*Tillie R. Powers was born free in Oklahoma, near the Washita River. Her
mother had been kidnapped by a band of raiding Indians, one of whom was
her father. Her mother, desiring to prevent her from living among the
Indians, wrapped her in a buffalo robe and laid her on the road near the
Washita, where she was found by Joseph Powers, an army officer, who took
her to his plantation in Edgecombe Co., North Carolina. She lives at
1302 E. 11th St. Fort Worth, Texas.*
"I don' 'member my mammy or pappy, and all I knows 'bout my early life
was tol' me by Marster Powers. He says him and he wife takin' soldiers
back to some fort and dey sees a bundle side de road near de Washita
River, wropped in a buffalo robe. He gits off his hoss and picks de
bundle up and in dat bundle am de piccaniny, dis nigger. Dat 77 year
ago. Dey took me to Edgecombe Co., over in North Car'lina, whar him owns
a plantation and 'bout 50 slaves. Dere I's 'dopted.
"Dey raises de cotton and tobaccy and corn and sich. Den dere am hawgs
and chickens and sheep, and sich a orchard with peaches and pears and
sich. Mos' de work I done in slavery was eat de food, 'cause I's only
six year old when de war am over. But I 'members 'bout de plantation.
"De treatment am good and bad. If de nigger gits onruly, him gits a
whippin', but de marster's orders is for not to draw de blood like I
heered dey do on other places. De food is plenty, 'cept for de shortage
cause by de War. When de food gits short, some of de niggers am sent
a-hustlin' for game, sich as de turkey and de squirrel, but we'uns allus
has plenty cornmeal and 'lasses and fruit.
"Did we'uns see sojers? Lawd-a-massy! Towards de las', jus' 'fore
surrender and after, we'uns see dem by thousands, de Yanks and de
'federates, dey's passin' and repassin'. When de War am over, de marster
come home and he calls all us cullud folks to de house and him reads a
paper and says, 'All yous niggers am free, and you can go whar you
wants, but I 'vises yous not to go till yous has a place for work and
make de livin'. All de niggers stay at fust, den leave one after
'nother.
[Illustration: _Tillie R. Powers_]
"I jus' de chile and de orphan, so I has to stay and it was bes' for me.
Marster pays me when I big enough to work, and gives me $5.00 a month,
and I works for him till I's 18 years old. Den de missy die and I
leaves. Dat was de break-up of de place. I cries now when I thinks of de
missy, 'cause she allus good to me and I feels for her.
"After dat, I works 'round a while and gits married to John Daniels in
1880. Dis nigger was better off in slavery dan with dat nigger. Why, him
won't work and whips me if I complains. I stood dat for six year and den
I's transported him. Dat in Roberts County. Marster Race Robinson
brought dat no good nigger and me, with 'bout 50 other niggers, here to
Texas. We 'uns share cropped for him till I transported dat ornery
husban'.
"I makes a livin' workin' for white folks till 'bout three years ago and
now I gits $15.00 every month from de State to live on, 'cause I has
high blood now and I can't work no more."