*Clarissa Scales, 79, was born a slave of William Vaughan, on his
plantation at Plum Creek, Texas. Clarissa married when she was fifteen.
She owns a small farm near Austin, but lives with her son, Arthur, at
1812 Cedar Ave., Austin.*
"Mammy's name was Mary Vaughan and she was brung from Baton Rouge, what
am over in Louisiana, by our master. He went and located on Plum Creek,
down in Hays County.
"Mammy was a tall, heavy-set woman, more'n six foot tall. She was a
maid-doctor after freedom. Dat mean she nussed women at childbirth. She
allus told me de last thing she saw when she left Baton Rouge was her
mammy standin' on a big, wood block to be sold for a slave. Dat de last
time she ever saw her mammy. Mammy died 'bout fifty years ago. She was
livin' on a farm on Big Walnut Creek, in Travis County. Daddy done die a
year befo' and she jes' grieves herself to death. Daddy was sho' funny
lookin', 'cause he wore long whiskers and what you calls a goatee. He
was field worker on de Vaughan plantation.
"Master Vaughan was good and treated us all right. He was a great white
man and didn't have no over seer. Missy's name was Margaret, and she was
good, too.
"My job was tendin' fires and herdin' hawgs. I kep' fire goin' when de
washin' bein' done. Dey had plenty wood, but used corn cobs for de fire.
Dere a big hill corn cobs near de wash kettle. In de evenin' I had to
bring in de hawgs. I had a li'l whoop I druv dem with, a eight-plaited
rawhide whoop on de long stick. It a purty sight to see dem hawgs go
under de slip-gap, what was a rail took down from de bottom de fence, so
de hawgs could run under.
"Injuns used to pass our cabin in big bunches. One time dey give mammy
some earrings, but when they's through eatin' they wants dem earrings
back. Dat de way de Injuns done. After feedin' dem, mammy allus say, 'Be
good and kind to everybody.'
"One day Master Vaughan come and say we's all free and could go and do
what we wants. Daddy and mammy rents a place and I stays until I's
fifteen. I wanted to be a teacher, but daddy kep' me hoein' cotton most
de time. Dat's all he knowed. He allus told me it was 'nough larnin'
could I jes' read and write. He never even had dat much. But he was de
good farmer and good to me and mammy.
"Dere was a school after freedom. Old Man Tilden was de teacher. One
time a bunch of men dey calls de Klu Klux come in de room and say, 'You
git out of here and git 'way from dem niggers. Don' let us cotch you
here when we comes back.' Old Man Tilden sho' was scart, but he say,
'You all come back tomorrow.' He finishes dat year and we never hears of
him 'gain. Dat a log schoolhouse on Williamson Creek, five mile south of
Austin.
[Illustration: _Clarissa Scales_]
"Den a cullud teacher named Hamlet Campbell come down from de north. He
rents a room in a big house and makes a school. De trustees hires and
pays him and us chillen didn't have to pay. I got to go some, and I
allus tells my granddaughter how I's head of de class when I does go.
She am good in her studies, too.
"When I's fifteen I marries Benjamin Calhoun Scales and he was a farmer.
We had five chillen and three boys is livin'. One am a preacher and
Arthur am a cement laborer and Chester works in a printin' shop.
"Benjie dies on February 15th, dis year (1937). I lives with Arthur and
de gov'ment gives me $10.00 de month. I has de li'l farm of nineteen
acres out near Oak Hill and Floyd, de preacher, lives on dat. All my
boys is good to me. Dey done good, and better'n we could, 'cause we
couldn't git much larnin' dem days. I's had de good life. But we
'preciated our chance more'n de young folks does nowadays. Dey has so
much dey don't have to try so hard. If we'd had what dey got, we'd thunk
we was done died and gone to Glory Land. Maybe dey'll be all right when
deys growed."