ed, "Yessirree, them houses wuz warmer than some are ter day."

Doctor Byrd was rather kind and tried to help his slaves as much as
possible, but according to Mrs. Byrd his wife was very mean and often
punished her slaves without any cause. She never gave them anything but
the coarsest foods. Although there of plenty of milk and butter, she
only gave it to the families after it had soured. "Many a day I have
seed butter just sittin around in pans day after day till it got good
and spoiled then she would call some uv us and give it ter us. Oh she
wuz a mean un," remarked Mrs. Byrd. Continuing Mrs. Byrd remarked "she
would give us bread that had been cooked a week." Mr. Byrd gave his
slave families good clothes. Twice a year clothing was distributed among
his families. Every June summer clothes were given and every October
winter clothes were given. Here Mrs. Byrd remarked "I nebber knowed what
it wuz not ter have a good pair uv shoes." Cloth for the dresses and
shirts was spun on the plantation by the slaves.

The treatment of the slaves is told in Mrs. Byrd's own words:

"We wuz always treated nice by Master Byrd and he always tried ter save
us punishment at the hands uv his wife but that 'oman wuz somethin'
nother. I nebber will ferget once she sent me after some brush broom and
told me ter hurry back. Well plums wuz jest gitting ripe so I just took
my time and et all the plums I wanted after that I come on back ter the
house. When I got there she called me upstairs, 'Sarah come here.' Up
the steps I went and thar she stood with that old cow hide. She struck
me three licks and I lost my balance and tumbled backward down the
stairs. I don't know how come I didn't hurt myself but the Lord wuz wid
me and I got up and flew. I could hear her just hollering 'Come back
here! come back here!' but I ant stop fer nothing. That night at supper
while I wuz fanning the flies from the table she sed ter the doctor.
'Doctor what you think? I had ter whip that little devil ter day. I sent
her after brush broom and she went off and eat plums instead of hurrying
back.' The doctor just looked at her and rolled his eyes but never sed a
word. There wuz very little whipping on Byrd's plantation, but I have
gone ter bed many a night and heard 'em gittin whipped on the plantation
next ter us. If dey runned away they would put the hounds on 'em."
Concluding her story on treatmeant Mrs. Byrd remarked "Yessirree I could
tell that 'oman wuz mean