*Aaron Russel, 82, was born a slave of William Patrick, who owned
Aaron's parents, a hundred other slaves, and a large plantation in
Ouachita Parish, near Monroe, Louisiana. Aaron remained with the Patrick
family until he was 26, then moved to Texas. He farmed all his life,
until old age forced him to stop work. He then moved to a suburb of Fort
Worth, to be near his children.*
"Massa William Patrick give my mammy de statement. It say I's borned in
1855 and dat make me 82 year old. Massa Patrick, he own de big
plantation clost to Monroe, over in Louisiana. Dat de big place, with
over a hunerd niggers.
"When de war start I's 'bout six year old, but I has de good mem'ry of
dem times. Massa have no chillen so nobody goes from dat place, but lots
de neighbor boys us knows goes to de army.
"At first everything go good after war start, but de last end am not so
good. De trouble am de Yanks come and takes de rations from massa. Dey
takes corn and meat and kilt several hawgs and takes two yearlin's. Dey
sho' makes massa mad. Him git so mad him cry. If massa hadn't 'spect
sich and hide de rations, us sho' suffer, but back of de cotton field
massa done have us dig de pit. In de pit us put de hay and lay de
rations in dere, sich as corn and smoke' meat and 'taters. De Yanks
don't find dat stuff. But what de sojers takes make it nip and tuck to
git by.
"All us niggers 'cited when de sojers takes de rations. De older ones
wants to fight dem Yanks. Dere'd been trouble iffen massa didn't say to
dem to keep 'way. All us like massa, him treat us fine, and us willin'
fight for him.
"De sojers come back after dat and use one massa's buildin's for
headquarters, for long time. Dat befo' de battle at Vicksburg. At first
us young'uns scart of dem, but after while us play with them. After de
Vicksburg battle dey goes off and us sorry, 'cause dey treat us with
candy and things. But massa glad git shet of dem.
"Us young'uns have de fun with de old niggers. Massa know and sho' have
de good laugh. I'll tell you 'bout it:
"'Twas dis-away. De old niggers scart of hants. Us young'uns takes de
long rawhide string and makes de tick-tack on de cabin roof where Tom
and Mandy 'livin'. I climbs de tree 'bout 50 foot high back de cabin and
holds de string. It go thump on de roof, 'bout darktime. Tom and Mandy
settin' in dere, talkin' with some folks. Us keep thumpin' de tick-tack.
Tom say, 'What dat on de roof?' Dey stops talkin'. I thumps it 'gain.
Mandy say, 'Gosh for mighty! What am it?' One nigger say, 'De hants, it
de hants,' and dem cullud folks come 'way from dere right now. I hears
de massa laugh for to split de sides. And Tom and Mandy, dey wouldn't
stay in de cabin dat night, no, sir, dey sleeps in de yard.
"De bell ring 'fore daylight and de work start. When de cullud folks
starts out in de mornin' it like de army. Some goes to de fields, some
to de spinnin', some to de shoeshop, and so on. De hours am long, but
massa am good. No overseer, but de leader for each crew.
"I 'member when Massa call us and say, 'You's free.' Us didn't 'lieve
him at first. He say he put each fam'ly on de piece of land and us work
it on shares. Him have lots of married couples on he place. I knows most
plantations de cullud folks treated like cattle, but massa different.
Him have de reg'lations. If dey wants to marry dey asks him and dey has
de cer'mony, what am step over de broom laid on de floor.
[Illustration: _Aaron Russel_]
"My pappy stay with massa and farm on shares. I stays till I's 26 year
old and den gits de piece of land for myself. Us gits 'long good, 'cause
us stay on massa's place and he 'structs us what to do. He say to stay
out of de mess and keep workin'. For long time us never leave de place,
after de war, 'cause of trouble gwine on. Dere am times it wasn't safe
for no cullud person to go off de plantation. Some foolish niggers what
listen to some foolish white folks gits de wrong 'structions. Dey comes
to think dey can run de white folks. Now, when dey starts sich, 'course
de white folks don't 'low sich. Some of dem stubborn niggers has to be
edumacated by de Ku Klux Klan. Dat am de tough edumacation and some dem
niggers never gits over de lesson. Dem dat do never forgit it!
"I never hears dat any cullud folks gits de land offen dere massa. I
heared some old cullud folks say dey told it to be sich. Sho', de
igno'mus fools think de gov'ment gwine take land from de massas and give
it to dem! Massa Patrick tell us all 'bout sich. Like niggers votin'.
I's been asked to vote but I knows it wasn't for de good. What does I
know 'bout votin'? So I follows massa's 'structions and stays 'way from
sich. If de cullud folks can do de readin' and knows what dey do, maybe
it all right for dem to vote. De way 'twas after surrender, 'twas
foolishment for niggers to try votin' and run de gov'ment. I wants to go
some other place iffen dey do. De young'uns now gittin' edumacated and
iffen dey larn de right way, den dey have right to vote. I Jus' farms
and makes de livin' for my family. My first wife dies in 1896 and I
marries in 1907 to Elsie Johnson. She here with me.
"My life after freedom ain't so bad, 'cept de last few years. Times
lately I's wish I's back with de massa, 'cause I has plenty rations
dere. It hard to be hongry and dat I's been many times lately. I's old
now and can't work much, so dere 'tis. I has to 'pend on my chillen and
dey have de hard time, too. I don't know what wrong, I guess de Lawd
punish de folks for somethin'. I jus' have trust till he call me to
Jedgment."