Esther Easter
From:
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Writers' Project
Ex-Slaves
MRS. ESTHER EASTER
Age 85 yrs.
Tulsa, Okla.
I was born near Memphis, Tenn., on the old Ben Moore plantation, but I
don't know anything about the Old South because Master Ben moves us
all up into Missouri (about 14-miles east of Westport, now Kansas
City), long before they started fighting about slavery.
Mary Collier was my mother's name before she was a Moore. About my
father, I dunno. Mammy was sickly most of the time when I was a baby,
and she was so thin and poorly when they move to Missouri the white
folks afraid she going die on the way.
But she fool 'em, and she live two-three year after that. That's what
good Old Master Ben tells me when I gets older.
I stay with Master Ben's married daughter, Mary, till the coming of
the War. Times was good before the War, and I wasn't suffering none
from slavery, except once in a while the Mistress would fan me with
the stick--bet I needed it, too.
When the War come along Master he say to leave Mistress Mary and get
ready to go to Texas. Jim Moore, one of the meanest men I ever see,
was the son of Master Ben; he's going take us there.
Demon Jim, that's what I call him when he ain't round the place, but
when he's home it was always Master Jim 'cause he was reckless with
the whip. He was a Rebel officer fighting round the country and didn't
take us slaves to Texas right away. So I stayed on at his place not
far from Master Ben's plantation.
Master Jim's wife was a demon, just like her husband. Used the whip
all the time, and every time Master Jim come home he whip me 'cause
the Mistress say I been mean.
One time I tell him, you better put me in your pocket (sell me),
Master Jim, else I'se going run away'. He don't pay no mind, and I
don't try to run away 'cause of the whips.
I done see one whipping and that enough. They wasn't no fooling about
it. A runaway slave from the Jenkin's plantation was brought back, and
there was a public whipping, so's the slaves could see what happens
when they tries to get away.
The runaway was chained to the whipping post, and I was full of misery
when I see the lash cutting deep into that boy's skin. He swell up
like a dead horse, but he gets over it, only he was never no count for
work no more.
While Master Jim is out fighting the Yanks, the Mistress is fiddling
round with a neighbor man, Mister Headsmith. I is young then, but I
knows enough that Master Jim's going be mighty mad when he hears about
it.
The Mistress didn't know I knows her secret, and I'm fixing to even up
for some of them whippings she put off on me. That's why I tell Master
Jim next time he come home.
See that crack in the wall? Master Jim say yes, and I say, it's just
like the open door when the eyes are close to the wall. He peek and
see into the bedroom.
That's how I find out about the Mistress and Mister Headsmith, I tells
him, and I see he's getting mad.
What you mean? And Master Jim grabs me hard by the arm like I was
trying to get away.
I see them in the bed.
That's all I say. The Demon's got him and Master Jim tears out of the
room looking for the Mistress.
Then I hears loud talking and pretty soon the Mistress is screaming
and calling for help, and if old Master Ben hadn't drop in just then
and stop the fight, why, I guess she be beat almost to death, that how
mad the Master was.
Then Master Ben gets mad 'cause his boy Jim ain't got us down in Texas
yet. Then we stay up all the night packing for the trip. Master Jim
takes us, but the Mistress stay at home, and I wonder if Master Jim
beat her again when he gets back.
We rides the wagons all the way, how many days, I dunno. The country
was wild most of the way, and I know now that we come through the same
country where I lives now, only it was to the east. (The trip was
evidently made over the "Texas Road.") And we keeps on riding and
comes to the big river that's all brown and red looking, (Red River)
and the next thing I was sold to Mrs. Vaughn at Bonham, Texas, and
there I stays till after the slaves is free.
The new Mistress was a widow, no children round the place, and she
treat me mighty good. She was good white folks--like old Master Ben,
powerful good.
When the word get to us that the slaves is free, the Mistress says I
is free to go anywheres I want. And I tell her this talk about being
free sounds like foolishment to me--anyway, where can I go? She just
pat me on the shoulder and say I better stay right there with her, and
that's what I do for a long time. Then I hears about how the white
folks down at Dallas pays big money for house girls and there I goes.
That's all I ever do after that--work at the houses till I gets too
old to hobble on these tired old feets and legs, then I just sits
down.
Just sits down and wishes for old Master Ben to come and get me, and
take care of this old woman like he use to do when she is just a
little black child on the plantation in Missouri!
God Bless old Master Ben--he was good white folks!
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