HENRY CHEATAM
     I SURE 'MEMBERS PLENTY ABOUT DE SLAVE DAYS.  I WAS BORN IN 1850 NEAR WEST P
OINT.  DAT'S IN CLAY COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, YOU KNOW.  I BELONGED TO MR TOM HOLLIN
GSHEAD WHO WAS KILLED IN DE CIVIL WAR.  I 'MEMBERS ALL DE SLAVES AGOIN' IN TO TA
KE A LAST LOOK AT HIM AFTER DEY DONE BRUNG HIS BODY HOME.  MY MAMMY'S NAME WAS E
MMELINE CHEATAM, AND MY PAPPY'S WAS SAM CHEATAM.  I DON'T REMEMBER MY GRANDPAPPY
 AND GRANDMAMMY AT ALL.
     US SLAVES LIVED IN LOG CABINS WHAT WAS DAUBED WITH CLAY TO KEEP DE RAIN AND
 WIND OUT, AND DE CHIMNEYS WAS MADE OF CLAY AND STICKS.  DE BEDS WAS HOMEMADE AN
D NAILED AGIN' DE WALL WITH LEGS ON DE OUTER SIDE.  DE MASSA'S HOUSE WAS BUILT O
F LOGS, TOO, BUT IT WAS MUCH BIGGER'N DE NIGGER CABINS AND SET WAY OUT IN FRONT
OF OURS.  AFTER MASSA WAS KILT, OLD MISS HAD A NIGGER OVERSEER AND DAT WAS DE ME
ANEST DEVIL DAT EVER LIVED ON DE LORD'S GREEN EARTH.  I PROMISE MYSELF WHEN I GR
OWED UP DAT I WAS AGOIN' TO KILL DAT NIGGER IF IT WAS DE LAST THING I EVER DONE.
  LOTS OF TIMES I'SE SEEN HIM BEAT MY MAMMY, AND ONE DAY I SEEN HIM BEAT MY AUNT
IE WHO WAS BIG WITH A CHILD, AND DAT MAN DUG A ROUND HOLE IN DE GROUND AND PUT H
ER STOMACH IN IT, AND BEAT HER FOR A HALF HOUR STRAIGHT TILL DE BABY COME OUT RI
GHT DERE IN DE HOLE.
     MISTIS ALLOW SUCH TREATMENT ONLY 'CAUSE A HEAP OF TIMES SHE DIDN'T KNOW NOT
HIN' ABOUT IT, AND DE SLAVES BETTER NOT TELL HER, 'CAUSE DAT OVERSEER WHIP 'EM I
F HE FINDS OUT DAT DEY DONE GONE AND TOLD.  I'SE SEED SOME TERRIBLE THINGS IN MY
 TIME.  WHEN DE SLAVES WOULD TRY TO RUN AWAY OUR OVERSEER WOULD PUT CHAINS ON DE
IR LEGS WITH BIG LONG SPIKES BETWEEN DEIR FEETS, SO DEY COULDN'T GET AWAY.  DEN
ISE' SEEN GREAT BUNCHES OF SLAVES PUT UP ON DE BLOCK AND SOLD JUST LIKE DEY WAS
COWS.  SOMETIMES DE CHILLENS WOULD BE SEPARATED FROM DERE MAWS AND PAWS.
     I COME PRETTY NEAR TO BEIN TOOK AWAY FROM MY MAW.  WHEN DE SLAVES WAS BEIN'
 DIVIDED, ONE OF OLD MISS' DAUGHTERS WAS AGOIN' TO TEXAS, AND I WAS GOIN' TO HAV
E TO GO WHEN SOMEBODY HOLLERED FREEDOM] AND I SURE WAS GLAD 'CAUSE I COULD STAY
WITH MY MAMMY NOW.
     IN DOES DAYS US HAD PLENTY OF GOOD PLAIN FOOD, SUCH AS POT LIKKER, GREENS,
CORNBREAD, 'TATERS, PEAS, PEARS, AND AT HOG KILLIN' US HAD CHITTLIN'S  AND PIG J
OWLS AND BACK BONE.  DEN US WOULD COTCH POSSUMS AT NIGHT WHEN DEY COME UP IN DE
CORN FIELD.  US NEVER SEED NO FLOUR, THOUGH.
    AS FOR FISHIN' WE NIEVER DID NONE, 'CAUSE WE HADDA WORK TOO HARD.  WE WORKED
 FROM CAN TO CAN'T. GET US AT SUNRISE, GO TO DE FIELD, AND STAY TILL DARK.  IN D
E MIDDLE OF DE DAY DEY WOULD SEND OUT SOMETHIN' TO EAT TO DE FIELD, WITH A BARRE
L OF WATER.  BUT FOR BREAKFAST AND SUPPER, US HADDA COOK OUR OWN GRUB DEY GIVE U
S.
     OUR CLOTHES WEREN'T MANY.  US CHILLENS WORE A ONE PIECE SUIT MADE OUTEN AUS
ENBERG, AND US WOULD HAVE TO TAKE DAT OFF AT NIGHT, WASH IT, AND PUT IT BACK ON
 DE NEXT DAY.  AS FOR SHOES, CHILLEN NEVER HAD NONE.  YOU SEE, I WAS JUST A CHIL
E, JUST BIG ENOUGH TO TOTE WATER TO DE FIELDS.
     I 'MEMBERS WHEN DE YANKEES WAS ACOMIN' THROUGH I HELPED TO CARRY DE HOSSES
 TO DE WOODS AND HELPED TO HIDE DE MEAT AND BURY DE VALUABLES, 'CUASE DEM YANKEE
S TOOK WHATEVER DEY WANTED, AND YOU BETTER NOT SAY NOTHIN', NEITHER, 'CAUSE DEY
HAD DEM LONG SWORDS AHANGIN' AT DEIR SIDES.
     IN DEM DAYS, DE SLAVES DONE ALL DE WORK AND CARRIED ALL DE NEWS.  DE MARSTE
RS SENT NOTES FROM ONE PLANTATION TO ANOTHER, AND WHEN DEY WANTED DE NIGGERS TO
 COME TO DE BIG HOUSE DEY WOULD BLOW AN OLD COW HORN.  DEY HAD CERTAIN NUMBER OF
 BLOWS FOR CERTAIN NIGGERS.  DAT IS, DE NIGGERS DAT WAS SOMETHIN'.  DEY WOULD AL
SO USE DIS HORN FOR POSSOM AND COON HUNTIN' AT NIGHT.  DE LI'L NIGGERS AT NIGHT
WENT  TO DE BIG HOUSE TO SPIN AND WEAVE.  I'SE SPUN A MANY ROLL AND CARDED A
MANY BAT OF COTTON.  I'SE ALSO MADE A MANY TALLER CANDLE BY TYIN' STRINGS ONTO A
 LONG STICK AND DROPPIN' DEM DOWN INTO MOULDS FILLED WITH TALLER.  I'SE HID MANY
 A NIGHT IN DE FENCE CORNERS WHEN I'D BE AGOIN' SOMEWHERES TO GET MY MAMMY SOME
TOBACCO.  DE PATTERROLLERS WOULD BE OUT LOOKIN' FOR SLAVES DAT DIDN'T HAVE NO PA
SS FROM DEIR OVERSEER AND I'D HEAR DEM ACOMIN' AND I'D HIDE TILL DEY PASS ON, 'C
AUSE IF DEY COTCH ME I SURE GWINE HAVE A SOUND BEATIN'.
     DE OWNERS ALWAYS TOOK CARE OF US, AND WHEN US pOT SIlK DEY wOuLD GET A mOCT
OR, AND OLD MISS WAS ALL RIGHT, BUT DAT OVERSEER WAS A DEVIL.  HE WOULDN'T ALLOW
 NO MEETIN' ON DE PLACE.  SOMETIMES US WOULD SLIP DOWN DE HILL AND TURN DE WASH
POT BOTTOM UPWARDS SO DE SOUND OF OUR VOICES WOULD GO UNDER DE POT, AND US'D HAV
E A SINGIN' AND PRAYIN' RIGHT DERE.  MOST OF DE SLAVES COULD GO SOMETIMES TO DE
WHITE FOLKS' CHURCH WHEN DEY GETS A PASS FROM DEIR MASSA, BUT DAT MEAN OVERSEER
 ALWAYS TRIED TO KEEP US FROM GOIN' SO'S US COULDN'T LEARN NOTHIN'.  HE DIDN'T W
ANT US TO LEARN TO READ OR WRITE NEITHER.  US DIDN'T HAVE NOTHIN' BUT FOOD AND C
LOTHES.  WE DIDN'T HAVE NO GARDEN OF OUR OWN AND DERE WEREN'T NO CELEBRATIN' 'CE
PTIN' AT HOG KILLIN'. DAT WAS DE BIGGEST DAY OF DE YEAR.
     ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON WE WAS ALLOWED TO PLAY, BUT I CAN'T 'MEMBER NONE OF D
E GAMES.  US JUST  PLAYED LIKE ALL LI'L NIGGERS DID DEN.  AT NIGHTTIME US JUST W
ENT TO OUR CABINS AND WENT TO BED 'CAUSE WE WEREN'T ALLOWED TO DO NO SINGIN'.  M
OST OF DE SINGIN' WAS DONE IN DE FIELDS.
     ABOUT FUNERALS AND WEDDIN'S.  US NIGGERS NEVER MARRIED AND I DON'T 'MEMBER
ANY BIG WEDDIN'S OF DE WHITE FOLKS.  BUT DEY BURIED FOLKS DEN DE SAME AS DEY DOE
S NOW, IN A BOX.  DEY WOULD BURY DE SLAVES AS DEY DONE DE WHITE FOLKS, BUT US DI
DN'T EVEN HAVE NO BAPTIZIN' ON ACCOUNT OF DAT OVERSEER.  HE DIDN'T LIKE FOR US T
O GET RELIGION.  'COURSE, ALL SLAVES DIDN'T HAVE HARD TREATMENT LIKE US DID, 'CA
USE DEIR OVERSEER AND MARSTER WEREN'T AS MEAN AS OURS.
     WE DIDN'T KNOW NOTHIN' ABOUT NO HOODOO STUFF IN  DEM DAYS.  DEY ONLY HAD HO
MEMADE MEDICINES, DAT IS UNLESS DEY GOT SURE 'NOUGH POWERFUL SICK, AND DEN DEY W
OULD GO TO SEE A DOCTOR.  US USED BONESET TEA MADE FROM A WEED.  LORD, IT WAS BI
TTERER DAN QUININE, AND IT WERE GOOD FOR DE CHILLS AND FEVER, AND IT WOULD PURGE
 YOU TOO.  DEN US USED LIFE EVERLASTIN' TEA FOR FEVER, AND JERUSALEM BRUSH WEED
 TO GET RID OF WORMS.
     BUT I KNOWS DERE IS GHOSTS, 'CAUSE WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY MY MAMMY COME IN
 FROM DE FIELD AND LAID ACROSS DE BED AND I WAS SITTIN' IN FRONT OF DE FIREPLACE
 AND A BIG SOMETHIN' LIKE A COW WITHOUT NO HEAD COME IN DE DOOR AND I COMMENCE T
O BEAT ON IT WITH MY FISTS.  DEN MY MAMMY WAY: WHAT MATTER WITH YOU, NIGGER?  DE
N DAT CRITTER HE WALK RIGHT OUT DE DORR.  I LOOKED OUTEN DE WINDOW AND DERE IT W
AS AGOIN' IN AUNT MARTHA'S CABIN.  I NEVER DID SEE IT NO MORE.  DEN ANOTHER TIME
 A WHITE MAN DIED AND MY MAMMY WAS TO STAY WITH HIS SISTER;  AND DIS SPIRIT LIKE
 AN ANGEL COME TO MY MAMMY AND TOLD HER TO TELL DE WHITE LADY TO READ DE BIBLE B
ACKWARDS THREE TIMES, 'CAUSE DERE WAS ONE TALENT BETWEEN HER AND JESUS.  AFTER D
AT SHE WAS COMFORTED.  ANOTHER TIME, MY PAPPY, SAM CHEATAM, WHO WAS A WICKED MAN
 WAS ASITTIN' IN FRONT OF DE FIRE AND A BIG BRINDLE DOG COME TO DE DOOR AND STAR
TED BARKIN'.  MY PAPPY SAY:  WHAT IN DE HELL AM DAT? AND SNAPPED HIS FINGERS AT
DE DOG.  DE DOG HE DEN DROPPED DEAD.  SOME FOLKS SAY DAT DERE AIN'T NO SUCH THIN
GS AS GHOSTS, BUT I KNOW DERE IS, 'CAUSE DERE IS GOOD SPIRITS AND BAD SPIRITS.
     I'SE HAD TWO WIVES, BUT I WAS ONLY A YOUNG NIGGER WHEN I HAD DE FIRST ONE,
AND HAD TWO CHILLENS BY HER.  DEN I LEFT HER 'CAUSE SHE WEREN'T NO ACCOUNT.  DAT
S BEEN FORTY YEAR AGO, AND I AIN'T NEVER SEEN MY CHILLENS IN ALL DEM YEARS.  MY
SECOND WIFE I GOT WHEN I LIVED THIRTY MILES BELOW BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, AT DE OLD
 BANK MINES.  DATS BEEN THIRTY FIVE YEAR AGO AND US IS STILL TOGETHER.  US AIN'T
 NEVER HAD NO CHILLENS.
 X  XXX