X  XXX
SARAH POINDEXTER             0405-SC /#275
     MY NAME IS SARAH POINDEXTER.  I WAS BORN IN 1850 ON DE PLANTATION OF JACOB
 POINDEXTER, 'BOUT TEN MILES BEYOND LEXINGTON COURT HOUSE.  THESE OLD EYES OF MI
NE HAS SEEN A MIGHTY LOT OF THINGS HERE 'BOUTS DURIN' DE EIGHTY SEVEN YEARS I BE
EN 'ROUND HERE.
     DE FIRST TIME I SEE COLUMBIA, IT DE POWERFULEST LOT OF BIG WOOD HOUSES AND
MUDDY STREETS I EVER SEE IN MY LIFE.  DE POINDEXTER WAGON DAT CARRY MY DADDY AND
 MY MAMMY AND ME TO DE BIG TOWN, PRETTY OFTEN MIRE IN MUDHOLES ALL 'LONG DE BIG
ROAD FROM DE PLANTATION TO DE COURT HOUSE.  DAT TRIP WAS MADE 'BOUT 1857, 'CAUSE
 I WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD WHEN I MADE DAT TRIP.
      SINCE THAT FIRST TRIP I HAS LIVED IN SIGHT OF COLUMBIA, 'MOST ALL MY LIFE.
  MY DADDY, MY MAMMY AND ME LIVED ON DE PLANTATION OF MASTER POINDEXTER UNTIL
1863.  WE MIGHT A LIVED THERE LONGER, IF THINGS HAD NOT BEEN SO UPSET.  I SHO' R
ECALL DE EXCITEMENT IN DE NEIGHBORHOOD WHEN ROVING CROWDS OF NIGGERS COME 'LONG
DE BIG ROAD, SHOUTIN' AND SINGIN' DAT ALL NIGGERS AM FREE.  SNOW WAS ON DE GROUN
D, BUT DE SPIRITS OF DE NIGGERS WAS SHO' PLENTY HOT.
     DE POINDEXTER PLANTATION WAS ONE BIG PLACE OF EXCITEMENT THEM DAYS.  DE SLA
VES WORK SOME, ALL DURIN' DE WAR, SOMETIMES I NOW 'SPECTS IT WAS DE SAKE OF DE M
ISSUS.   ALL OF US LOVED HER, 'CAUSE SHE WAS SO KIND AND GOOD TO US.  SHE WAS CR
YIN' AND WORRYIN' ALL DE TIME 'BOUT HER MANFOLKS, WHO WAS AWAY FIGHTIN' DAMN YAN
KEES, SHE SAY.  SHE SHO' HAD PLENTY OF BACKBONE OR SPUNK, WHEN STRAGGLERS SHOW U
P, THEY ALWAYS HUNGRY AND ALWAYS READY TO TAKE WHAT DEY WANT TO EAT, UNTIL THE M
ISSUS COME ON  DE SCENE WITH HER TRUSTY SHOTGUN.  IT SEEM LIKE DE WAR LAST FOREV
ER TO ME, 'STEAD OF 'BOUT FIVE YEARS.  TO A CHILD, LORDY, HOW LONG DE YEARS HANG
 ON, A5D WHEN WE GET PAST 50, OH, HOW FAST DE TIME RUNS.
     ONE DAY MAMMY STAY IN BED, TOO SICK TO GO TO DE BIG HOUSE  O  O ], A5D2B oO
' NOON, WHO SHOULD COME TO OUR CABIN BUT MISSUS POINDEXER HERSELF, CARRYIN' A B
ASKET.  SHE SET IT DOWN AND SAY TO MAMMY,  LAWZY SADIE, I NOT LEAVE YOU HERE TO
STARVE;  THEN SHE UNCOVER DE BASKET AND SET OUT A BIG PLATE OF CHICKEN AND DUMPL
IN', HOT BISCUITS, COFFEE, AND A LOT OF OTHER GOOD THINGS.
    6>HEN SHE GONE, MAMMY EAT SOME AND GIVE ME SOME, AND MAM*Y7GIT  P-N XT- O

                                                                             I
NG AND SAY:  SIS, MY WHITE FOLKS' MISSUS AM SO GOOD AND KIND, I AM GOIN' TO WORK
 FOR HER TODAY, BEST I CAN.  SHE WENT BUT SHE WASN'T GOOD WELL YET.  MISSUS POIN
DEXTER MANY TIMES FETCH ME A PIECE OF CANDY OR SOMETHIN' WHEN SHE GO TO TOWN AND
 BACK.
     NO, I NEVER SEE COLUMBIA BURN IN 1865, BUT WE RECKON THAT IT WAS BuRNrN' cH
AT NIGHT IN FEBRUARY, 1865, 'CAUSE WE SMELL IT AND DE WHOLE EAST LOOK LAK SOME E
XTRA LIGHT IS SHININ' AND PRETTY SOON, SOME FOLKS COME RIDIN' BY AND TELL US THE
 WHOLE CITY IN FLAMES.  DE NEXT TIME I SEE IT, I GUESS THERE WASN'T 50 HOUSES ST
ANDIN'.  CHIMNEYS STANDIN' 'ROUND, IS ABOUT ALL THERE WAS WHERE MOST OF DE CITY
WAS STANDIN' BEFO'.
     MY DADDY WAS KILLED DOWN 'BOUT AIKEN, SHORTLY AFTER 1865.  ME AND MAMMY COM
E TO COLUMBIA AND LIVE IN A CABIN IN DE ALLEY BACK OF SENATE STREET, WHERE MAMMY
 TAKE9IN6WA\HI)' AND COOK FOR SOME WHITE FOLKS, WHO KNOW HER;  I HELPED HE. 2\H
E DIE IN 1868, AND I GOES 'WAY WITH FOUR OTHER NIGGER GALS TO DURHAM TO WORK IN
A TOBACCO FACTORY.  BOTH WHITE AND NIGGER WOMAN WORK THERE, BUT DE NIGGER WOMEN
DO MOST OF DE HARD WORK, STRIPPIN' DE LEAVES, STEMMIN' THEM, AND PLACIN' THEM TO
 DRY.  WHITE WOMEN FINISH THEM FOR DE TRADE.
     IN 1870 WHEN I COMES BACK TO  COLUMBIA DE CITY AM COMIN' BACK.  BIG BUrLDrN
'S UP ALONG DE STREETS, BUT MOST OF THEM WAS MADE OF WOOD.  SOON AFTER THAT I GE
TS WORK IN A HOTEL, BUT COLUMBIA AT THAT TIME WAS NOT SO BIG AND DURHAM WAS SMAL
LER STILL, ALTHOUGH DURHAM HAD MORE BRICK HOUSES.  I WAS HAPPIER ON DE POINDEXTE
R PLANTATION AND HAD FEWER THINGS TO WORRY 'BOUT THAN WHEN I WAS ASCRATCHIN' 'RO
UND FOR MYSELF.
     YOU ASK HAS I BEEN MARRIED?  YES, I MARRY A DANDY LOOKIN' YOUNG MAN, 'BOUT
MY OWN AGE, 'BOUT A YEAR AFTER I COMES BACK TO COLUMBIA.  HIS NAME, SO HE SAY, I
S SAM ALLEN.  HE MAKE FUN OF SOME OTHER NIGGERS WHO WORK AT ONE THING OR ANOTHER
 TO LIVE.  ONE DAY HE COME TO WHERE I WORK AND SAY HE BOUND TO RAISE TEN
DOLLARS.  I HANDS HIM DE CASH, A5D HE GIVES ME A GOOD KISS RIGHT THERE BEFO' DE
FOLKS, BUT I NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN.  I HEAR, AFTER HE GONE, THAT HE WIN SOME MORE
 MONEY AT A GAMBLIN' PLACE ON ASSEMBLY STREET, AND RECKON HE DECIDED TO BLOW 'WA
Y, WHILE BLOWIN' WAS GOOD.
     DE FOLKS WHO KNOW ME ALWAYS CALL ME SARAH POINDEXTE, AND I GOT IT8HONEST$Y
 LIKE OTHER HONEST SLAVES WHO NEVER KNOW WHAT THEIR REAL NAME WAS, AND SO I KEEP
S IT TO THE END OF THE ROAD.
     I AM NOW LIVIN' WITH A DISTANT RELATIVE AND FIRMLY TRUSTIN' IN JESUS, AS I
HAVE DONE FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS, THAT HE WILL KEEP ME TO THE END OF THE TRAIL H
ERE AND GREET ME WHEN I PASS ON 'WAY UP YONDER]
 X  XXX