Mag Johnson
From:
Arkansas
Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed: Mag Johnson,
Clarendon, Arkansas
Age: 65 or 70?
"Pa was born in North Ca'lina. Ma was born in Virginia. Their names
George and Liza Fowler.
"Ma's fust owner what I heard her tell 'bout was Master Ed McGehee in
Virginia. He's the one what brung her in a crowd of nigger traders to
Somerville, Tennessee. The way it was, a cavalry of Yankees got in
back of them. The nigger trader gang drive up. They got separated. My
ma and her gang hid in a cave two weeks an' not much to eat. The
Yankees overtook 'em hid in the cave and passed on. Ma say one day the
nigger traders drive up in front McGehee's yard and they main heads
and Master Ed had a chat. They hung around till he got ready and took
off a gang of his own slaves wid him. They knowed he was after selling
them off when he left wid 'em.
"Ben Trotter in Tennessee bought ma and three more nigger girls. The
Yankees took and took from 'em. They freed a long time b'fore she
knowed of. She said they would git biscuits on Sunday around. Whoop
'em if one be gone.
"Ole miss went out to the cow pen an' ma jus' a gal like stole outen a
piece er pie and a biscuit and et it. The cook out the cow pen too but
the three gals was doing about in the house and yard. Ma shut polly up
in the shed room. Then she let it out when she et up the pie and
biscuit. Ole miss come in. Polly say, 'Liza shut me up, Liza shut me
up.' She missed the pie. Called all four the girls and ma said, 'I
done et it. I was so hungry.' Ole miss said that what polly talking
'bout, but she didn't understand the bird so very well. Ole miss say,
'I'm goiner tell Ben and have him whoop you.' That scared all four the
girls case he did whoop her which he seldom done. She say when Master
Ben come they stood by the door in a 'joining room. Ma say 'fore God
ole miss tole him. Master Ben sont 'em out to pick up apples. He had a
pie a piece cooked next day and a pan of hot biscuits and brown gravy,
tole 'em to fill up. He tole 'em he knowed they got tired of corn
batter cakes, milk and molasses but it was best he had to give them
till the War was done.
"Ma said her job got to be milking, raising and feeding the fowls,
chickens, ducks, geese, guineas, and turkeys all. The Yankees
discouraged her. They come so many times till they cleaned 'em out she
said.
"What they done to shut up polly's mouf was sure funny. He kept on
next morning saying, 'Liza shut me up, Liza shut me up.' Liza pulled
up her dress and underskirt and walked back'ards, bent down at him. He
got scared. He screamed and then he hollered 'Ball-head and no eyes'
all that day.
"Ma said they had corn shuckings and corn shellings and brush
burnings. Had music and square dancing plenty times.
"When they got free they didn't know what it was nor what in the world
to do with it. What they said 'minds me of folks now what got
education. Seems like they don't know what to do nor where to put it.
"Pa said the nigger men run off to get a rest. They'd take to the
woods and canebrakes. Once four of the best nigger fellars on their
master's place took to the woods for to git a little rest. The master
and paddyrolls took after 'em. They'd been down in there long 'nough
they'd spotted a hollow cypress with a long snag of a limb up on it.
It was in the water. They got them some vines and fixed up on the
snag. They heard the dogs and the horn. They started down in the
hollow cypress. One went down, the others coming on. He started
hollering. But he thought a big snake in there. He brought up a cub on
his nearly bare foot. They clem out and went from limb to limb till
they got so away the dogs would loose trail. They seen the mama bear
come and nap four her cubs to another place. His foot swole up so.
They had to tote my pa about. Next day the dogs bayed them up in the
trees. Master took them home, doctored his foot. Ast 'em why they
runed off and so much to be doing. They tole 'em they taking a little
rest. He whooped them every one.
"Pretty soon the Yankees come along and broke the white folks up. Pa
went wid the Yankees. He said he got grown in the War. He fed horses
for his general three years. He got arm and shoulder wounded, scalped
his head. They mustered him out and he got his bounty. He got sixty
dollars every three months.
"He died at Holly Grove, Arkansas about fifty years ago. Them was his
favorite stories."
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Mandy Johnson
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Louis Johnson
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