William Hamilton
From:
Texas
WILLIAM HAMILTON belonged to a slave trader, who left him on the
Buford plantation, near Village Creek, Texas. The trader did not
return, so the Buford family raised the child with their slaves.
William now lives at 910 E. Weatherford St., Ft. Worth, Texas.
"Who I is, how old I is and where I is born, I don't know. But Massa
Buford told me how durin' de war a slave trader name William Hamilton,
come to Village Creek, where Massa Buford live. Dat trader was on his
way south with my folks and a lot of other slaves, takin' 'em
somewheres, to sell. He camped by Massa Buford's plantation and asks
him, 'Can I leave dis li'l nigger here till I comes back?' Massa Buford
say, 'Yes,' and de trader say he'll be back in 'bout three weeks, soon
as he sells all the slaves. He mus' still be sellin' 'em, 'cause he
never comes back so far and there I am and my folks am took on, and I is
too li'l to 'member 'em, so I never knows my pappy and mammy. Massa
Buford says de trader comes from Missouri, but if I is born dere I don't
know.
"De only thing I 'members 'bout all dat, am dere am lots of cryin' when
dey tooks me 'way from my mammy. Dat something I never forgits.
"I only 'members after de war, and most de cullud folks stays with Massa
Buford after surrender and works de land on shares. Dey have good times
on dat place, and don't want to leave. Day has dances and fun till de Ku
Klux org'nizes and den it am lots of trouble. De Klux comes to de dance
and picks out a nigger and whups him, jus' to keep de niggers scart, and
it git so bad dey don't have no more dances or parties.
"I 'members seein' Faith Baldwin and Jeb Johnson and Dan Hester gittin'
whupped by de Klux. Dey wasn't so bad after women. It am allus after
dark when dey comes to de house and catches de man and whups him for
nothin'. Dey has de power, and it am done for to show dey has de power.
It gits so bad round dere, dat de menfolks allus eats supper befo' dark
and takes a blanket and goes to de woods for to sleep. Alex Buford don't
sleep in de house for one whole summer.
"No one knowed when de Klux comin'. All a-sudden up dey gallops on
hosses, all covered with hoods, and bust right into de house. Jus'
latches 'stead of locks was used dem days. Dey comes sev'ral times to
Alex' house but never cotches him. I'd hear dem comin' when dey hit de
lane and I'd holler, 'De Klux am comin'.' It was my job, after dark,
listenin' for dem Klux, den I gits under de bed.
"Why dey comes so many times round dere, am 'cause de second time dey
comes, Jane Bensom am dere. Jane am lots of woman, wide as de door and
tall, and weighs 'bout three hunder pounds. I calls, 'Here comes de
Klux,' and makes for under de bed. There am embers in de fireplace and
she fills a pail with dem and when de Klux busts in de door she lets dem
have de embers in de face, and den out de back door she goes. Two of dem
am burnt purty bad. De nex' night back dey comes and asks where Jane am.
She 'longs to Massa John Ditto and am so big everybody knows her, but de
niggers won't tell on her. She leaves de country fin'ly, but dey comes
lookin' for her every night for two months.
"Right over on Massa Ditto's place, am a killin' of a baby by dem Klux.
De baby am in de mammy's arms and a bunch of Klux ridin' by takes a
shot at de mammy, and it hits de baby and kills it.
"Right after de baby killin', sojers with blue coats comes dere and
camps front of Massa Buford's place and pertects de cullud folks. I goes
over to dey camp every day and dey gives me lots of good eats.
"De cullud folks has lots of trouble after de war, 'cause dey am ir'rant
niggers and gits foolishment in de head. They gits de idea de white
folks should give dem land and mules and sich. Over in de valley, Massa
Moses owns lots of land and fifty nigger families, and he gives each
family a deed to 'bout fifty acres. Some dem cullud folks grandchillen
still on dat land, too, de Parkers and Farrows and Nelsons and some
others. Den all de other niggers thinks dey should git land, too, but
dey don't, and it make dem git foolishment and git in trouble.
"In 1897 I marries Effie Coleman and has no chillens, so I is alone in
de world now. I can't do much and lives on de $10.00 de month pension.
De white folks lets me live in dis shack for mowin' de lawn, but I
worries 'bout when I can't do no more work. It am de awful way to spend
you last days.
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Pierce Harper
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Mandy Hadnot
