*William M. Thomas, 87, now residing at 514 Hayes St., Fort Worth,
Texas, was born a slave of Dr. Frank Thomas, in Lauderdale County, Miss.
William's father was sold when William was a baby and his mother mated
with another slave. It was seven years after they were freed that the
family left their master and moved onto a tract of land. William stayed
with them until he was twenty-four, then worked twelve years in
Galveston, as a stevedore. He farmed until 1910, then worked as a mortar
man at the Purina Mills in Fort Worth until 1931. He and his wife
receive a $13.00 monthly pension.*
"I knows 'zactly how old I is. Massa done give my mammy de statement. He
do dat for all he niggers when dey freed. I's borned May 17th, in 1850,
and dat make me eighty-eight next May. Dat's on Massa Doctor Frank
Thomas's plantation, over near Meridian, in Mississippi. Dere forty-four
slave families on he place and he own 'bout seven hunerd acres land, so
him have plenty pasture, wood and field land. De money crop was cotton,
of course.
"My mammy and sis was in de place and my step-pa. My pappy am sold and
took to Texas when I's so li'l I don't 'member him. After dat, mammy
done took another man.
"All de slaves live in quarters 'cept de house servants, and dey live in
servants' quarters, and dere's where I's de lucky nigger. My mammy am
cook for massa and I's round de kitchen what 'twas plenty of good eats.
And I plays with massa's two boys, 'twas Frank and Lawrence.
"I's so li'l 'fore surrender I never really works, 'cept to be de errand
boy. I fetches eggs and sich. Massa have lots of chickens and us fetch
in high as a thousand eggs in one day sometimes. Us have eggs to eat,
too. Massa Thamas am awful good and dere am never de holler 'bout
feedin'. I bet none dem niggers done live so good after dey free.
"Us have all de meat us want, mostest pork and beef and mutton. Dey
kills five hunderd hawgs when killin' time came, and make hams and bacon
and sausages. If yous ever ate sich ham and bacon what am made by
massa's butcher right dere on de place, you say dere never am sich. Dat
sausage, it make de mouf water to think 'bout it. 'Sides de meat, us
have cornbread and 'lasses and de rations ain't measure out, 'cept de
white flour on Sunday mornin'. All week de meals am cook in dat kitchen
and serve in de big shed, but each family cook for deyself on Sunday.
"Us go to church if us want, 'bout four miles off. Massa give anybody de
pass to go dere. Dere am no parties and sich, but old Jack saw on de
fiddle and us sing.
"Massa didn't whip, only once. Dat 'cause a nigger steal he fav'rite
pumpkin. He am savin' dat for to git de seed and it am big as de ten
gallon jug. De corn field am full of pumpkins, but dat nigger done took
massa's choice one. Dat pumpkin am so big, he have to tussle with it
'fore he git it to he cabin. It like stealin' a elephant, you can't hide
it in de watch pocket. Course, lots of niggers seed dat cullud gen'man
with dat pumpkin, and 'fore long massa knew it.
"Well, sar, it am de funny sight to see him punish dat nigger. First,
massa set him down on de ground front de quarters, where us all see him.
Den he make dat nigger set down and give him de big bowl pumpkin sauce
and make him eat it. Him eat and eat and git so full him can't hardly
swallow and massa say, 'Eat some more, it am awful good.' Dat nigger
try, but him can't eat no more. Massa give him de light breshin' and it
am funny to see, dat cullud gen'man with pumpkin smear on he face and
tears runnin' down he face. After dat, us chillen call him Massa Pumpkin
and massa never have no more trouble with stealin' he seed pumpkins.
"When war starts I's 'bout fifteen year old. 'Bout half mile from de
plantation am de crossroads and one go to New Orleans and one go to
Vicksburg. Dere am a 'Federate camp dere at de start, but after 'while
dey goes and de Yanks comes. Dere a battle near, and us hear de shootin'
but us have to stay on de place.
"I done slip off and see de camp, though. De Yanks puts up two big tents
and use dem for de hospital and de wounded am fetch dere. What I sees
and hears dere, I never forgits, and it done turn dis nigger 'gainst
war. Why can't dey settle dey 'sputes without killin'? Dey's moanin' and
cryin' and screamin' in dem tents.
"One day de Yanks come clean de crib of all de corn and de meat house of
all de meat. Massa am smart and fix it so dey don't find all de rations.
Him dig a big ditch in de woods and hide lots of rations.
"Us didn't know when freedom came. It a long time after dat de Yanks
come tell us, and it de same way on all de plantations round dere. De
Yanks come and make massa pay us all fifty cents de day. After dat massa
puts dem what wants to go on pieces of land and dey ain't charge for it
till seven year after. Den dey has to pay rent and part de crop, and for
de mules and tools all de time.
"I stays with my folks till I's twenty-four year old and den I's on my
way to Galveston and gits work as de stevedore. Dat am on de wharf and I
works dere twelve year. I votes dere two times. Some white folks done
come to us, and de boss, too, and gives us de ticket. It am all mark up.
Boss say us don't have to work de next day, and us to report at a place.
When us comes dere, 'twas a table with meat and bread and stuff for to
eat, and whiskey and cigars. Dey give us something to eat and a cup or
two of dat whiskey and puts de cigar in de mouth. Us am 'portant
niggers, ready to vote. With dat cup of whiskey in de stomack and dat
cigar in de mouth and de hat cock on side de head, us march to de votin'
place and does our duty. Fix up de way us was, us would vote to put us
back in slavery. And de nigger what didn't vote, after all dat, him am
in for de fixin'. I means he gits fixed. Dey pounds he head till him
won't forgit to do it right next time.
"But I gits to thinkin' how massa say when us leave him, 'Don't let no
white folks use you for to make trouble.' I figgers dat what am
happenin' with dat votin' business, and I quits votin' and goes to
farmin'. I 'lieve de cullud folks should vote, but not de igno'mous
niggers like us was den.
[Illustration: _William M. Thomas_]
I farms till 1910 and den comes to Fort Worth, and dey am buildin' de
Purina Mills Elevators on East 4th Street and I works dere at mortar
work. Den I works at cement on lots de big buildin's in dis city, till
'bout ten year ago, when it git too hard for me. I has de back misery.
"I gits married to Phillis Wilson when I's twenty-nine, in Galveston,
and us don't allushave lots, but us gits by and raises de family. Now us
have to live on de pension from de State, what am $13.00, and sometimes
us am awful short, tryin' to pay de rent and buy de rations and what
clothes us needs, but us am glad to git it. Ten chillen am what us
raises and five am dead and four am scattered and us don't know where,
and one live here.
""Ain't it diff'rent how peoples lives? Us used to travel with de ox and
now dey flies in de sky. Folks sings in New York and us sets right here
and hears dem. Shucks! De way things am gwine, I's all fussed up and
can't understand whether I's gwine or comin'."