*Bill McRay was born in Milam, fifteen miles north of San Augustine,
Texas, in 1851. He is a brother of C.B. McRay. Col. McRay was his owner
(the name may have been spelled McCray, Bill says). Bill now lives in
Jasper, Texas. He is said to be an expert cook, having cooked for
hotels, boats and military camps 40 years.*
"I was born in Milam in 1851 and dat makes me 86 year ole. My mother and
father was slaves and dey brung me to Jasper in 1854. Colonel McRay, he
was our marster and dis' our boss. He have 40 head of niggers, but he
never hit one of 'em a lick in his life. He own a big farm and have a
foreman named Bill Cummins. I stay with de Colonel till after I's free.
"Us have good marster, but some of de neighbors treat dere slaves rough.
Ole Dr. Neyland of Jasper, he have 75 or 80 slaves and he was rich and
hard on de slaves. One day two run away, Tom and Ike, and Dr. Neyland
takes de bloodhoun's and ketch dose two niggers and brung 'em in. One of
de niggers takes a club and knock one of de houn's in de head and kilt
him. Dey cook dat dog and make dem niggers eat part of him. Den dey give
both of 'em a beatin'.
"De ole log jail in Jasper, it useter stan' whar de Fish Store is now.
Dey have a place t'other side de jail whar dey whip niggers. De whippin'
pos' was a big log. Dey make de niggers lie down on it and strap 'em to
it. I was a lil' boy den and me and two white boys, Coley McRay and
Henry Munn, we useter slip 'round and watch 'em. Coley and Henry both
grow up and go to war but neither one come back.
[Illustration: _Bill McRay_]
"Sam Swan, he was sheriff, and he ketch two run-away niggers one day.
Dey was brudders and dey was name Rufe and John Grant. Well, he takes
'em and puts dem in jail and some of de men gits 'em out and takes 'em
down to de whippin' pos' and den strap 'em down and give 'em one
terrible lashin' and den throw salt in dere wounds and you could hear
dem niggers holler for a mile. Den dey took 'em back to de farm to wo'k.
"Dey hanged good many niggers 'round Jasper. In slavery times dey hangs
a nigger name Jim Henderson, at Mayhew Pond. Us boys wen' dere and mark
de tree. Two cullud men, Tom Jefferson and Sam Powell, dey kill anudder
nigger and dey hang dem to de ole white oak tree what is south of Jasper
Court House.
"After I's free I cooks for Cap'n Kelly in his mil'tary camps for 21
year. Den I cook for boats what run up and down de Neches and Angelina
rivers. I wants to say, too, dat I wo'ks for every sheriff in Jasper
County 'ceptin' de las' one. Guess I's too young to wo'k for him!"