Sam Rawls
From:
South Carolina
=Project 1885-1=
=FOLKLORE=
=Spartanburg Dist. 4=
=June 15, 1937=
=Edited by:=
=Elmer Turnage=
=STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES=
"I was born in 1835 in Lexington County, S.C. I know I was 12 years old
de last year of de war. I belonged to John Hiller in Lexington County,
near Columbia, S.C. Old Marse Hiller was strict to his slaves, wasn't
mean, but often whipped 'em. I thought it was all right then. When de
Yankees come through burning, killing and stealing stock, I was in
marse's yard. Dey come up whar de boss was standing, told him dere was
going to be a battle, grabbed him and hit him. Dey burned his house,
stole de stock, and one Yankee stuck his sword to my breast and said fer
me to come wid him or he would kill me. O' course I went along. Dey took
me as fer as Broad River, on t'other side o' Chapin; then turned me
loose and told me to run fast or they would shoot me. I went fast and
found my way back home by watching de sun. Dey told me to not go back to
dat old man.
"De slaves never learnt to read and write. If any o' dem was caught
trying to learn to read or write, dey was whipped bad. I kotched on to
what de white chilluns said, and learnt by myself to say de alphabet.
"We went to de white churches atter de war, and set in de gallery. Den
de niggers set up a 'brush harbor' church fer demselves. We went to
school at de church, and atter school was out in de atternoon, we had
preaching.
"Befo' freedom come, de patrollers was strong dere, and whipped any
niggers dey kotched out without a pass; wouldn't let dem go to church
without a pass.
"Lots of hunting round dere, dey hunted rabbits, squirrels, foxes and
'possums. Dey fished like dey do now.
"De white folks had old brick ovens away from de house, and wide
fireplaces in de kitchens. Dey cooked many things on Saturdays, to last
several days. Saturday afternoons, we had off to catch up on washing and
other things we wanted to do.
"I 'member de Ku Klux and de Red Shirts, but don't 'member anything dey
did dere.
"We had corn-shuckings and cotton pickings, when de white people would
have everybody to come and help. Us niggers would help. Dey had big
suppers afterwards.
"We had plenty to eat from de garden of de boss, a big garden dat
furnished all de slaves. Den de boss killed hogs and had other things to
eat. Most o' de things raised in de garden, was potatoes, turnips,
collards and peas.
"Some of us had witches. One old woman was a witch, and she rode me one
night. I couldn't get up one night, had a ketching of my breath and
couldn't rise up. She held me down. In dem days, was lots o' fevers with
de folks. Dey cured 'em and other sickness wid teas from root herbs and
barks.
"Abraham Lincoln was a good man. He said you folks ought to let dem
niggers loose and let dem go to work. He come wid his two men, Grant and
Sherman, and captured de slave bosses. Jeff Davis was one o' de
forerunners of de war. Don't know much about him. Booker T. Washington
is a good man. Think he is in office fer a good purpose. I been married
four times, Was young man when I married first time. Gussie Gallman, my
last wife, is living wid me."
Source: Sam Rawls (84), Newberry, S.C.
Interviewer: G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C. (6/9/37)
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