hen de
others lef' after de surrender I run away an' went to Rev. Louis
Edwards, a nigger preacher. He sent me to my aunt at Rolesville. My
Aunt wus named Patsy Lewis. I stayed dere bout three weeks when my
uncle rented whur Cameron Park is now an' tended it dat year. We all
come to Raleigh an' I have lived here all my life, but the three weeks
I stayed at Rolesville.

"I have wurked for white folks, washin', cookin', an' wurkin' at a
laundry ever since freedom come.

"I never seed my father in my life. My mother wus named Tempe Gorman.
Dey would not talk to me 'bout who my father wus nor where he wus at.
Mother would laf sometime when I axed her 'bout him.

"Marster treated his niggers mean sometimes. He beat my mother till de
scars wus on her back, so I could see 'em.

"Dey sold my mother, sister an' brother to ole man Askew, a slave
speculator, an' dey were shipped to de Mississippi bottoms in a
box-car. I never heard from mother anymore. I neber seed my brother
agin, but my sister come back to Charlotte. She come to see me. She
married an' lived dere till she died.

"In slavery time de food wus bad at marsters. It wus cooked one day for
de nex', dat is de corn bread wus baked an' de meat wus biled an' you
et it col' fer breakfas'. De meat wus as fat as butter an' you got one
rashen an' a hunk of corn bread fer a meal. No biscuit wus seen in de
slave houses. No sir, dat dey wus not. No biscuit for niggers at
marsters.

"Our clothes wus bad an' our sleepin' places wus jest bunks. Our shoes
had wooden bottoms on 'em.

"I heard 'em talk about patterollers so much I wus skeered so I could
hardly sleep at night sometimes. I wus 'fraid dey would come an' catch
me but I neber seed one in my life.

"I neber seed any slaves sold, in chains, or a jail for slaves. I neber
seed a slave whupped. Marster took 'em in de back shed room to whup
'em.

"We was not teached to read an' write. You better not be caught wid no
paper in yore han' if you was, you got de cowhide. I darsent to talk
back to 'em no matter what happen'd dey would git you if you talked
back to 'em.

"I married Tom Mitchner after de war. I went by de name of Patsy Gorman
till I wus married. Now I goes by de name of Patsy Mitchner. My
husban', Tom Mitchner, was born a slave. My marster lived whar de bus
station now is on de corner of Martin an' McDowell Streets in dat ole
house dat stan's near dere now. I wus born an' bred in Raleigh an' have
neber lib