BOSTON BLACKWELL I KNOWS MY AGE, GOOD. OLD MISS, SHE TOLD ME WHEN I GOT OLD--BOSS,8YOU IS 13--BORNED CHRISTMAS. BE SURE TO TELL YOUR NEW MISTRESS AND SHE PUT YOU DOWN IN HER BOOK. MY BORNED NAME WAS PRUITT 'CAUSE I GOT BORNED ON ROBERT PRUITT'S PLA NTATION IN GEORGIA--FRANKLIN COUNTY, GEORGIA. BUT BLACKWELL IS MY FREED NAME. YOU SEE, AFTER MY MAMMY GOT SOLD DOWN TO AUGUSTA--I WISHED I COULD TELL YOU THE MAN WHAT BROUGHT HER; I AIN'T NEVER SEED HIM SINCE--I WAS SOLD TO GO TO ARKANSA S, JEFFERSON COUNTY, ARKANSAS. THEN WAS WHEN OLD MISS TELLED ME I AM 13. IT WA S BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR I COME HERE. THE ONLIEST AUCTION OF SLAVES I EVER SEED W AS IN MEMPHIS, COMING ON TO ARKANSAS. I HEERD A GIRL BID OFF FOR EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS. SHE WAS ABOUT FIFTEEN, I RECKON. I HEERD A WOMAN--A BREEDING WOMAN-- BID OFF FOR FIFTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS. THEY ALWAYS BROUGHT GOOD MONEY. I'M TELLI NG YOU, IT WAS WHEN WE WAS COMING FROM ATLANTA. I'LL TELL YOU HOW I RUNNED AWAY AND JOINED THE YANKEES. YOU KNOW ABRAHAM L INCOLN DECLARED FREEDOM IN '63, FIRST DAY OF JANUARY. IN OCTOBER '63 I RUNNED A WAY AND WENT TO PINE BLUFF TO GET TO THE YANKEES. I WAS ON THE BLACKWELL PLANTA TION SOUTH OF PINE BLUFF IN '68. THEY WAS BUILDING A NEW HOUSE. I WANTED TO FE EL SOME PUTTY IN MY HAND. ONE EARLY MORNING I CLIMB A LADDER TO GET A LITTLE CH UNK AND THE OVERSEER MAN, HE SEED ME. HERE HE COME, YELLING ME TO GET DOWN; HE GWINE WHIP ME 'CAUSE I'S A THIEF, HE SAY. HE CALL A SLAVE BOY AND TELL HIM CU T TEN WILLER WHIPS; HE GWINE WEAR EVERY ONE OUT ON ME. WHEN HE'S GONE TO EAT B REAKFAST, I RUNS TO MY CABIN AND TELLS MY SISTER, I'SE LEAVING THIS HERE PLACE F OR GOOD. SHE CRY AND SAY, OVERSEER MAN, HE KILL YOU. I SAYS, HE KILL ME ANYHOW. THE YOUNG BOY WHAT CUT THE WHIPS--HE NAMED JERRYY-- HE COME ALONG WITH ME AND WE WADE THE STREAM FOR LONG PIECE. HEERD THE HOUNDS AHOWLING, GETTING R EADY FOR TO CHASE US. THEN WE HIDE IN DARK WOODS. IT WAS COLD, FROSTY WEATHER. TWO DAYS AND TWO NIGHTS WE TRAVELED. THAT BOY, HE SO COLD AND HUNGRY, HE WANT TO FALL OUT BY THE WAY, BUT I DRUG HIM ON. WHEN WE GETS TO THE YANKEE CAMP jL L OUR TROUBLES WAS OVER. WE GETS ALL THE CONTRABAND WE COULD EAT. THEY WAS HUN DREDS OF RUNAWAYS THERE. THE YANKEES FEEDS ALL THEM REFUGEES ON CONTRABAND. TH EY MADE ME A DRIVER OF A TEAM IN THE QUARTERMASTER'S DEPARTMENT. I WAS ALWAYS C AREFUL TO DO EVERYTHING THEY TELLED ME. THEY TELLED ME I WAS FREE WHEN I GETS T O THE YANKEE CAMP, BUT I COULDN'T GO OUTSIDE MUCH. IFFEN YOU COULD GET TO THE Y ANKEE'S CAMP YOU WAS FREE RIGHT NOW. THAT OLD STORY ABOUT FORTY ACRES AND A MULE, IT MAKE ME LAUGH. THEY SURE D ID TELL US THAT, BUT I NEVER KNOWED ANY PERSON WHICH GOT IT. THE OFFICERS TELLE D US WE WOULD ALL GET SLAVE PENSION. THAT JUST EXACTLY WHAT THEY TELL. THEY SU RE DID TELL ME I WOULD GET A PARCEL OF GROUND TO FARM. NOTHING EVER HATCHED OUT OF THAT, NEITHER. WHEN I GOT TO PINE BLUFF I STAYED CONTRABAND. WHEN THE BATTLE COME, CAPTAI N MANLY CARRIED ME DOWN TO THE BATTLEGROUND AND I STAY THERE TILL FIGHTING WAS O VER. I WAS A SOLDIER THAT DAY. I DIDN'T SHOOT NO GUN NOR CANNON. I CARRIED WA TER FROM THE RIVER FOR TO PUT OUT THE FIRE IN THE COTTON BALES WHAT MADE THE BRE ASTWORKS. EVERY TIME THE 'FEDERATED SHOOT, THE COTTON, IT COME ON FIRE. SO AFT ER THE BATTLE, THEY TRANSFER ME BACK TO QUARTERMASTER DRIVER. CAPTAIN DODRIDGE WAS HIS NAME. I SERVED IN LITTLE RICK UNDER CAPTAIN HASKELL. I WAS SWORED IN F OR DURING THE WAR. IT WAS ON THE CORNER OF MAIN AND MARKHAM STREET IN LITTLE RO CK I WAS SWORED IN. YEAR OF '64. I WAS FIVE FEET, EIGHT INCHES HIGH. LIVING I N THE ARMY WAS PURTY GOOD. IFFEN YOU OBEYED THEM YANKEE OFFICERS THEY TREATED Y OU PURTY GOOD, BUT IFFEN YOU DIDN'T THEY SURE WENT ROUGH ON YOU. &AFcnR cHE2sOlDInRS jLL pO AWAY, THE FIRST THrNG, I wORK-ON THE-RArLROAD. T HEY WAS JUST BEGINNING TO COME HERE. I DIGGED PITS OUT, GOING ALONG FRONT OF WH ERE THE TRACKS WAS TO GO. I GET ONE DOLLAR A DAY. I FELT LIKE THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD] I BOARDED WITH A WHITE FAMILY. ALWAYS I WAS AWATCHING FOR MY SLA VE PENSION TO BEGIN COMING. BEFORE I LEFT THE ARMY MY CAPTAIN, HE TELLED ME TO FILE. MY FILE NUMBER, IT IS 1,115,857. AFTER I KEEPED THEM PAPER FOR SO MANY Y EARS, WHITE AND BLACK FOLKS BOTH TELLED ME IT AIN'T NEVER COMING--MY SLAVE PENSI ON--AND I RECKON THE CHILDREN TORED UP THE PAPERS. THAT NUMBER FOR ME IS FILED IN WASHINGTON. AFTER THE RAILROAD I WENT STEAMBOATING. FIRST ONE WAS A LITTLE ONE; THEY CALL HER FORT SMITH 'CAUSE SHE GO FROM LITTLE ROCK TO FORT SMITH. IT WAS FUNNY, TOO, HER CAPTAIN WAS NAME SMITH. CAPTAIN EUGENE SMITH WAS HIS NAME. HE WAS GO OD, BUT THE MATE WAS SURE ROUGH. THEY'S PLENTY TO DO ON A RIVERBOAT. NEVER IS NO TIME FOR REST. LOAD, UNLOAD, SCRUB. JUST YOU DO WHATEVER YOU IS TOLD TO DO AND DO IT RIGHT NOW, AND YOU'LL KEEP OUTEN TROUBLE, ON A STEAMBOAT, OR A RAILROA D, OR IN THE ARMY, OR WHEREVER YOU IS. THAT'S WHAT I KNOWS. I RECKON THEY WAS RIGHT SMART OLD MASTERS WHAT DIDN'T WANT TO LET THEY SLAV ES GO AFTER FREEDOM. THEY HATED TO TURN THEM LOOSE. JUST LET THEM WORK ON. HE AP OF THEM DIDN'T KNOW FREEDOM COME. I USED TO HEAR TELL HOW THE GOVERNMENT HAD TO SEND SOLDIERS AWAY DOWN IN THE FAR BACK COUNTRY TO MAKE THEM TURN THE SLAVES LOOSE. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW THEM FREE NIGGERS WAS LIVING; I WAS TOO BUSY LOOKI NG OUT FOR MYSELF. HEAPS OF THEM WENT TO FARMING. THEY WAS SHARECROPPERS. THEM KU KLUXERS WAS TERRIBLE--WHAT THEY DONE TO PEOPLE. OH GOD, THEY WAS B AD. THEY COME SNEAKING UP AND RUNNED YOU OUTEN YOUR HOUSE AND TAKE EVERYTHING Y OU HAD. THEY WAS ROUGH ON THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN. PEOPLE ALL WANTED TO STAY CL OSE BY WHERE SOLDIERS WAS. I SURE KNOWED THEY WAS MY FRIEND. AFTER PEACE, I GOT WITH MY SISTER. SHE'S THE ONLIEST OF ALL MY PEOPLE I EVER SEED AGAIN. SHE TELLED ME SHE WAS SCARED ALL THAT DAY I RUNNED AWAY. SHE COULD N'T WORK, SHE SHAKE SO BAD. SHE HEERD OVERSEER MAN GETTING READY TO CHASE ME AN D JERRY. HE SADDLE HIS HORSE, TAKE HIS GUN AND PISTOL, BOTH. HE GWINE KILL ME ON SIGHT, BUT JERRY, HE SAY HE BRING HIM BACK, DEAD OR ALIVE, TIED TO HIS HORSES TAIL. BUT HE DIDN'T GET US, HA, HA HA, HA. YANKEES GOT US. NOW YOU WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS VOTING BUSINESS. I VOTED FOR GENERAL GRAN T. ARMY MEN COME AROUND AND REGISTERED YOU BEFORE VOTING TIME. IT WASN'T NO TR OUBLE TO VOTE THEM DAYS; WHITE AND BLACK ALL VOTED TOGETHER. ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS TELL WHO YOU WAS VOTE FOR AND THEY GIVE YOU A COLORED TICKET. ALL THE MEN UP HAD A DIFFERENT COLORED TICKETS. IFFEN YOU'RE VOTING FOR GRANT, YOU GET HIS COLOR. IT WAS EASY. THEY WAS COLORED MEN IN OFFICE, PLENTY. COLORED LEGISLAT ORS, AND COLORED CIRCUIT CLERKS, AND COLORED COUNTY CLERKS. THEY SURE WAS SOME BIG OFFICERS COLORED IN THEM TIMES. THEY WAS ALL MY FRIENDS. THIS HERE USED TO BE A GOOD COUNTY, BUT I TELL YOU IT SURE IS TOUGH NOW. I THINK IT'S WRONG--EXAC TLY WRONG THAT WE CAN'T VOTE NOW. THE JIM CROW LAW, IT PUT US OUT. THE CONSTIT UTION OF THE UNITED STATES, IT GIVE US THE RIGHT TO VOTE. IT MADE US CITIZENS, IT DID. YOU KEEPS ON ASKING ABOUT ME, LADY. I AIN'T NEVER BEEN ASKED ABOUT MYSELF IN MY WHOLE LIFE. NOW YOU WNATS TO KNOW AFTER RAILROADING AND STEAMBOATING WHA T. THEY WAS STILL WORK THE YANKEE ARMY WANTED DONE. THE WAR HAD BEEN GONE FOR LONG TIME. ALL OVER EVERY PLACE WAS BODIES BURIED. THEY WAS BRINGING THEM TO LITTLE ROCK TO PUT IN GOVERNMENT GRAVEYARD. THEY SENT ME ALL OVER THE STATE TO HELP BRING THEM HERE. MAJOR FORSYTHE WAS MY QUARTERMASTER THEN. AFTER THAT WAS DONE, THEY PUT ME TO WORK AT SAINT JOHN'S HOSPITAL. THE WOR K I DONE THERE LIKED TO RUIN ME FOR LIFE. I CLEANED OUT THE WATER CLOSETS. AFT ER A WHILE I TOOK DOWN SICK FORM THE WORK--THE SCENT, YOU KNOW--BUT I KEEP ON TI LL I GET SO FAR GONE I CAN'T STAY ON MY FEETS NO MORE. A MISERY GOT ME IN THE C HEST; RIGHT HERE, AND IT BEEN WITH ME ALL THROUGH LIFE; IT WITH ME NOW. I FILED FOR A PENSION ON THIS AILMENT. I NEVER DID GET IT. THE GOVERNMENT NEVER TOOK CARE OF ME LIKE IT DID SOME SOLDIERS. THEY SAID I WAS NOT AN ENLIST ED MAN, THAT I WAS A EMPLYED MAN, SO I COULDN'T GET NOE PENSION. I GIVE MY WHOL E LIFE TO THE GOVERNMENT FOR MANY YEARS. WHITE AND BLACK BOTH ALWAYS TELLING ME I SHOULD HAVE A PENSION. I STOOD ON THE BATTLEFIELD JUST LIKE OTHER SOLDIERS. IFFEN I COULD OF HAD SOME HELP WHEN I BEEN SICK, I MIGHT NOT BE SO NO ACCOUNT N OW. X XXX