEEN STOLE.
          "WHY DOAN YOU PUNISH DEM THIEVIN' NIGRS, JAKE?"
          "JAKE GITS MAD AN' HAS DESE THREE NIGGERS BRUNG OUT, DEIR SHIRTS AM PU
LLED OFF AN' DEY AM STAKED DOWN ON DEIR STOMICHS, AN' DE OBERSEER GITS WORED OUT
, AN' LEAVIN' DE NIGGERS TIED, DAR IN DE SUN, DEY GOES TER DE HOUSE TER GIT SOME
 BRANDY.
          "DEY MORE DEY DRINKS FROM DE WHITE CROCK DE BETTER HUMOR DEY GETS IN.
 DEY LAUGHS AN' TALKS AN' ATTER AWHILE DEY THINK O' DE NIGGERS, AN' BACK DEY  OE
S AN' BEATS 'EM SOME MORE.  DIS USUALLY LASTS ALL DE DAY, CASE HIT AM FUN TER DE
M.
          "ATTER  O  O G D(Y KET.HED JACK A\H(, A6FREE9SSU(,WID ONE OF DE PIGS
, AN' DEY WHUPS HIM TWIXT DRINKS ALL DE DAY, AN' AT NIGHT DEY CARRIED HIM TER DE
 RALEIGH JAIL.  HE WUS CONVICTED AN' SENT TER BALD HEAD ISLAND TER WUCK ON DE BR
EASTWORKS DURIN' DE WAR AN' HE AIN'T NEBER COME BACK.
          "DAR WUS A MAN IN RALEIGH WHAT HAD TWO BLOOD HOUN'S AN' HE MAE HIS LI
VIN' BY KETCHIN' RUNAWAY NIGGERS.  HIS NAME WUS BEAVER AN' HE AIN'T MISSED BUT O
NCT.  PAT NORWOOD TOOK A LONG GRASS SYTHE WHEN HE RUNNED AWAY, AN' AS DE FUST DO
G COME HE CLIPPED OFF ITS TAIL, DE SECOND ONE HE CLIPPED OFF ITS YEAR AN' DEM DA
WGS AIN'T RUN HIM NO MORE.
          "DE WAR LASTED A LONG TIME, AND HIT WUS A MES\. 2 OMEOF MARSTER JAKE'
S SLAVES LEF' HIM AN' WHEN DE YANKEES GOT TER RALEIGH DEY COME AN' TOL' 'EM 'BOU
T DE WAY MISTER JAKE DONE.  WELL IN A FEW DAYS HYAR COMES DE YANKEES A-RIDIN', A
N' DEY SEZ DAT DEY HAD TENTIONS O' HANGIN' MISTER JAKE ON DE BIG OAK  IN DE YARD
 IFFEN HE UV BEEN DAR, BUT HE AIN'T.  HE AN' HIS FAMILY HAD FLEWED DE COOP.
          "DEM YANKEES WENT IN DE BIG HOUSE AN' DEY TORED AN' BUSTED UP ALL DEY
PLEASED, DEY EBEN THROWED DE CLOTHES ALL OBER DE YARD.
          "DEY TOOK TWO BIG BARNS O' CORN AN' HAUL HIT FF AN' DOWN DEVIL'S JUMP
 ON MORRIS CREEK DEY BURIED EVER SO MUCH MOLASSES AN' ALL.
          "AT RATTLESNAKE SPRING DE YANKEES FIN'S WHAR MARSTER JAKE'S STILL HAD
BEEN, AN' DAR BURIED, DEY FIN'S FIVE BARRELS O' BRANDY.
          "ATTER DE WAR WE STAYED ON AS SERVANTS O' DOCTOR MILLER FER SEBERAL YE
ARS.  I 'MEMBERS DE ONLY TIME DAT I EBER GOT DRUNK WUS LONG DEN.  DE DOCTOR AN'
HIS FRIEN'S WUS SPLURGIN', AN' I WENT WID ANOTHER NIGGER TER GIT DE BRANDY FROM
DE CELLAR FER DE GUESTS.  WHEN I TASTED HIT, HIT DRUNK SO GOOD, AN' SO MUCH LAK
SWEETIN WATER DAT I DRUNK DE PITCHER FULL.  I WUS DRUNK THREE DAYS.
          "I MARRIED MILLY, AN' SIXTY YEARS AGO WE MOVED TER  Ow). WE SCUFFLED
ALONG TILL TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS AGO WE BUYED DIS SHACK.  I HOPES DAT WE CAN GIT DE
  OLE AGE PENSION, CASE WE SHORE NEED HIT."


  X   XXX