*Jake Terriell, born a slave of Felix Terriell in Raleigh, South
Carolina, does not know his age. He was grown and married at the close
of the Civil War, so is probably in the 90's. He lives in Madisonville,
Texas.*
"Pappy and mammy was called Tom and Jane and they's cotched in Africy
and brung to America and sold. My brother was called James and my
sisters Lucindy and Sally. Massa Felix Terriell owned me and pappy and
mammy but when I's still a chile he done give me to he son, Massa Dalton
Terriell.
"My papy was de wild man and he so wild Massa Felix have to keep him
locked up at night and in de chains by day to keep him from runnin' off.
He had to wear de chains in de field and den he couldn't run fast.
"Massa Dalton growed de tobaccy. He was a good massa and give me de
nickel and de dime sometime and I'd buy candy. He have lots of slaves
and de cook fix our grub in big old skillets. We allus have de cornbread
and de syrup and some meat. I likes possum cooked with sweet 'taters.
"Missy Mary try larn me read and write but I never did care for de book
larnin'. Massa wake us 'bout four o'clock with de great iron and hammer
and us work long as us could see.
"Massa didn't have to whip us but I seed pappy whip, with de rawhide
with nine tails. He got thirty-nine licks and every lick, it brung de
blood.
"I seed slaves sold and you has heared cattle bawl when de calves took
from de mammy and dat de way de slaves bawls. When massa sell de slave
he make 'em wash up and grease de face good and stand up straight and he
fatten 'em jus' like you do hawgs to sell. I had de good massa. He was
good to black debbils, what he call us niggers. Us could rest when us
git to de quarters or go by de big tank and take de bath, and every
Saturday night us git de holiday and have banjo and tin pan beatin' and
dance. On Christmas massa kilt de big hawg and us fix it jus' like us
wants and have big dinner.
"Massa have doctor when us sick. He say us too val'ble. If us sold us
brung 'bout $1,000. Old mammy could fix de charm and git us well. She
gather bark and make de tea. Most us sickness chill and fever. Sometime
a slave git leg broke and massa say he no more 'count and finish him up
with de club.
"Massa nearly kilt in de fightin' and he had he doctor write missy to
set us free. I had two wives and missy said I couldn't keep but one, so
I takes Mary and us starts out for Texas, a-foot. Us most starved to
death 'fore us got here and then us have hard time. But dere plenty wild
meat and dat what us lived on three, four year. Us had two chillen and
den she dies and I marry a half-Indian gal and she died. Us jus' 'greed
to live together in dem days, no weddin'. Then I marries Lucie Grant and
us have 11 chillen and de preacher calls us man and wife. I's pappy to
17 chillen and I don't know how many grandchillen. Lucie say more'n a
hun'erd."