*Betty Powers, 80, was born a slave of Dr. Howard Perry, who owned
Betty's family, several hundred other slaves and a large plantation in
Harrison Co., Texas. Betty married Boss Powers when she was only
thirteen. She now lives at 5237 Fletcher St., Fort Worth, Texas.*
"What for you wants dis old nigger's story 'bout de old slavery days?
'Tain't worth anythin'. I's jus' a hard workin' person all my life and
raised de fam'ly and done right by 'em as best I knowed. To tell the
truf 'bout my age, I don't know 'zactly. I 'members de war time and de
surrender time. I's old 'nough to fan flies off de white folks and de
tables when surrender come. If you come 'bout five year ago, I could
telt you lots more, but I's had de head mis'ry.
"I's born in Harrison County, 'bout twenty-five miles from Marshall.
Mass's name am Dr. Howard Perry and next he house am a li'l buildin' for
he office. De plantation an awful big one, and miles long, and more'n
two hundred slaves was dere. Each cabin have one family and dere am
three rows of cabins 'bout half a mile long.
"Mammy and pappy and us twelve chillen lives in one cabin, so mammy has
to cook for fourteen people, 'sides her field work. She am up way befo'
daylight fixin' breakfast and supper after dark, with de pine knot torch
to make de light. She cook on de fireplace in winter and in de yard in
summer. All de rations measure out Sunday mornin' and it have to do for
de week. It am not 'nough for heavy eaters and we has to be real careful
or we goes hongry. We has meat and cornmeal and 'lasses and 'taters and
peas and beans and milk. Dem short rations causes plenty trouble, 'cause
de niggers has to steal food and it am de whippin' if dey gits cotched.
Dey am in a fix if dey can't work for bein' hongry, 'cause it am de
whippin' den, sho', so dey has to steal, and most of 'em did and takes
de whippin'. Dey has de full stomach, anyway.
"De babies has plenty food, so dey grow up into strong, portly men and
women. Dey stays in de nursery whilst dey mammies works in de fields,
and has plenty milk with cornbread crumble up in it, and pot-licker,
too, and honey and 'lasses on bread.
"De massa and he wife am fine, but de overseer am tough, and he wife,
too. Dat woman have no mercy. You see dem long ears I has? Dat's from de
pullin' dey gits from her. De field hands works early and late and often
all night. Pappy makes de shoes and mammy weaves, and you could hear de
bump, bump of dat loom at night, when she done work in de field all day.
"Missy know everything what go on, 'cause she have de spies 'mongst de
slaves. She purty good, though. Sometimes de overseer tie de nigger to a
log and lash him with de whip. If de lash cut de skin, dey puts salt on
it. We ain't 'low to go to church and has 'bout two parties a year, so
dere ain't much fun. Lawd, Lawd, most dem slaves too tired to have fun
noway. When all dat work am finish, dey's glad to git in de bed and
sleep.
"Did we'uns have weddin's? White man, you knows better'n dat. Dem times,
cullud folks am jus' put together. De massa say, 'Jim and Nancy, you go
live together,' and when dat order give, it better be done. Dey thinks
nothin' on de plantation 'bout de feelin's of de women and dere ain't no
'spect for dem. De overseer and white mens took 'vantage of de women
like dey wants to. De woman better not make no fuss 'bout sich. If she
do, it am de whippin' for her. I sho' thanks de Lawd surrender done come
befo' I's old 'nough to have to stand for sich. Yes, sar, surrender
saves dis nigger from sich.
"When de war am over, thousands of sojers passes our place. Some camps
nearby, and massa doctors dem. When massa call us to say we's free, dere
am a yardful of niggers. He give every nigger de age statement and say
dey could work on halves or for wages. He 'vises dem to stay till dey
git de foothold and larn how to do. Lots stays and lots goes. My folks
stays 'bout four years and works on shares. Den pappy buys de piece of
land 'bout five miles from dere.
[Illustration: _Betty Powers_]
"De land ain't clear, so we'uns all pitches in and clears it and builds
de cabin. Was we'uns proud? There 'twas, our place to do as we pleases,
after bein' slaves. Dat sho' am de good feelin'. We works like beavers
puttin' de crop in, and my folks stays dere till dey dies. I leaves to
git married de next year and I's only thirteen years old, and marries
Boss Powers.
"We'uns lives on rent land nearby for six years and has three chillen
and den he dies. After two years I marries Henry Ruffins and has three
more chillen, and he dies in 1911. I's livin' with two of dem now. I
never took de name of Ruffins, 'cause I's dearly love Powers and can't
stand to give up he name. Powers done make de will and wrote on de
paper, 'To my beloved wife, I gives all I has.' Wasn't dat sweet of him?
"I comes to Fort Worth after Ruffins dies and does housework till I's
too old. Now I gits de $12.00 pension every month and dat help me git
by."