*John Moore, 84, was born a slave to Duncan Gregg, in Vermillionville,
La., where he lived until he was freed. In 1876 he came to Texas and now
lives in Beaumont.*
"I was twelve year old when freedom broke up. I lives 'tween
Vermillionville and Lafayette in Louisiana and my massa's name Duncan
Greggs and he have purty big farm and lots of cullud people. His house
was two, three hun'erd yard from de nigger quarters. De old grammas, dey
took care of de chillen when dere mothers was in de fields and took dem
up to de big house so de white folks could see 'em play.
"We chillens was dress in a shirt and we was barefoot. Sometime dey make
what dey call moccasin out of rawhide. Shoes was skeerce.
"Dey raise de food and have grits ground in de grits mill. Dey raise
hawgs and make syrup and farm and raise chickens. Marster didn' 'low de
niggers to have big garden patch but sometime he 'low 'em have place
raise watermillion.
"Marster have purty good house, a box-house, and have good furniture in
it. De cullud folks have house with chimbly in de middle of two rooms
and one fambly live on one side de chimbly and 'nother fambly on de
other side de chimbly. De chillen have pallets on de floor.
"After freedom my daddy die with cholera. I don' know how many chillen
in us fambly. My daddy's name Valmore Moore and mamma's name Silliman.
"Dey have niggers in de fields in different squads, a hoe squad and a
plow squad, and de overseer was pretty rapid. Iffen dey don' do de work
dey buck dem down and whip dem. Dey tie dey hands and feet togedder and
make 'em put de hands 'tween de knees, and put a long stick 'tween de
hands to dey can't pull 'em out, and den dey whip dem in good fashion.
"When war starts, dey have a fight at Penock Bridge, not far from a
place dey call La'fette. Dey burn de bridge and keep de Yankees from
takin' de town. But de Yankees gits floatin' bridges and gits 'cross de
bayou dat way. De Yankees comes to our place and dey go to de sugarhouse
and takes barrels of sugar and syrup, and corn and meat and de white
folks hides de chickens under de bed, but de old rooster crow and den de
Yankees hear dem.
"Young marster say he gwine to war to kill a Yankee and bring he head
back and he take a servant 'long. He didn' bring no Yankee head back but
he brung a shot up arm, but dat purty soon git well.
"Iffen us sick dey make med'cine out of weeds, mos' bitter weed, boneset
dey calls it. Dey bile Jerusalem oak and give it to us.
"We has dances sometimes and sings
'Run, nigger, run,
De patterroles git you;
Run, nigger run,
It almos' day.'