TOM MCALPIN                  556-ALA/#046                                    029
         MORNIN' BOSS. HOW IS YOU DIS MORNIN'? YASSUH, I'LL BE GLAD TO SERVE yOU
AS BES' I KIN WID MY KNOWLEGDE OF DE PAS' YEARS. JUS' YOU SET DOWN IN DAT CHAIR.
 I'LL SET ON DESE STEPS AN' US'LL GO OVER DE WHOLE THING FROM DE BIGINNIN'S.
         UFS' THING I GUESS YOU WANTS TO KNOW IS WHAR AN' WHEN I WAS BORN. YASSU
H, AN' WHO I B'LONG TO. WELL, BOSS, I WAS BORN IN MARTERSVILLE, ALABAMY. DAT'S F
IVE MILES SOUTHWEST OF TALLADEGA. I COME INTO DIS OLE WORL' ON A SUNNY DAY IN JU
NE, EIGHTEEN FAWTY FO'. I BELONGED TO DOCTOR AUGUSTUS MCALPIN, AN' FROM DAT DAY
TO DIS I IS SEED MANY THINGS COME AN' GO, AN' I IS AIMIN' TO SEE A LOT MO' BEFO'
 I CROSS TO DE UDDER SIDE.
         DE DOCTA JUS' HAD A SMALL PLANTATION, 'BOUT 100 ACRES, I S'POSE AN' HE
DIDN'T HAVE BUT 12 SLAVES, 'CAXE DERE WARN'T NO NEED FOR NO MO'. HE WAS BUSY IN
TOWN ADOCTORIN' FOLKS. HE DIDN'T HAVE NO TIME TO DO ANY REAL FARMIN'.
         MY JOB AROUN' DE PLACE WAS TO NUSS DE CHILLUNS, WHITE AN' NIGGER. WE AL
L PLAYED 'ROUN' TOGETHER. SOMETIMES WE PLAY COON AN' RABBIT, FOX AN' HOUN' AND S
NATCH, BUT WHAT WAS DE MOSTES' FUN WAS A RIDIN' OLE SUT. SUT WAS A DONKEY AN' US
 USETA HITCH HIM TO A WAGON, AN' SIX OF DE CHILLUNS WOULD RIDE IN DE W GON AN' I
'D RIDE ON HIS BACK. SOMETIMES US'D RIDE ALL DE WAY INTO TALLADEGA WID SUT.
         NAWSUH I AIN'T NEBER GOT NO WHUPPIN' BUT ONE, AN' IT WAS A SHO' 'NOUGH
COMPLETE ONE, BOSS, WID ALL DE TRIMMIN'S. IT ALL HAPPENED WHEN DE MASSA TOLD ME
HE BETTER NOT COTCH DEM HOGS IN DE CORN, AN' IFFEN DE DID, I WAS AGOIN' TO GIT A
 SHUPPIN'. WELL, BOSS, DERE WAS ONE OLE HOG DAT I JUS' lOuLmN'TKKEnP-OUTTnN DnrE
 SO I TUK A NEEDLE AN' SEWED UP HIS EYES. 'COURSE I WAS JUS' A-LITtlEB l  K8' N
AN' DIDN'T KNOW WHU T I WAS ADOIN', BUT I SHO' SEWED UP DAT HOGS EYELIDS SO'S HE
 COULDN'T SEE NOTHIN'. DAT KEP' HIM OUTTEN DE CORN ALL RAGHT, BUT WHnN DE-MASSA
FOUND IT OUT HE GAVE ME A LICKIN' DAT I AIN'T FORGOT YIT. BOSS, DAT WAS DE ONLIE
S' LESSON I EVER NEEDED IN MY LIFE. IT DONE DE WUK.
         YASSUH, DERE WAS PATTYROLLERS 'ROUN' OUR-PLACE, BUT DEY-NEenR&lOcCHEDM
E, 'CAZE I WAS TOO SWIF' FOR EM. BOSS, I COULD TAKE HOLT OF A HOSSES TAIL AN' RU
N 'ROUN' DE PASTURE AN' KEEP UP WID HIM. I WAS SHO' FAS' ON MY FEETS.
         NAWSUH, US WAN'T NEVER GIVEN NO MONEY FOR NOTHIN', BUT I-LEjRNT8 OW3 O
MAKE BASKETS AN' I WOULD TAKE 'EM IN TO TALLADEGA ON SAT'DAY EVENINGS AN' SELL '
EM TO DE WHITE FOLKS FOR FIFTEEN CENTS. DEN WHEN I NEEDED SOMP'N LAK 'BACCA OR A
LITTLE PIECE OF CHOCOLATFE, I COULD GO TO DE STO' AN' BUY IT. LOTS OF SLAVES ON
YUTHER PLANTATIONS WARN'T 'LOWED TO MAKE ANY MONEY DOUGH.
         NAWSUH, I AIN'T NEVER HAD NO SCHOOLIN', 'CEPTIN' WHAT I COULD GIT OUTEN
 DE LITTLE WHITE FOLKS' BOOKS MYSELF. US NIGGERS USETA TOTE DERE BOOKS TO SCHOOL
 FOR 'EM AN' ON DE WAY I WOULD LOOK IN DE BOOK AN' GIT A LITTLE LEARNIN'.
         WHEN US NIGGERS ON DE MCALPIN PLACE ET US ET RAGHT AT DE SjME T klE&DAT
 DE WHITE FOLKS ET AT. ATTER DEY FINISHED DERE MEAL, US SLAVES WOULD SIT DOWN-RA
GHT ATTER DEM AN' EAT DE SAME KINDA FOOD. YASSUH.
         SHO' I 'MEMBERS DE WAR. I 'MEMBERS WHEN DE WAR COMMENCE, JEFF DAVIS CAL
LED FOR VOLUNTEERS; DEN A LITTLE LATER WHEN DE SOUTH NEEDED MO' MENS FO FIGHT, J
EFF DAVIS' OFFICERS WOULD GO TH'OUGH DE STREETS, AN' GRAB UP DE WHITE MENS AN' P
UT ROPES 'ROUN' DERE WRISTS LAK DEY WAS TAKIN' EM' OFF TO JAIL. AN' ALL DE WHILE
 DEY WAS 'JUS TAKIN' 'EM OFF TO DE WAR. DEY MADE ALL DE WHITE MENS GO. IT WAS CA
LLED DE 'SCRIPTION. SOME NIGGERS WENT TOO. DEM NIGGERS FOUGHT RAGHT SIDE OF DERE
 MASTERS. SOME WENT AS BODY GUARDS AN' SOME WENT AS SOLDIERS.
         YASSUH, BOSS I RECALLS DE TIME DAT DE 'FEDERATE SOLDIERS, BLESS DERE sO
ULS, HID DERE FEW HOSSES IN DE BASEMENT OF DE OLD MASONIC INSTITUTE IN TALLADEGA
 AN' HID DERE AMUNITION DE DE HOLLOW STONE PILLARS. GEN'L WILSON AH' HIS RAIDERS
COME TH'OUGH DAR, BUT DEY NEVER DID FIN' DEM 'FEDERATE SUPPLIES. DEM YANKEES JUS
' LAK TO SCARE EVE'YBODY ROUN' DE PLACE TO DEATH. DEY SHOT UP DE TOWN AN' DEM BL
UE COATS TUK EVE'YTHING WE HAD:  COTTON, SUGAR, FLOUR, HAMS, PRESERVES, CLOTHES,
CORN; EVE'YTHING, BOSS EVE'YTHING. DEY EVEN BURNED UP SOME HOUSES.
         BUT BOSS, DERE AIN'T NEVER BEEN NOBODY AFIGHTIN' LAK OUR 'FEDERATES DON
E, BUT DEY AIN'T NEVER HAD A CHANCE. DERE WAS JES' TOO MANY OF DEM BLUE COATS FO
R US TO LICK. I SEEN OUR 'FEDERATES GO OFF LAUGHIN' AN' GAY; FULL OF LIFE AN' HE
ALTH. DEY WAS BIG AN' ATRONG, ASINGIN' DIXIE AN' DEY JUS KNOWED DEY WAS AGOIN' T
O WIN. AN' BOSS, I SEEN 'EM COME BACK SKIN AN' BONE, DERE EYES ALL SAD AN' HOLLO
W, AN' DERE CLOTHES ALL RAGGED. BOSS, DEY WAS ALL LOOKIN' SICK. DE SPERRIT DEY L
EF' WID JUS' BEEN DONE WHUPPED OUTTEN DEM, BUT IT TUK DEM YANKEES A LONG TIME TO
DO TI. OUR 'FEDERATES WAS DE BES' FIGHTIN' MEN DAT EVER WERE. DERE WARN'T NOBODY
 LAK OUR 'FEDERATES.
         I WAS IN RICHMOND DAT COLD DAY DAT GEN'L LEE HANDED HIS SWORD OVER TO D
E YUTHER SIDE, AN' I SEEN JEFF DAVIS WHEN HE MADE A SPEECH 'BOUT STARTIN' OVER.
I SEEN DE NIGGERS LEAVIN' DERE HOMES AN' AWANDERIN' OFF INTO DE WORL' TO GOD KNO
WS WHAR, ASAYIN' GOOD-BYE TO DERE WHITE FOLKS, AN' ATRYIN' TO MAKE DERE WAY DE B
ES' DEY KIN. BUT, WHITE BOSS, IT JES' SEEM LAK YOU LET A NIGGER GO WIDOUT A BOSS
 AN' HE JES' NO GOOD. DERE AIN'T MUCH HE KIN DO, 'CAZE DERE AIN'T NOBODY TO TELL
 HIM. YASSUH, I WAS SONT TO RICHMOND TO BRING HOME SOME OR-OuR wOuNDED&FEDnRAc S
. DEY SONT ME 'CAZE DEY KNOWED I WAS AGOIN' TO DO MY BES', AN' CAZE DEY KNOWED I
WARN'T AFEERED OF NOTHIN'. DAT'S DE WAY I'VE ALWAYS TRIED TO BE, WHITE BOSS, LAK
 MY WHITE PEOPLE WHAT RAISED ME. GOD BLESS 'EM.
   X   XXX
STP