hated an' detest'
both of them an' all de fambly.

W'en any slave wus whipped all de other slaves wus made to watch. I see
women hung frum de ceilin' of buildin's an' whipped with only supin tied
'round her lower part of de body, until w'en dey wus taken down, dere
wusn't breath in de body. I had some terribly bad experiences.

Yankees use to come t'rough de streets, especially de Big Market,
huntin' those who want to go to de "free country" as dey call' it. Men
an' women wus always missin' an' nobody could give 'count of dere
disappearance. De men wus train' up North fur sojus.

De white race is so brazen. Dey come here an' run de Indians frum dere
own lan', but dey couldn't make dem slaves 'cause dey wouldn't stan' for
it. Indians use to git up in trees an' shoot dem with poison arrow. W'en
dey couldn't make dem slaves den dey gone to Africa an' bring dere black
brother an' sister. Dey say 'mong themselves, "we gwine mix dem up en
make ourselves king. Dats e only way we'll git even with de Indians."

All time, night an' day, you could hear men an' women screamin' to de
tip of dere voices as either ma, pa, sister, or brother wus take without
any warnin' an' sell. Some time mother who had only one chile wus
separated fur life. People wus always dyin' frum a broken heart.

One night a couple married an' de next mornin' de boss sell de wife. De
gal ma got in in de street an' cursed de white woman fur all she could
find. She said: "dat damn white, pale-face bastard sell my daughter who
jus' married las' night," an' other t'ings. The white 'oman treaten' her
to call de police if she didn't stop, but de collud woman said: "hit me
or call de police. I redder die dan to stan' dis any longer! De police
took her to de work House by de white woman orders an' what became of
'er, I never hear.

W'en de war began we wus taken to Aiken, South Ca'lina w'ere we stay'
until de Yankees come t'rough. We could see balls sailin' t'rough de air
w'en Sherman wus comin'. Bumbs hit trees in our yard. W'en de freedom
gun wus fired, I wus on my 'nees scrubbin'. Dey tell me I wus free but I
didn't b'lieve it.

In de days of slavery woman wus jus' given time 'nough to deliver dere
babies. Dey deliver de baby 'bout eight in de mornin' an' twelve had too
be back to work.

I wus a member of Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church for 67
years. Big Zion, across de street wus my church before den an' before
Old Bethel w'en I lived on de oth