*A.C. Pruitt was born about 1861, a slave of the Magill family, in St.
Martinville, La. He lives in a settlement of Negroes, on the road
leading from Monroe City to Anahuac, in a shanty made of flattened tin
cans, odd pieces of corrugated iron and scrap lumber, held together with
rope, nails and tar paper. Pruitt migrated from Beaumont to Monroe City
when the oil boom came and ekes out an existence doing odd jobs in the
fields. He is a small, muscular man, dressed in faded work clothes and
heavy brogans, laced with string.*
"I really does live in Beaumont, but when dey start dat talk 'bout
makin' sich good money in de oil fields I done move out here to git some
of dat. It ain't work so good, though, and I been tearin' down part my
house dis week and plannin' to move back.
"I ain't 'lect much 'bout slavery time, 'cause I jes' too li'l but I can
tell some things my mama and grannma done told me.
"I's born in St. Martinville, over in Louisiana. I done go back to de
old plantation onct but it start to change den. Dave Magill he was de
old massa and Miss Frances de missy. My mama name Rachel Smith and she
born and raise right dere, and my daddy I ain't never seed, but mama say
he name Bruford Pruitt. Dey brudders and sisters but only one livin' and
dat Clementine James in Beaumont.
"Jes' 'fore freedom us done move to Snowball, Texas, what was somewheres
clost to Cold Springs. Dey told us dey tryin' keep us slaves 'way from
de Yankees. Dey everywhere, jes' like dem li'l black ants what gits in
de sugar, only dey blue. I's jes' de li'l chile den, runnin' 'round in
my split shirt tail. Dem was sho' fancy shirt tails dey make us wore in
dem days. Dey make 'em on de loom, jes' in two pieces, with a hole to
put de head through and 'nother hole at de bottom to put de legs
through. Den dey split 'em up de side, so's us could run and play
without dem tyin' us 'round de knees and throw us down. Even at dat, dey
sho' wasn't no good to do no tree climbin', less'n you pull dem mos' up
over you head.
"Us chillen run down to de rail gate when us see dus' clouds comin' and
watch de sojers ridin' and marchin' by. Dey ain't never do no fightin'
'round us, but dey's gunboats down de bayous a ways and us could hear de
big guns from de other fights. Us li'l niggers sho' like to wave to dem
sojers, and when de men on hosses go by, dey seem like dey more enjoyin'
deyselves dan de others.
"I have de old gramma what come from Virginny. Her name Mandy Brown. Dey
'low her hire her own time out. She wasn't freeborn but dey give her dat
much freedom. She could go git her a job anywhere jes' as long as she
brung de old missy half what she done make. Iffen she make $5.00, she
give Miss Frances $2.50 and like dat.
"De old massa he plumb good to he slaves. He have a good many but I
ain't knowed of but one dem mens what he ever whip. He have a church
right on de place and cullud preachers. Dey old Peter Green and every
evenin' us chillen have to go to he cabin and he teach us prayers. He
teach us to count, too. He de shoemaker on de plantation.
"My mama done told me 'bout de dances dey have in de quarters. Dey take
de big sugar hogshead and stretch rawhide over de top. Den de man
straddle de barrel and beat on de top for de drum. Dat de onlies' music
dey have.
"Us allus have good things to eat, cabbage greens and cornbread and
bacon. Jes' good, plain food. Dey have a sugarhouse and a old man call
de sugar boiler. He give us de cane juice out de kittles and 'low us
tote off lots dem cane jints to eat. Dat in June.
"De field hands stay up in de big barn and shuck corn on rainy days. Dey
shuck corn and sing. Us chillen keep de yard clean and tie weeds
together to make brooms for de sweepin'. Us sep'rate de seed from de
cotton and a old woman do de cardin'. Dey have 'nother old woman what do
nothin' on de scene but weave on de loom.
"One old, old lady what am mos' too old to git 'round, she take care de
chillen and cook dere food sep'rate. She take big, black iron washpots
and cook dem plumb full of victuals. Come five in de evenin' us have de
bigges' meal, dat sho' seem long time 'cause dey ain't feed us but two
meal a day, not countin' de eatin' us do durin' de day.
"After freedom come us leave Snowball and go back to Louisiana. Old
massa ain't give us nothin'. I marry purty soon. I never go to school
but one month in my life and dat in New Iberia. I can sign my name and
read it, but dat all.
"I works fust for Mr. William Weeks as de yardboy and he pay me $7.00 de
month. De fust money I gits I's so glad I runned and take it to my mama.
I have de step-pa and he nearly die of de yellow fever. I's hardly able
wait till I's 21 and can vote. Dat my idea of somethin', mos' as good as
de fust time I wears pants.
"I tries farmin awhile but dat ain't suit me so good. Den I gits me de
job firin' a steamboat on de Miss'sip River, de steamer Mattie. She go
from New Orleans through Morgan City. I fire in de sawmills, too.
"My fust wife name Liny and us marry and live together 43 year and den
she die. In 1932 I marry a gal call Zellee what live in Beaumont and she
still dere. I ain't never have no chile in dis world.
"I larns all dese things 'bout slavery from my mama and gramma, 'cause I
allus ask questions and dey talks to me lots. Dat's 'cause dey's nobody
but me and I allus under dey feets."