PETER CLIFTON
     YOU WANT ME TO START WITH MY FIRST MEMORY AND TOUCH DE HIGH SPOTS TILL DIS
VERY DAY?  DAT'LL TAKE A LONG TIME BUT I GLAD TO FIND SOMEONE TO TELL DAT TO.  I
 'MEMBERS WHEN I WAS A BOY, DRIVIN' DE CALVES TO DE PASTURE, Z HIGHLAND MOCCASIN
 SNAKE RISE UP IN DE PATH.  I SEE DAT FORKED TONGUE AND THEM BRIGHT EYES-rIGHTN
OW.  I SO SCARED I COULDN'T MOVE OUT MY TRACKS.  DE MERCY OF DE LORD COVER ME WI
TH HIS WINGS.  DAT SNAKE UNCOIL, DROP HIS HEAD, AND SILENTLY CRAWL AWAY.  DAT WA
S ON DE BIGGERS MOBLEY PLACE 'TWEEN KERSHAW AND CAMDEN, WHERE I WAS BORN, IN
1848.
     MY PAPPY NAMED NED; MY MAMMY NAMED JANE.  MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS WAS tOM,
LIZZIE, MARY, AND GILL.  US LIVE IN A LOG HOUSE WITH A PLANK FLOOR AND A WOODEN
 CHIMNEY DAT WAS ALWAYS CATCHIN' AFIRE AND DE WIND COMIN' THROUGH AND FILLIN' DE
 ROOM WITH SMOKE AND CINDERS.  IT WAS BEDS FOR DE OLD FOLKS AND JUST-pjLlE SON
DE FLOOR FOR DE CHILLEN.  MATTRESSES WAS MADE OF WHEAT STRAW BUT DE PILLOWS ON D
E BED WAS COTTON.  I DOES 'MEMBER DAT MAMMY HAD A CHICKEN FEATHER PILLOW SHE MAD
E FROM DE FEATHERS SHE SAVED AT DE KITCHEN.
     MY GRANDPAPPY WAS NAMED WARREN AND GRANDMAMMY NAME MARIA.  DE RULE ON DE PL
ACE WAS:  WAKE UP DE LSAVES AT DAYLIGHT, BEGIN WORK WHEN THEY CAN SEE, AND QUIT
T WORK WHEN THEY CAN'T SEE. BUT THEY WAS CAREFUL OF DE RULE DAT SAY:  YOU MUSTN'
T WORK A CHILD, UNDER TWELVE YEARS OLD, IN DE FIELD.
     MY MASTER'S FIRST WIFE, I HEARD HIM SAY, WAS MISTRESS GILMORE.  DERE WAS TW
O CHILLEN BY HER.  WAS MASTER ED, DAT LIVE IN A PALACE DAT LAST TIME I VISIT ROC
K HILL AND GO TO 'MEMBER MY SELF TO HIM;  THEN DERE WAS MISS MARY DAT MARRY HER
COUSIN, DOCTOR JIM MOBLEY.  THEY HAD ONE CHILD, CAPTAIN FRED, DAT TOOK DE CATAWB
A RIFLES TO CUBA AND WHIP SPAIN FOR BLOWIN' UP DE MAINE.  MASTER BIGGERS HAD A B
IG PLANTATION AND A BIG MANSION FOUR MILES SOUTHEAST OF CHESTER.  HE BUY MY MAMM
Y AND HER CHILLEN IN FRONT OF DE COURTHOUSE DOOR IN CHESTER, AT DE SALE OF DE CL
IFTON ESTATE.  THEN HE TURN ROUND AND BUY MY PAPPY DERE, 'CAUSE MY MAMMY AND SIS
TER LIZZIE CRYIN' ABOUT HIM HAVE TO LEAVE THEM.  I WASN'T BORN THEN.  MARSTER BI
GGERS WAS A WIDOWER THEN AND WENT DOWN AND COURTED DE WIDOW GIBSON, WHO HAD A PL
ANTATION AND 50 SLAVES 'TWEEN KERSHAW AND CAMDEN.  DERE IS WHERE I WAS BORN.
    MARSTER HAD ONE CHILD, A BOY, BY MY MISTRESS, MISS SALLIE.  THEY CALL HIM BL
ACK GEORGE.  HIM LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO MARRAY A ANGEL, MISS KATE MCCROREY.  THEY H
AD FOUR CHILLEN.  DERE GOT TO BE NINETY SLAVES ON DE PLACE BEFORE WAR COME ON.
ONE TIME I GO WITH PAPPY TO DE CHESTER PLACE.  SEEM LIKE MORE SLAVES DERE THAN O
N DE GIBSON PLACE.  US WAS FED UP TO DE NECK ALL DE TIME, THOUGH US NEVER HAD A
CHANGE OF CLOTHES.  US SMELL PRETTY RANCID MAYBE, IN DE WINTER TIME, BUT IN DE S
UMMER US NO WEAR VERY MUCH.  GIRLS HAD A SLIP ON AND DE BOYS HAPPY IN THEIR SHIR
T TAILS.
     DE OVERSEER ON DE PLACE WAS NAMED MR MIKE MELTON.  HE POOR MAN BUT HIM COME
 FROM GOOD FOLKS, NOT POOR WHITE TRASH.  BUT THEY WAS CUSSED BY MARSTER, WHEN AF
TER DE WAR THEY TOOK UP WITH DE REPUBLICAN PARTY.  SAD DAY FOR OLD MARSTER WHEN
HIM DIDN'T HOLD HIS MOUTH.
     MARSTER BAGGERS BELIEVE IN WHIPPIN' AND WORKIN' HIS SLAVES LONG A5D HARD;
 THEN A MAN WAS SCARED ALL DE TIME OF BEING SOLD AWAY FROM HIS WIFE AND CHILLEN.
  HIS BARK WAS WORSE THAN HIS BITE, THOUGH, FOR I NEVER KNOWED HIM TO DO A WICKE
D THING LIKE DAT.  TO 6HIP A SLAVE THEY PUT DE FOOTS IN A STOCK AND CLAMP THEM T
OGHETHER.  THEN THEY HAVE A CROSSPIECE GO RIGHT ACROSS DE BREAST HIGH AS DE SHOU
LDER.  DAT CROSSPIECE LONG ENOUGH TO BIND DE HANDS OF A SLAVE TO IT AT EACH END.
  THEY ALWAYS STRIP THEM NAKED AND SOMETIME THEY LAY ON DE LASHES WITH A WHIP, A
 SWITCH, OR A STRAP.
     I SEE MARSTER BUY MANY A SLAVE.  I NEVER SAW HIM SELL BUT ONE AND HE SOLD D
AT ONE TO A DROVER FOR 450 DOLLARS, CASH DOWN ON DE TABLE, AND HE DID DAT AT DE
REQUEST OF DE OVERSEER AND DE MISTRESS. THEY WAS UNEASY ABOUT HIM.
     THEY GIVE US CHRISTMAS DAY.  EVERY WOMAN GOT A HANDKERCHIEF TO TIE UP HER H
AIR.  EVERY GIRL GOT A RIBBON, EVERY BOY A BARLOW KNIFE, AND EVERY MAN A SHIN PL
ASTER.  DE NEIGHBORS CALL DE PLACE, DE SHIN PLASTER, BARLOW, BANDANNA PLACE.  US
 ALWAYS HAVE A DANCE IN DE CHRISTMAS.
     AFTER FREEDOM WHEN  US WAS TOLD US HAD TO HAVE NAMES, PAPPY SAY HE LOVE HIS
 OLD MARSTER BEN CLIFTON DE BEST AND HIM TOOK DAT TITLEMENT, AND I'SE BEEN A CLI
FTON EVER SINCE.
     I MEETS CHRISTINA AND SEEK HER OUT FOR TO MARRY.  DERE WAS SOMETHIN' ABOUT
 DAT GAL DAT DAY I MEETS HER, THOUGH HER HAIR HAD ABOUT A POUND OF COTTON THREAD
 IN IT, DAT JUST ATTRACTED ME TO HER LIKE A FLY WILL SAIL 'ROUND AND LIGHT ON A
'LASSES PITCHER.  I KEPT ASHFORD FERRY ROAD HOT TILL I T HER.  I HAD TO ASK HE
R OLD FOLKS FOR HER BEFORE SHE CONSENT.  DIS TOOK ABOUT SIX MONTHS.  EVERYTHING
HAD TO BE REGULAR.  AT LAST I GOT  DE PREACHER, REVEREND RAY SHELBY, TO GO DOWN
 DERE AND MARRY US.  HER HAVE BEEN A BLESSIN' TO ME EVERY DAY SINCE.  US HAVE 7
 CHILLEN.  THEY'S SCATTERED EAST, WEST, NORTH, AND SOUTH.  DE ONLY ONE  LEFT IS
JUST DAVID, OUR BABY, AND HIM IS A BABY SIX FOOT HIGH AND 51 YEARS OLD.
     YES, SIR, US HAD A BOLD, DRIVIN', PUSHIN', MARSTER, BUT NOT A HARD HEARTED
 ONE.  I SORRY WHEN THE MILITARY COME AND ARREST HIM.  IT WAS DIS A WAY.  HIM TR
Y TO CARRY ON WITH FREE LABOR ABOUT LIKE HIM DID IN SLAVERY.  CHESTER WAS IN MIL
ITARY DISTRICT NUMBER TWO.  DE WHOLE STATE WAS UNDER DAT MILITARY GOVERNMENT.  O
LD MARSTER WENT TO DE FIELD AND CUSS A NIGGER WOMAN FOR DE WAY SHE WAS WORKIN',
CHOPPIN' COTTON.  SHE TURNT ON HIM WITH DE HOE AND GASHED HIM ABOUT DE HEAD WITH
 IT.  HIM PULL OUT HIS PISTOL AND SHOT HER.
     DOCTOR BABCOCK SAY DE WOUND IN DE WOMAN NOT SERIOUS.  THEY SWORE OUT A WARR
ANT FOR MARSTER BIGGERS, ARREST HIM WITH A SQUAD, AND TAKE HIM TO CHARLESTON, WH
ERE HIM HAD NIGGER JAILERS AND WAS KICKED AND CUFFED ABOUT LIKE A DOG.  THEY SAY
 DE ONLY THING HE HAD TO EAT WAS CORNMEAL MUSH BROUGHT 'ROUND TO HIM AND OTHER N
ICE WHITE FOLKS IN A TUB AND IT WAS LADLED OUT TO THEM THROUGH DE IRON RAILIN' I
NTO DE PALMS OF DEIR HANDS.  MISTRESS STUCK BY HIM, WENT AND STAYED DOWN DERE.
 THEY FILTHY PRISON AND HARD TREATMENTS BROKE HIM DOWN, AND WHEN HE DID GET OUT
AND COME HOME, HIS PASSED OVER DE RIVER OF JORDAN, WHERE I HOPES AND PRAYS HIS S
OUL FINDS REST.  MISTRESS SAY ONE TIME THEY THREATENED HER DOWN DERE DAT IF SHE
DIDN'T GET UP TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS THEY WOULD SEND HIM WHERE SHE WOULD NEVER SEE
 HIM AGAIN.
 X  XXX