Sarah Ashley
From:
Texas
SARAH ASHLEY, 93, was born in Mississippi. She recalls her
experiences when sold on the block in New Orleans, and on a cotton
plantation in Texas. She now lives at Goodrich, Texas.
"I ain't able to do nothin' no more. I's jus' plumb give out and I stays
here by myself. My daughter, Georgia Grime, she used to live with me but
she's been dead four year.
"I was born in Miss'ippi and Massa Henry Thomas buy us and bring us
here. He a spec'lator and buys up lots of niggers and sells 'em. Us
family was sep'rated. My two sisters and my papa was sold to a man in
Georgia. Den dey put me on a block and bid me off. Dat in New Orleans
and I scairt and cry, but dey put me up dere anyway. First dey takes me
to Georgia and dey didn't sell me for a long spell. Massa Thomas he
travel round and buy and sell niggers. Us stay in de spec'lators drove
de long time.
"After 'while Massa Mose Davis come from Cold Spring, in Texas, and buys
us. He was buyin' up little chillen for he chillen. Dat 'bout four year
befo' da first war. I was 19 year old when de burst of freedom come in
June and I git turn loose.
"I was workin' in de field den. Jus' befo' dat de old Massa he go off
and buy more niggers. He go east. He on a boat what git stove up and he
die and never come back no more. Us never see him no more.
"I used to have to pick cotton and sometime I pick 300 pound and tote it
a mile to de cotton house. Some pick 300 to 800 pound cotton and have to
tote de bag de whole mile to de gin. Iffen dey didn't do dey work dey
git whip till dey have blister on 'em. Den iffen dey didn't do it, de
man on a hoss goes down de rows and whip with a paddle make with holes
in it and bus' de blisters. I never git whip, 'cause I allus git my 300
pound. Us have to go early to do dat, when de horn goes early, befo'
daylight. Us have to take de victuals in de bucket to de field.
"Massa have de log house and us live in little houses, strowed in long
rows. Dere wasn't no meetin's 'lowed in de quarters and iffen dey have
prayer meetin' de boss man whip dem. Sometime us run off at night and go
to camp meetin'. I takes de white chillen to church sometime, but dey
couldn't larn me to sing no songs 'cause I didn' have no spirit.
"Us never got 'nough to eat, so us keeps stealin' stuff. Us has to. Dey
give us de peck of meal to last de week and two, three pound bacon in
chunk. Us never have flour or sugar, jus' cornmeal and de meat and
'taters. De niggers has de big box under de fireplace, where dey kep'
all de pig and chickens what dey steal, down in salt.
"I seed a man run away and de white men got de dogs and dey kotch him
and put him in de front room and he jump through de big window and break
de glass all up. Dey sho' whips him when dey kotches him.
"De way dey whip de niggers was to strip 'em off naked and whip 'em till
dey make blisters and bus' de blisters. Den dey take de salt and red
pepper and put in de wounds. After dey wash and grease dem and put
somethin' on dem, to keep dem from bleed to death.
"When de boss man told us freedom was come he didn't like it, but he
give all us de bale of cotton and some corn. He ask us to stay and he'p
with de crop but we'uns so glad to git 'way dat nobody stays. I got
'bout fifty dollars for de cotton and den I lends it to a nigger what
never pays me back yit. Den I got no place to go, so I cooks for a white
man name' Dick Cole. He sposen give me $5.00 de month but he never paid
me no money. He'd give me eats and clothes, 'cause he has de little
store.
"Now, I's all alone and thinks of dem old times what was so bad, and I's
ready for de Lawd to call me."
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Agatha Babino
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Sterlin Arnwine
