Dave Lawson
From:
North Carolina
N.C. District: No. 3
Worker: Travis Jordan
Subject: Dave Lawson
Ex-Slave Story
Lived at Blue Wing, N.C.
[TR: Date stamp: AUG 8 1937]
DAVE LAWSON
EX-SLAVE
MY FATHER WHO KNEW THE PRINCIPLE
CHARACTERS TOLD ME THIS STORY YEARS AGO
"Yes, suh, de wus' I knows 'bout slavery times is what dey tols me
'bout how come dey hung my gran'mammy an' gran'pappy. Dey hung dem bof
at de same time an' from de same lim' of de tree, but dat was way back
yonder befo' Mistah Lincoln come down here to set de niggers free. My
mammy wuzn' but six months ole den an' I wuzn' even bawn, but Aunt
Becky tole me 'bout it when I was ole enough to lissen.
"Dis ain' no nice tale you gwine hear. It's de truf, but 'tain't nice.
De fus' time I heard it I didn' sleep none for a week. Everytime I shut
my eyes I seed Marse Drew Norwood wid dat funnel in his mouf an' de hot
steam blowin' up like a cloud 'roun' his wicked face an' skeered eyes.
"Dey say my gran'pappy's Ole Marse was de meanes' white man de Lawd
ever let breath de breaf of life. His name was Marse Drew Norwood. He
was de riches' lan' owner anywhare 'roun'. He owned more lan' an' more
niggers den anybody in Person or Granville counties. But he didn' make
his money wid no farm, no suh, he sho didn', he made his money buyin'
an' sellin' niggers. He bought dem cheap an' sold dem high. He would
catch all de niggers dat run away from other plantations an' keep dem
in his lockup 'twell he fatten dem, den he would take dem way off down
in Georgia, Alabama or some place like dat an' sell dem for a big
price. He would come back wid his pockets runnin' over wid money. Some
folks say he stold niggers to sell, but nobody never could catch him.
"Marse Drew lived over here on de Virginia line 'tween Red Bank an'
Blue Wing. He owned lan' 'cross de No'th Carolina line too an' lived
close to Blue Wing. He treated his niggers so mean dey was all de time
runnin' off. If he caught dem he beat dem near 'bout to death. He did
beat Cindy Norwood to death one time kaze she run off to Marse Reuben
Jones place an' axed him to keep her. She got pizen in de cut places on
her back an' had fits three days befo' de Lawd took her. But Marse Drew
jus' laugh an' say he didn' keer; dat she wuzn' no 'count nohow.
"I ain't never seed Marse Drew kaze I was bawn way after de niggers was
freed, but dey tole me he looked like a mad bull. He was short wid a
big head set forward on his big shoulders. His neck was so short dat he
couldn' wear no collar; he jus' kept de neck bindin' of his shirt
pinned wid a diaper pin. De debil done lit a lamp an' set it burnin' in
his eyes; his mouf was a wicked slash cut 'cross his face, an' when he
got mad his lips curled back from his teef like a mad dog's. When he
cracked his whip de niggers swinged an' de chillun screamed wid pain
when dat plaited thong bit in dey flesh. He beat Mistis too. Mis' Cary
wuzn' no bigger den a minute an' she skeered as a kildee of Marse Drew.
She didn' live long dey say kaze Marse Drew whipped her jus' befo' dey
fus' baby wuz bawn.
"Marse Drew done whip Luzanne kaze she burnt de biscuits, an' Mis' Cary
give her some salve to rub on de cut places on her back. When Marse
Drew foun' it out he got so mad dat he come back to de big house an'
tole Mis' Cary dat he gwine touch her up wid his whip kaze she give
Luzanne de salve, dat when he want his niggers doctored he gwine
doctor dem hese'f, so he got to use his lash a little bit to make her
remember.
"Mis' Cary got so skeered dat she run 'roun' an' 'roun' de house, but
Marse Drew run after her, an' every now an' den he th'ow out dat
plaited whip an' curl it 'roun' her shoulders. Every time it hit it cut
clean through her clothes. Mis' Cary got so skeered dat de baby come
dat night befo' 'twuz time. De baby wuz bawn dead an' Mis' Cary went on
to glory wid it. Dey say she was glad to go. Yes, suh, everything on
dat plantation, animal an' man was skeered of dat whip--dat whip dat
never lef' Marse Drew's wris'. It was made of home-tanned leather
plaited in a roun' cord big as a man's thum'. All day it swung from a
leather strop tied to his wris' an' at night it lay on a chair 'side de
bed whare he could reach it easy.
"It was jus' befo' de Yankees come over here to fight dat Marse Drew
bought Cleve an' Lissa Lawson. Dey was my gran'mammy an' gran'pappy. My
mammy den was a baby. Marse Drew bought dem for fo' hundred an' fifty
dollars. Dat was cheap kaze de niggers was young wid hard farm
trainin'. Ole Marse didn' buy mammy. He said a nigger brat wuzn' no
good, dey wouldn' sell an' dey might die befo' dey growed up, 'sides
dey was a strain on de mammy what breas' nussed it. Lissa cut up
powerful kaze he made her leave de baby behin', but Marse Drew jus'
laughed an' tole her dat he would give her a puppy; dat dey was plenty
of houn's on de plantation. Den he snapped de chains on dey wris' an'
led dem off. Lissa an' Cleve never seed dat baby no more. Aunt Beck
Lawson took an' raised her an' when she got grown she was my mammy.
"Yes, suh, Marse Drew bought dem niggers like he was buyin' a pair of
mules. Dey wuzn' no more den mules to him. It was early summer when he
brung dem to de plantation, but when wheat cuttin' time come Lissa an'
Cleve was sent to de wheat fiel's. Dey was smart niggers, dey worked
hard--too hard for dey own good. In dem times 'twuz de smart, hard
workin' niggers dat brought de bes' price, an' nobody didn' know dat
better den Marse Drew.
"One day Cleve seed Marse Drew watchin' Lissa. She was gleamin' de
wheat. Her skin was de color of warm brown velvet; her eyes was dark
an' bright an' shinin' like muscadines under de frosty sun, an' her
body was slender like a young tree dat bends easy. As she stooped an'
picked up de wheat, flingin' it 'cross her arm, she swayed back an'
fo'th jus' like dem saplins down yonder by de creek sways in de win'.
"Cleve watched Marse Drew on de sly. He seed him watchin' Lissa. He
seed de lustful look in his eyes, but 'twuzn' Lissa he lustin' after;
'twuz money he seed in her slender swayin' body, in de smooth warm
brown skin, an' de quick, clean way she gleam de wheat. Stripped to de
wais' on de Alabama auction block she would bring near 'bout a thousan'
dollars. Cleve 'gun to sweat. He turned so sick an' skeered dat he
could hardly swing de scythe through de wheat. Marse Drew done took his
baby away, an' now sumpin' way down in his heart told him dat he was
gwine take Lissa. He didn' keer if he parted dem, 'twuz dollars he seed
swingin' 'roun' his head--gol' dollars shinin' brighter den stars.
"'Twuz de nex' day dat Marse Drew went to Cleve's cabin. He walk up
whistlin' an' knock on de door wid de butt of his whip.
"Cleve opened de door.
"Ole Marse tole him to pack Lissa's clothes, dat he was takin' her to
Souf Boston de nex' day to sell her on de block.
"Cleve fell on his knees an' 'gun to plead. He knew Ole Marse wuzn'
gwine take Lissa to no Souf Boston; he was gwine take her way off an'
he wouldn' never see her no more. He beg an' promise Marse Drew to be
good an' do anything he say [HW: to] do if he jus' leave him Lissa, dat
she was his wife an' he love her. But Marse Drew hit him 'cross de face
wid his whip, cuttin' his lip in half, den he went over an' felt of
Lissa's arms an' legs like she might have been a hoss.
"When he done gone Cleve went over an' set down by Lissa an' took her
han'. Lissa 'gun to cry, den she jumped up an' 'menced to take down her
clothes hangin' on de wall.
"Cleve watched her for a while, den he made up his min' he gwine do
sumpin', dat she ain't gwine be took away from him. He say: 'Quit dat,
Lissa, leave dem clothes alone. You ain't gwine leave me, you ain't
gwine nowhare, hear me?' Den he tole her to make up a hot fire while he
brung in de wash pot. He brung in de big iron pot an' set it on de
hearth an' raked de' red coals all 'roun' it, den he filled it wid
water. While it was heatin' he went to de door an' looked out. De sun
done gone down an' night was crowdin' de hills, pushin' dem out of
sight. By daylight dat white man would be comin' after Lissa.
"Cleve turned 'roun' an' looked at Lissa. She was standin' by de wash
pot lookin' down in de water, an' de firelight from de burnin'
lightwood knots showed de tears droppin' off her cheeks. Cleve went
outside. 'Bout dat time a scritch owl come an' set on de roof an'
scritched. Lissa run out to skeer it away, but Cleve caught her arm. He
say, 'Don't do dat, Lissa, leave him alone. Dat's de death bird, he
knows what he's doin'. So Lissa didn' do nothin', she let de bird keep
on scritchin'.
"When 'twuz good an' dark Cleve took a long rope an' went out, tellin'
Lissa to keep de water boilin'. When, he come back he had Marse Drew
all tied up wid de rope an gagged so he couldn' holler; he had him
th'owed over his shoulder like a sack of meal. He brung him in de cabin
an' laid him on de floor, den he tole him if he wouldn' sell Lissa dat
he wouldn' hurt him. But Marse Drew shook his head an' cussed in his
th'oat. Den Cleve took off de gag, but befo' de white man could holler
out, Cleve stuffed de spout of a funnel in his big mouf way down his
th'oat, holdin' down his tongue. He ax him one more time to save Lissa
from de block, but Marse Drew look at him wid hate in his eyes shook
his head again. Cleve didn' say nothin' else to him; he call Lissa an'
tole her to bring him a pitcher of boilin' water.
"By den Lissa seed what Cleve was gwine do. She didn' tell Cleve not to
do it nor nothin'; she jus' filled de pitcher wid hot water, den she
went over an' set down on de floor an' hol' Marse Drew's head so he
couldn' move.
"When Ole Marse seed what dey was fixin' to do to him, his eyes near
'bout busted out of his head, but when dey ax him again 'bout Lissa he
wouldn' promise nothin', so Cleve set on him to hol' him down, den
took de pitcher an' 'gun to pour dat boilin' water right in dat funnel
stickin' in Marse Drew's mouf.
"Dat man kicked an' struggled, but dat water scalded its way down his
th'oat, burnin' up his insides. Lissa brung another pitcher full an'
dey wuzn' no pity in her eyes as she watched Marse Drew fightin' his
way to torment, cussin' all niggers an' Abraham Lincoln.
"After dat Lissa an' Cleve set down to wait for de sheriff. Dey knew
'twuzn' no use to run, dey couldn' get nowhare. 'Bout sunup de folks
come an' foun' Marse Drew, an' dey foun' Lissa an' Cleve settin' by de
door han' in han' waitin'. When dem niggers tole what dey done an' how
come dey done it dem white folks was hard. De sheriff took de rope
from' roun' Marse Drew an' cut it in two pieces. He tied one rope
'roun' Cleve's neck an' one rope 'roun' Lissa's neck an' hung dem up in
de big oak tree in de yard.
"Yes, suh, dat's what happened to my gran'mammy an' gran'pappy in
slavery times. Dis here cabin we's settin' in is de same cabin whare
Cleve an' Lissa scalded Marse Drew, an' dat oak tree 'side de paf is de
same tree dey was hung on. Sometimes now in de fall of de year when
I'se settin' in de door after de sun done gone down; an' de wheat am
ripe an' bendin' in de win', an' de moon am roun' an' yeller like a
mush melon, seems like I sees two shadows swingin' from de big lim' of
dat tree--I sees dem swingin' low side by side wid dey feets near 'bout
touchin' de groun'."
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