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Read Ebook: Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves Volume IV Georgia Narratives Part 1 by United States Work Projects Administration
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When asked what this preacher usually preached about, "Uncle Wash" answered: "He was a one-eyed man an' couldn' see good; so, he mout a'made some mistakes, but he sho tole us plenty 'bout hell fire 'n brimstone."
"Uncle Wash" is a literal worshipper of the memory of his "old time white fokes."
J.R. Jones
In a second interview, the submission of which was voluntarily sought by himself, this very interesting specimen of a rapidly vanishing type expressed a desire to amend his previous interview to incorporate the following facts:
"For a number of years before freedom, my father bought his time from his master and traveled about over Russell County as a journeyman blacksmith, doing work for various planters and making good money--as money went in those days--on the side. At the close of the war, however, though he had a trunk full of Confederate money, all of his good money was gone.
Father could neither read nor write, but had a good head for figures and was very pious. His life had a wonderful influence upon me, though I was originally worldly--that is, I drank and cussed, but haven't touched a drop of spirits in forty years and quit cussing before I entered the ministry in 1879.
I then told them that God was using the Yankees to scourge the slave-holders just as He had, centuries before, used heathens and outcasts to chastise His chosen people--the Children of Israel."
The Parson then entered into a mild tirade against Yankees, saying:
When the good Parson had delivered himself as quoted, he was asked a few questions, the answers to which--as shall follow--disclose their nature.
"The lowest down Whites of slavery days were the average overseers. A few were gentlemen, one must admit, but the regular run of them were trash--commoner than the 'poor white trash'--and, if possible, their children were worse than their daddies. The name, 'overseer', was a synonym for 'slave driver', 'cruelty', 'brutishness'. No, sir, a Nigger may be humble and refuse to talk outside of his race--because he's afraid to, but you can't fool him about a white man!
And you couldn't fool him when he was a slave! He knows a white man for what he is, and he knew him the same way in slavery times."
Concerning the punishment of slaves, the Reverend said:
"I never heard or knew of a slave being tried in court for any thing. I never knew of a slave being guilty of any crime more serious than taking something or violating plantation rules. And the only punishment that I ever heard or knew of being administered slaves was whipping.
I have personally known a few slaves that were beaten to death for one or more of the following offenses:
Leaving home without a pass,
Talking back to--'sassing'--a white person,
Hitting another Negro,
Fussing, fighting, and rukkussing in the quarters,
Lying,
Loitering on their work,
Taking things--the Whites called it stealing.
Plantation rules forbade a slave to:
Own a firearm,
Leave home without a pass,
Sell or buy anything without his master's consent,
Marry without his owner's consent,
Have a light in his cabin after a certain hour at night,
Attend any secret meeting,
Harbor or any manner assist a runaway slave,
Abuse a farm animal,
Mistreat a member of his family, and do
A great many other things."
When asked if he had ever heard slaves plot an insurrection, the Parson answered in the negative.
When asked if he had personal knowledge of an instance of a slave offering resistance to corporal punishment, the Reverend shook his head, but said:
"Sometimes a stripped Nigger would say some hard things to the white man with the strap in his hand, though he knew that he would pay for it dearly, for when a slave showed spirit that way the master or overseer laid the lash on all the harder."
When asked how the women took their whippings, he said:
"They usually screamed and prayed, though a few never made a sound."
The Parson has had two wives and five children. Both wives and three of his children are dead. He is also now superannuated, but occasionally does a "little preaching", having only recently been down to Montezuma, Georgia, on a special call to deliver a message to the Methodist flock there.
Henrietta Carlisle
JACK ATKINSON--EX-SLAVE Rt. D Griffin, Georgia Interviewed August 21, 1936
"Onct a man, twice a child," quoted Jack Atkinson, grey haired darkey, when being interviewed, "and I done started in my second childhood. I useter be active as a cat, but I ain't, no mo."
Jack acquired his surname from his white master, a Mr. Atkinson, who owned this Negro family prior to the War Between the States. He was a little boy during the war but remembers "refugeeing" to Griffin from Butts County, Georgia, with the Atkinsons when Sherman passed by their home on his march to the sea.
Jack's father, Tom, the body-servant of Mr. Atkinson, "tuck care of him" the four years they were away at war. "Many's the time I done heard my daddy tell 'bout biting his hands he wuz so hongry, and him and Marster drinking water outer the ruts of the road, they wuz so thirsty, during the war."
"Boss Man , wuz as fine a man as ever broke bread", according to Jack.
When asked how he got married he stated that he "broke off a love vine and throwed it over the fence and if it growed" he would get married. The vine "just growed and growed" and it wasn't long before he and Lucy married.
"A hootin' owl is a sho sign of rain, and a screech owl means a death, for a fact."
"A tree frog's holler is a true sign of rain."
Jack maintains that he has received "a second blessing from the Lord" and "no conjurer can bother him."
Whitley 1-25-37 Minnie B. Ross
EX TOWN SLAVE HANNAH AUSTIN
When the writer was presented to Mrs. Hannah Austin she was immediately impressed with her alert youthful appearance. Mrs. Austin is well preserved for her age and speaks clearly and with much intelligence. The interview was a brief but interesting one. This was due partly to the fact that Mrs. Austin was a small child when The Civil War ended and too because her family was classed as "town slaves" so classed because of their superior intelligence.
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