Jack Bess
From:
Texas
JACK BESS was born near Goliad, Texas in 1854, a slave of Steve
Bess who was a rancher. He worked with stock as a very young boy
and this was his duty during and after the Civil War, as he
remained with his boss for three years after emancipation. He then
came to old Ben Ficklin four miles south of the present San Angelo,
Texas, when it was the county seat of Tom Green County and before
there was a San Angelo. He continued his work on ranches here and
has never done any other kind of work. For the past several years
he has been very feeble and has made his home with a daughter in
San Angelo, Texas.
Jack who was assisted out of bed and dressed by his grandson, hobbled in
on his cane and said, "I was jes' a small boy workin' on de ranch when I
hear talk 'bout conscription' de men for de war what was agoin' to set
de slaves free. We didn' know hardly what dey was a talkin' 'bout 'cause
we knowed dat would be too good to be true. I jes' keeps on workin' wid
my hosses and my cattle (dere wasn't no sheep den) jes' like dere wasn't
no war, 'cause dat was all I ever knowed how to do.
"Our ole marster, he wasn't so very mean to us, course he whips us once
and awhile but dat wasn't like de slave holders what had dem colored
drivers. Dey sho' was rough on de slaves. I's been told lots 'bout de
chains and de diffe'nt punishments but our treatment wasn't so bad. Our
beds was pretty good when we uses dem. Lots of de time we jes' sleeps on
de groun', 'specially in summer.
"Our log huts was comfortable and we had some kind of floors in all of
dem. Some was plank and some was poles but dat was better den de dirt
floors some cabins have.
"De eats we have was jes' good eats, lots of meats and vegetables and de
like; 'possum and coon and beef and pork all cooked good. Our clothes
was jes' home spun like all de others.
"We didn' have such a big ranch and not many slaves but we all gits
along. We learns a little 'bout readin' and writin'.
"I don't 'member any camp meetin's 'til after de war. We had a few den
and on Christmas times we jes' tears up de country. Lawdy! Lawd! Dat
fiddlin' went on all night, and we dance awhile den lay down and sleeps,
den gits up and dances some mo'e. We would have big cakes and
everything good to eat.
"When we gits sick dey jes' gives us some kind of tea, mostly made from
weeds. Mos' of de time we gits well.
"When de news comes dat we was free our boss, he say, 'You free now.'
Course we was glad but we didn' know nothin' to do but jes' stay on
dere, and we did 'bout three years and de boss pays us a little by de
month for our work.
"I's lef' dere den and comes to old Ben Ficklin to work on a ranch. Dat
was before dere was any San Angelo, Texas. I's been here ever since,
jes' a workin' from one ranch to another long as I was able. Now I's
jes' stayin' 'round wid my chillun and dey takes good care of me."
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Ellen Betts
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Sarah Benjamin
