ANGIE GARRETT                0519-ALA/#335
     IZE ANGIE GARRETT.  I WAS ABOUT SIXTEEN YEARS AT BEGINNING UV DE WA'.  I WA
S BORN IN DE KALB, MISSISSIPPI.  MY MOTHER WAS BETTY SCOTT, AN' I DIDN'T KNOW MY
 FA,HE'S NAME.  I HAD FOUR BROTHERS, EMBER, JOHNNY, JIMMIE, AND HENRY; AND THRE
E SISTERS, DELPHIE, LIZZIE, SUE, AND FRANKIE, AND MY GRANDMOTHER WAS SUKIE
SCOTT.  SHE LIVED FIVE MILES FROM GAINESVILLE ACROSS NOXUBEE CREEK AN' LIVED WID
 HER.  NEVER AXED 'BOUT MY GRANDDADDY, 'CAZE WA'N'T NO TELLIN'.  MY MAMMY LIVED
RIGHT HERE IN GAINESVILLE AN' BELONGED TO MISTER SAM HARWOOD.
    I B'LONGED TO DE MOORINGS AND CAP'N MOORING RUN ON A BOAT TO MOBILE FROM AB
ERDEEN, MISSISSIPPI, ON DE 'BIGBEE RIVER, AN' 'TWUS CALLED DECREMONIA.  I WAS DE
HoUSE GAL, AN' NUSS, AN' I SLEP' ON A PALLET IN OLD MISS'S ROOM.  I HAD PLENTY
TO EAT LONG AS US WAS ON DAT BOAT, AND HIT SHO' WAS GOOD.  BUT WHEN US WAS IN DE
 KALB, VITTLES WAS GIV' OUT AT DE SMOKE HOUSE, A SLICE O' MEAT AND PIECE OF BREA
D AND PEAS, AND 'TWUS SARNT OUT TER DE FIEL'.  MULES BE EATIN' AND NIGGERS BE EA
TIN'.
    I&NUSSED DE MOORINGS LITTLE BOY JOHNNY.  DE LITTLE GAL HAD DIED.  MISTER SC
OTT IN DE KALB HAD 'BOUT FIFTY SLAVES AND A BIG PLANTATION AND A OVERSEER NAME'
BARNES.  HE WAS A HOUGHTY MAN, AND NIGGERS WAS SKEERED TO DEATH 'CAZE HE WOULD C
OME IN ACUSSIN'.
     US6WOULD GIT UP 'FO' DAYLIGHT.  'TWUS DARK TO GO OUT, DARK TO COME IN.  US
MAKE A LITTLE FIRE IN DE FIEL' SOME MAWNIN'S, HIT BEEZE SO COLD; DEN US LET IT G
O OUT 'FO' DE OVERSEER COME.  EF HE SEED YOU HE'D MAKE YER LAY DOWN FLAT ON YO'
BELLY, FOOTS TIED OUT AND HAN'S TIED OUT AND WHOOP YER.  DE WHOOP WAS A STRAP WI
D A HANDLE, A SHO-GAWD SLAPPER.  I BEEN WHOOPED 'TEL I TELL LIES ON MYSELF TO MA
KE 'EM QUIT.  SAY DEY WHOOP HTILL I'D TELL DE TROOF, SO I HAD TER LIE 'BOUT MY S
E'F KEEP 'EM FROM KILLIN' ME.
      ISHERE RACE IS MO' LIKE DE CHILLUN OF ISRAEL, 'CEPT DEY DIDN'T HAVE TO SH
OOT NO GUN TER SET DEM FREE.
    9I6WAS SOLE TER MISTER JOHNNY MOORING, 'CAZE DE PROPERTY WAS IN DEBT.  AND D
EN FUST I B'LONGED TER MISSUS SCOTT AT DE KALB, AND HER SOLE ME, AN' I SHO' WAS
GLAD.  I WALKED HERE TO GAINESVILLE FRUM DE KALB, MISSISSIPPI.  US WA'N'T 'LOWED
 TO LEARN NOTHIN'.  SOMETIMES US SING AND HAVE A LITTLE PRAYER MEETIN', BUT 'TWU
S MIGHTY EASY AND QUIET LIKE.  GRAN'MA SUKEY USE' TO SING TRAVEL ON, TRAVEL ON,
SOON BE OVER.
     EF ANY US DIED IN DEM DAYS, BURIED US QUICK AS DEY COULD AND GOT OUT OF DER
E AND GOT TO WORK.  AT NIGHT DEY BLOW'D DE HORN FOR 'EM TO BRING IN DE COTTON W'
UT DE WOMEN SPINNED.  DEY MADE ALL DE CLOF.  US WORKED NIGHTS TOO, BUT US RESTED
 SUNDAYS.  US DIDN'T GIT NO PRESENTS AT CHRISTMAS.  SOMETIMES US HAD A CORN SHUC
KIN', AND NO CELEBRATION FOR NO MARRIAGE.  DAT WAS CALLED JUMPIN' DE BROOM, JES'
 TAKEN UP WID 'EM.  DEY ALL WANT YOU TO HAVE PLENTY OF CHILLUN, THOUGH.
     US WO' ASFEDITY 'ROUN' US NECK KEEP OFF DE SMALL POX AND MEASLES.  US DIDN'
T HAVE MUCH MEDICINE AND SOME OF UM WAS ALWAYS FULL OF BAD COMPLAINTS LAC' CARRI
E, MY NEIGHBOR, WHUT YOU AXED ABOUT.  I BEES AHURTIN', BUT I CAN'T NEVER GIT IN
EDGEWAYS FOR HER.  ALWAYS GOT A LOT EXCUSES; DOAN NEVER 'SPECTS TO DIE 'THOUT FO
LKS KNOWS WHUT AILS HER.  BUT SHE BROUGHT ME SOME BLACK-EYED PEAS TODAY, AND I L
AC'S UM 'CAZE DEY BILES SOF', AND I SAY 'EF DE DEVIL BROUGHT HIT, GOD SARNT HIT.
     SOMETIMES I BEES HONGRY, AN' I SAY, WHUT IS I'M GWINTER EAT?, AND ALONG COM
E SOMEBODY WID SUMPIN'.
     WISH YOU COULD OF HEERED DAT CALLIOPE ON DE CREMONIA.  DEY DANCE SOME TIME
'MOS' ALL NIGHT, BUT DEY DIDN'T ACT LAC' DEY DO NOW.  'TWUS NICE BEHAVIOR.  LOOK
 LAC' EV'YTHING GOIN' TER HEATHENISAM, AND HITS ON DE WAY NOW.  BUT DE GOOD LORD
8H('PS ME.  HE8HO$'S MY HAN'.  I AIN'T GOT NOTHIN' 'GIN NOBODY.  I DOAN SEE NO N
EED OF FUSSIN' AND FIGHTIN' AN' ADRINKIN' WHISKEY.  US LIVIN' IN A NEW WORL' AND
 I GO ON MAKIN' DE BES' I KIN OF HIT.  SOME I LAC, SOME I DOAN.
     I GOT ONE DAUGHTER, FANNIE WARSON, A GOOD WASHER AND IRONER RIGHT HERE IN G
AINESVILLE, AND I GOT A SON, TOO, SAY HE AIN'T GONNA MARRY 'TEL HE KIN TREAT DE
'OMAN GOOD AS SHE KIN TREAT HERSE'F.  I MAKES HIM WAIT ON ME, AND HE GITS MIGHTY
 RAW SOMETIMES, BUT I TELLS HIM I'M JES' MUCH OLDER DEN HE IS NOW AS I WAS WHEN
HE WAS BAWN.  DEN HE GIVES ME A OLD DIRTY DIME, BUT NOW WID DESE HERE TOKENS, YO
U GOTTER PAY SOME OF HIT FER SPENDIN'.  DEY TELLS ME HIT'S DE GOVERNOR, AND I SA
Y 'LET HIM CARRY 'EM; HE KIN TOTE 'EM, I AIN'T ABLE.  WELL, ONCE AIN'T ALWAYS, A
ND TWICE AIN'T FEREVER.
     NO'M, I DOAN NEVER GO TER CHURCH NO MO'.  DE PREACHER'S HERE IS GOIN' BLINE
 ABOUT MONEY.  DEY AIN'T INTERESTED IN DEY SOUL.  SOME FOLKS B'LONGS TER DE CHUR
CH AN' AIN'T BEEN CHANGED.  DE CHURCH AIN'T ALL OF HIT.  I 'MEMBERS DAY UV 'MANC
IPATION.  YANKEES TOLE US WE WAS FREE, AND DEY CALL US UP FRUM DE FIEL' TO SIGN
UP AN' SEE EF US WANTED TO STAY ON WID 'EM.  I STAYED DAT YEAR WID DE MOORINGS,
DEN I BARGAIN FOR LAN', BUT COULDN'T NEVER PAY FER HIT.  TURNED LOOSE 'THOUT NOT
HIN'.
     BUT DEY WAS A COAL BLACK FREE BORN NIGGER NAME GEORGE WRIGHT, HAD A FLOATIN
' MILL RIGHT HERE ON DE BIGBEE RIVER, STAYED AT DE P'INT OF DE WOODS JE' 'BOVE
DE SPRING BRANCH, AND HIT DID A GOOD SERVICE.  BUT HE GOT IN DEBT AND HE SOLE HI
S FIVE BOYS.  DEY WAS HIS OWN CHILLUN, AND HE COULD SELL 'EM UNDER DE LAW.  DE N
AMES WAS EBER, ELI, EZEKIEL, ENOCH, AND EZRA, AN' HE SOLE 'EM TER DE HIGHES' BID
DER RIGHT YONDER IN FRONT OF DE POS' OFFICE FOR CASH.  AND JACK TOM WAS ANOTHER
FREE NIGGER.  HERE AND HE BOUGHT SOME OF 'EM, AND DEY OTHERS DE WHITE FOLKS BOUG
HT, AND I NEVER HEERD NO COMPLAINT AND I SEED 'EM LONG AS DEY LIVED.  DEY WAS A
HEAP OF THINGS WENT ON.  SOME I LAC'S TO REMEMBER, SOME I DOAN.  BUT I'D RATHER
BE FREE NOW.  I NEVER SEED MISTER LINCOLN, BUT WHEN DEY TOLE ME 'BOUT HIM, I THO
UGHT HE WAS PARTLY GOD.
     BUT MISTER JOHN ROGERS RIGHT HERE, HE WAS WHUT HE WAS AND WASN'T 'CEITFUL.
 GO TO HIM EF YOU GOT INTO ANYTHING, AND HE MORE'N APT TO TELL YOU WHUT TO DO.
HE WAS WILE WHEN HE WAS YOUNG, BUT HE SETTLE DOWN AND WAS DE BES' WHITE MAN TO D
E NIGGERS I EVER KNOW'D.  HE'D HE'P ME RIGHT NOW EF HE WAS LIVIN' AND SEEN ME WE
ARIN' DIS HERE RAG NASTY, HE SHO' WOULD.
 X  XXX