JOHN MOODY                   1704-TEX/#370
     WELL, SUH, MY FOLKS DONE LEARN ME TO START DE COTTON ROW RIGHT AND POINT FO
R DE STAKE AT DE FAR END OF DE FIELD, AND DAT WAY A NIGGER DON'T GIT OFF DE LINE
 AND GO DIS-A-WAY AND DAT-A WAY.  HE START RIGHT AND END RIGHT, YES, SUH]  DAT D
E WAY TO LIVE - YOU START RIGHT AND GO DE STRAIGHT WAY TO DE END AND YOU COME OU
T ALL RIGHT.
     I'S BEEN HERE A MIGHTY LONG TIME, I SHO HAS, AND DONE FORGIT A HEAP, 'CAUSE
 MY HEAD AIN'T SO GOOD NO MORE, BUT WHEN I FIRST KNOWED MYSELF I 'LONGS TO OLD M
ARSE JOHN MCCOY.  OLD MISS MARY WAS HE WIFE AND DEY DE ONLY WHITE FOLKS WHAT I E
VER 'LONGS TO.  DAT HOW COME I'S A MCCOY, 'CAUSE ALL DE NIGGERS WHAT OLD MARSE H
AVE GOES BY HIS NAME.
     MY PAPPY'S NAME WAS HECTOR AND MAMMY'S NAME ANN, AND DEY DIES WHEN I'S JES'
 A YOUNG BUCK AND DAT BEEN A LONG TIME 'FORE FREEDOM.  AIN'T GOT NO BRUDDERS AND
 SISTERS WHAT I KNOWS 'BOUT.  ALL A SLAVE HAVE TO GO BY AM WHAT DE WHITE FOLKS T
ELLS HIM 'BOUT HIS KINFOLKS.
     OLD MARSE JOHN HAVE A BIG PLACE ROUND HOUSTON AND RAISES COTTON AND CORN AN
D HAWGS AND COWS.  DERE WAS LOTS OF WILDERNESS DEN, FULL OF VARMITS AND WILDCATS
 AND BEARS.  OLD MARSE DONE LARN ME 'BEDIENCE AND NOT TO LIE OR STEAL, AND HE LA
RN ME WITH DE WHIP.  DAT ALL DE LARNIN' WE GITS.  DOES HE COTCH YOU WITH DE BOOK
 OR PAPER, HE WHIP YOU HAND DOWN.  HE DON'T WHIP DE OLD FOLKS NONE, JES' DE YOUN
G BUCKS, 'CAUSE DEY WILD AND MEAN AND DAT DE ONLIES' WAY DEY LARNS RIGHT FROM WR
ONG.
     I TELLS YOU JES' LIKE I TELLS EVERYONE - FOLKS HAD HEAP MORE SENSE IN SLAVE
 TIMES DAN DEY HAS NOW.  LONG AS A NIGGER DO RIGHT, OLD MARSE PERTECT HIM.  OLD
MARSE FEED HE NIGGERS GOOD, TOO, AND WE HAS PLENTY CLOTHES.  COURSE, DEY HOMEMAD
E ON DE SPINNIN' WHEEL, BUT DEY GOOD.  DE SHOES JES' LIKE PEN'TENTIARY SHOES, ON
LY NOT FIX UP SO GOOD.  OLD MARSE KILL COW FOR MEAT AND TAKE DE HIDE TO DE TANNE
R AND UNCLE JIM MAKE DAT HIDE INTO SHOES.  DEY HARD AND HEAVY AND HURT DE FEETS,
 BUT DEY WEAR LIKE YOU HAS IRON SHOES.
     OLD MARSE DON'T WORK HE NIGGERS SUNDAY LIKE SOME WHITE FOLKS DO.  DAT DE DA
Y WE HAS CHURCH MEETIN' UNDER TREES.  DE SPIRIT JES' COME DOWN OUT DE SKY AND YO
U FORGITS ALL YOU TROUBLES.
     SLAVE TIMES WAS DE BEST, 'CAUSE CULLUD FOLKS AM IG'RANT AND AIN'T GOT NO SE
NSE AND IN SLAVE TIMES WHITE FOLKS SHOW DEM DE RIGHT WAY.  NOW DEY IS FREE, DEY
GITS UPPITY AND SASSY.  SOME DESE YOUNG BUCKS OUGHT TO GIT DERE HEADS WHIPPED DO
WN.  DAT LARN DEM MANNERS.
     FREEDOM WASN'T NO DIFF'RENCE I KNOWS OF.  I WORKS FOR MARSE JOHN JES' DE SA
ME FOR A LONG TIME.  HE SAY ONE MORNIN, "JOHN, YOU CAN GO OUT IN DE FIELD IFFEN
YOU WANTS TO, OR YOU CAN GIT OUT IFFEN YOU WANTS TO, 'CAUSE DE GOV'MENT SAY YOU
IS FREE.  IF YOU WANTS TO WORK I'LL FEED YOU AND GIVE YOU CLOTHES BUT CAN'T PAY
YOU NO MONEY.  I AIN'T GOT NONE."  HUMPH, I DIDN'T KNOW NOTHIN' WHAT MONEY WAS,
NOHOW, BUT I KNOWS I'LL GIT PLENTY VICTUALS TO EAT SO I STAYS TILL OLD MARSE DIE
 AND OLD MISS GIT SHET OF DE PLACE.  DEN I GITS ME A JOB FARMIN' AND WHEN I GITS
 TOO OLD FOR DAT I DOES DIS AND DAT FOR WHITE FOLKS, LIKE FIXIN' YARDS.
     I'S BLACK AND JES' A POOR, OLD NIGGER, BUT I REV'RENCE MY WHITE FOLKS 'CAUS
E DEY RARED ME UP IN DE RIGHT WAY.  IF CULLUD FOLK PAY 'TENTION AND LISTEN TO WH
AT DE WHITE FOLKS TELL DEM, DE WORLD BE A HEAP BETTER OFF.  US OLD NIGGERS KNOWS
 DAT'S DE TRUTH, TOO, 'CAUSE WE LARNS RESPEC' AND MANNERS FROM OUR WHITE FOLKS A
ND ON DE GREAT DAY OF JEDGEMENT MY WHITE FOLKS IS GWINETER MEET ME AND SHAKE HAN
DS WITH ME AND BE GLAD TO SEE ME.  YES, SUH, DAT'S DE TRUTH.
 X  XXX