Matilda Poe
From:
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Writers' Project
Ex-Slaves
MATILDA POE
Age 80 yrs.
McAlester, Okla.
I was born in Indian Territory on de plantation of Isaac Love. He was
old Master, and Henry Love was young Master. Isaac Love was a full
blood Chickasaw Indian but his wife was a white woman.
Old Master was sure good to his slaves. The young niggers never done
no heavy work till dey was fully grown. Dey would carry water to de
men in de field and do other light jobs 'round de place.
De Big House set way back from de road 'bout a quarter of a mile. It
was a two-story log house, and the rooms was awful big and they was
purty furniture in it. The furniture in de parlor was red plush and I
loved to slip in and rub my hand over it, it was so soft like. The
house was made of square logs and de cracks was filled out even with
the edges of de logs. It was white washed and my but it was purty.
They was a long gallery clean across de front of de house and big
posts to support de roof. Back a ways from de house was de kitchen and
nearby was de smokehouse. Old Master kept it well filled with meat,
lard and molasses all de time. He seen to it that we always had plenty
to eat. The old women done all de cooking in big iron pots that hung
over the fire. De slaves was all served together.
The slave quarters was about two hundred yards back of de Big House.
Our furniture was made of oak 'cepting de chairs, and dey was made out
of hackberry. I still have a chair dat belonged to my mammy.
The boys didn't wear no britches in de summer time. Dey just wore long
shirts. De girls wore homespun dresses, either blue or gray.
Old Master never hired no overseer for his slaves, but he looked after
'em hisself. He punished dem hisself too. He had to go away one time
and he hired a white man to oversee while he was gone. The only orders
he left was to keep dem busy. Granny Lucy was awful old but he made
her go to the field. She couldn't hold out to work so he ups and whips
her. He beat her scandalous. He cut her back so bad she couldn't wear
her dress. Old Master come home and my, he was mad when he see Granny
Lucy. He told de man to leave and iffen he ever set foot on his ground
again he's shoot him, sure!
Old Master had a big plantation and a hundred or more slaves. Dey
always got up at daylight and de men went out and fed de horses. When
de bell rang dey was ready to eat. After breakfast dey took de teams
and went out to plow. Dey come in 'bout half past 'leven and at twelve
de bell rung agin. Dey eat their dinner and back to plowing dey went.
'Bout five o'clock dey come in again, and den they'd talk, sing and
jig dance till bedtime.
Old Master never punished his niggers 'cepting dey was sassy or lazy.
He never sold his slaves neither. A owner once sold several babies to
traders. Dey stopped at our plantation to stay awhile. My mammy and de
other women had to take care of dem babies for two days, and teach dem
to nuss a bottle or drink from a glass. Dat was awful, dem little
children crying for they mothers. Sometimes dey sold de mothers away
from they husbands and children.
Master wasn't a believer in church but he let us have church. My we'd
have happy times singing an shouting. They'd have church when dey had
a preacher and prayer meeting when dey didn't.
Slaves didn't leave de plantation much on 'count of de Patrollers. De
patroller was low white trash what jest wanted a excuse to shoot
niggers. I don't think I ever saw one but I heard lots of 'em.
I don't believe in luck charms and things of the such. Iffen you is in
trouble, there ain't nothing gonna save you but de Good Lawd. I heard
of folks keeping all kind of things for good luck charms. When I was a
child different people gave me buttons to string and we called them
our charm string and wore 'em round our necks. If we was mean dey
would tell us "Old Raw Head and Bloody Bones" would git us. Grand
mammy told us ghost stories after supper, but I don't remember any of
dem.
I never did know I was a slave, 'cause I couldn't tell I wasn't free.
I always had a good time, didn't have to work much, and allus had
something to eat and wear and that was better than it is with me now.
When de War was over old Master told us we was free. Mammy she say,
"Well, I'm heading for Texas." I went out and old Master ask me to
bring him a coal of fire to light his pipe. I went after it and mammy
left pretty soon. My pappy wouldn't leave old Master right then but
old Master told us we was free to go where we pleased, so me an' pappy
left and went to Texas where my mammy was. We never saw old Master any
more. We stayed a while in Texas and then come back to de Indian
Territory.
Abe Lincoln was a good man, everybody liked him. See, I've got his
picture. Jeff Davis was a good man too, he just made a mistake. I like
Mr. Roosevelt, too.
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Henry F Pyles
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Phyllis Petite
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