*Josephine Ryles, known to the colored people as "Mama Honey", was born
a slave of James Sultry, Galveston insurance agent. She does not know
her age. She lives in Galveston, Texas.*
"Sho, I'm Josephine Ryles, only everyone 'round here calls me 'Mama
Honey' and I 'most forgot my name till you says it right den. Honey,
I'll be glad to tell you all I 'member 'bout slavery, but it ain't much,
for my mind ain't so good no more. Sometimes I can't 'member nothin'
a-tall. I'm too old. I don't know how old, but me and dat Gulf got here
'bout de same time, I reckon.
"I'm borned in Galveston and James Sultry owns my mother and she de only
slave what he have. He have a kind of big house on Church St and my
mother done de housework and cookin' till she sold in de country. I
wishes you could've talked to her, she knowed all 'bout slavery, and she
come from Nashville to Mobile and den to Texas. Her name Mary Alexander
and my daddy's name Matt Williams and Mr. Schwoebel own him.
"Den us sold to Mr. Snow what live in Polk county. Us gits sold right
here in Galveston without gwine no place, my mother and me and my li'l
brother. My daddy couldn't go with us and I ain't never seed him 'gain.
Mr. Snow live out in de country and have a big place and a lot of field
hands and us live in cabins.
"My mother was de cook for de white folks and my li'l brother, Charlie
Evans, was de water toter in de fields. He brung water in de bucket and
give de hands a drink.
"Plenty times de niggers run 'way, 'cause dey have to work awful hard
and de sun awful hot. Dey hides in de woods and Mr. Snow keep nigger
dogs to hunt 'em with. Dem dogs have big ears and dey so bad I never
fools 'round dem. Mr. Snow take off dere chains to git de scent of de
nigger and dey kep' on till dey finds him, and sometimes dey hurt him. I
knows dey tore de meat off one dem field hands.
"My mother used to send me and my brother out in de woods for de
blackberry roots and she make medicine out of dem. You jes' take de few
draps at de time. Den she take de cornmeal and brown it and make coffee
out of it.
"I didn't pay much 'tention to dat war till Mr. Snow says us free and
den us go to Galveston and she git work cookin' and I stays with her.
"I can't tell you much. My mind jes' ain't no more good no more."