Slave Narratives, Oklahoma | Page 9

that. I used to hang round the
kitchen. The cook, Mama Winnie Long, used to feed all us little
niggers on the flo', jest like little pigs, in tin cups and wooden spoons.
We ate fish too, and I like to go fishing right this very day.
We lived right in old Master Wright's yard. His house sat way up on a
high hill. It was jest a little old log hut we lived in a little old shack
around the yard. They was a lot of little shacks in the yard, I can't tell
jest how many, but it was quite a number of 'em. We slept in
old-fashion beds that we called "corded beds", 'cause they had ropes
crossed to hold the mattresses for slats. Some of 'em had beds nailed to
the wall.
Master Travis Wright had one son named Sam Wright, and after old
Master Travis Wright died, young Master Sam Wright come to be my
mother's master. He jest died a few years ago.
My mother say dey had a nigger driver and he'd whip 'em all but his
daughter. I never seen no slaves whipped, but my mother say dey had
to whip her Uncle Charley Mills once for telling a story. She say he
bored a hole in de wall of de store 'til he bored de hole in old Master's
whiskey barrel, and he caught two jugs of whiskey and buried it in de

banks of de river. When old Master found out de whiskey was gone, he
tried to make Uncle Charley 'fess up, and Uncle Charley wouldn't so he
brung him in and hung him and barely let his toes touch. After Uncle
Charley thought he was going to kill him, he told where de whiskey
was.
We didn't go to church before freedom, land no! 'cause the closest
church was so far--it was 30 miles off. But I'm a member of the Baptist
Church and I've been a member for some 40-odd years. I was past 40
when I heerd of a Methodist Church. My favorite song is "Companion."
I didn't get to go to school 'til after slavery.
I 'member more after de War. I 'member my mother said dey had
patrollers, and if de slaves would get passes from de Master to go to de
dances and didn't git back before ten o'clock dey'd beat 'em half to
death.
I used to hear 'em talking 'bout Ku Klux Klan coming to the well to get
water. They'd draw up a bucket of water and pour the water in they
false stomachs. They false stomachs was tied on 'em with a big leather
buckle. They'd jest pour de water in there to scare 'em and say, "This is
the first drink of water I've had since I left Hell." They'd say all sech
things to scare the cullud folks.
I heerd my mother say they sold slaves on what they called an auction
block. Jest like if a slave had any portly fine looking children they'd sell
them chillun jest like selling cattle. I didn't see this, jest heerd it.
After freedom, when I was old enough then to work in the field, we
lived on Mr. Martin's plantation. We worked awful hard in the fields.
Lawd yes'm! I've heard 'bout shucking up de corn, but give me dem
cotton pickings. Fry'd pick out all de crop of cotton in one day. The
women would cook and de men'd pick the cotton, I mean on dem big
cotton pickings. Some would work for they meals. Then after dey'd
gather all de crops, dey'd give big dances, drink whiskey, and jest cut
up sumpin terrible. We didn't know anything 'bout holidays.
I've heard my husband talk 'bout "Raw head an' bloody bones." Said

whenever dey mothers wanted to scare 'em to make 'em be good dey'd
tell 'em dat a man was outside de door and asked her if she'd hold his
head while he fixed his back bone. I don't believe in voodooing, and I
don't believe in hants. I used to believe in both of 'em when I was
young.
I married Jake Bridges. We had a ordinary wedding. The preacher
married us and we had a license. We have two sons grown living here.
My husband told me that in slavery if your Master told you to live with
your brother, you had to live with him. My father's mother and dad was
first cousins.
I can 'member my husband telling me he was hauling lumber from
Jefferson where the saw mill was and it was cold that night, and when
they got halfway back it snowed, and he stopped with an old cullud
family, and he said way in the night, a knock come at de door--woke