Spence Johnson
From:
Texas
SPENCE JOHNSON was born free, a member of the Choctaw Nation, in
the Indian Territory, in the 1850's. He does not know his exact
age. He and his mother were stolen and sold at auction in
Shreveport to Riley Surratt, who lived near Shreveport, on the
Texas-Louisiana line. He has lived in Waco since 1874.
"De nigger stealers done stole me and my mammy out'n de Choctaw Nation,
up in de Indian Territory, when I was 'bout three years old. Brudder
Knox, Sis Hannah, and my mammy and her two step-chillun was down on de
river washin'. De nigger stealers driv up in a big carriage and mammy
jus' thought nothin', 'cause the road was near dere and people goin' on
de road stopped to water de horses and res' awhile in de shade. By'n by,
a man coaxes de two bigges' chillun to de carriage and give dem some
kind-a candy. Other chillun sees dis and goes, too. Two other men was
walkin' 'round smokin' and gettin' closer to mammy all de time. When he
kin, de man in de carriage got de two big step-chillun in with him and
me and sis' clumb in too, to see how come. Den de man holler, 'Git de
ole one and let's git from here.' With dat de two big men grab mammy and
she fought and screeched and bit and cry, but dey hit her on de head
with something and drug her in, and throwed her on de floor. De big
chilluns begin to fight for mammy, but one of de men hit 'em hard and
off dey driv, with de horses under whip.
"Dis was near a place called Boggy Depot. Dey went down de Red Ribber,
'cross de ribber and on down in Louisian to Shreveport. Down in Louisan
us was put on what dey call de 'block' and sol' to de highes' bidder. My
mammy and her three chillun brung $3,000 flat. De step chillun was sol'
to somebody else, but us was bought by Marse Riley Surratt. He was de
daddy of Jedge Marshall Surratt, him who got to be jedge here in Waco.
"Marse Riley Surratt had a big plantation; don't know how many acres,
but dere was a factory and gins and big houses and lots of nigger
quarters. De house was right on de Tex-Louisan line. Mammy cooked for
'em. When Marse Riley bought her, she couldn' speak nothin' but de
Choctaw words. I was a baby when us lef' de Choctaw country. My sister
looked like a full blood Choctaw Indian and she could pass for a real
full blood Indian. Mammy's folks was all Choctaw Indians. Her sisters
was Polly Hogan, and Sookey Hogan and she had a brudder, Nolan Tubby.
Dey was all known in de Territory in de ole days.
"Near as Marse Riley's books can come to it, I mus' of been bo'n 'round
1859, up in de Territory.
"Us run de hay press to bale cotton on de plantation and took cotton by
ox wagons to Shreveport. Seven or eight wagons in a train, with three or
four yoke of steers to each wagon. Us made 'lasses and cloth and shoes
and lots of things. Old Marse Riley had a nigger who could make shoes
and if he had to go to court in Carthage, he'd leave nigger make shoes
for him.
"De quarters was a quarter mile long, all strung out on de creek bank.
Our cabin was nex' de big house. De white folks give big balls and had
supper goin' all night. Us had lots to eat and dey let us have dances
and suppers, too. We never go anywhere. Mammy always cry and 'fraid of
bein' stole again.
"Dere was a white man live close to us, but over in Louisan. He had
raised him a great big black man what brung fancy price on de block. De
black man sho' love dat white man. Dis white man would sell ole
John--dat's de black man's name--on de block to some man from Georgia or
other place fur off. Den, after 'while de white man would steal ole John
back and bring him home and feed him good, den sell him again. After he
had sol' ole John some lot of times, he coaxed ole John off in de swamp
one day and ole John foun' dead sev'ral days later. De white folks said
dat de owner kilt him, 'cause 'a dead nigger won't tell no tales.'
"Durin' de Freedom War, I seed soldiers all over de road. Dey was
breakin' hosses what dey stole. Us skeered and didn' let soldiers see us
if we could he'p it. Mammy and I stayed on with Marse Riley after
Freedom and till I was 'bout sixteen. Den Marse Riley died and I come to
Waco in a wagon with Jedge Surratt's brother, Marse Taylor Surratt. I
come to Waco de same year dat Dr. Lovelace did, and he says that was
1874. I married and us had six chillun.
"I can't read or write, 'cause I only went to school one day. De white
folks tried to larn me, but I's too thickheaded.
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Harriet Jones
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Pauline Johnson And Felice Boudreaux
