Lizzie Johnson
From:
Arkansas
Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed: Lizzie Johnson,
Biscoe, Arkansas
Age: 65
"I was born at Holly Springs, Mississippi. My mother was fifteen years
old when the surrender come on. Her name was Alice Airs. Mama said she
and grandma was sold in the neighborhood and never seen none of her
folks after they was sold. The surrender come on. They quit and went
on with some other folks that come by. Mama got away from them and
married the second year of the surrender. She said she really got
married; she didn't jump the broom. Mama was a cook in war times.
Grandma churned and worked in the field. Grandma lived in to herself
but mama slept on the kitchen floor. They had a big pantry built
inside the kitchen and in both doors was a sawed-out place so the cats
could come and go.
"My father was sold during of the War too but he never said much about
it. He said some of the slaves would go in the woods and the masters
would be afraid to go hunt them out without dogs. They made bows and
arrows in the woods.
"I heard my parents tell about the Ku Klux come and made them cook
them something to eat. They drunk water while she was cooking. I heard
them say they would get whooped if they sot around with a book in
their hand. When company would come they would turn the pot down and
close the shutters and doors. They had preaching and prayed that way.
The pot was to drown out the sound.
"They said one man would sell off his scrawny niggers. He wanted fine
looking stock on his place. He couldn't sell real old folks. They kept
them taking care of the children and raising chickens, turkeys, ducks,
geese, and made some of them churn and milk.
"My stepfather said he knowed a man married a woman after freedom and
found out she was his mother. He had been sold from her when he was a
baby. They quit and he married ag'in. He had a scar on his thigh she
recollected. The scar was right there when he was grown. That brought
up more talk and they traced him up to be her own boy.
"Hester Swafford died here in Biscoe about seven years ago. Said she
run away from her owners and walked to Memphis. They took her up over
there. Her master sent one of the overseers for her. She rode
astraddle behind him back. They got back about daylight. They whooped
her awful and rubbed salt and pepper in the gashes, and another man
stood by handed her a hoe. She had to chop cotton all day long. The
women on the place would doctor her sores.
"Grandma said she remembered the stars falling. She said it turned
dark and seem like two hours sparkles fell. They said stars fell. She
said it was bad times. People was scared half to death. Mules and
horses just raced. She said it took place up in the day. They didn't
have time-pieces to know the time it come on.
"Young folks will be young the way I see it. They ain't much
different. Times is sure 'nough hard for old no 'count folks. Young
folks makes their money and spends it. We old folks sets back needing.
Times is lots different now. It didn't used to be that way."
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Louis Johnson
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