*Horatio W. Williams, known as "Rash" to his friends, is 83 years old.
He was a slave of Woodruff Norseworthy, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Horatio
has lived in Jasper, Texas, for many years.*
"I was born in slavery in Pine Bluff in de state of Arkansas, on July 2,
1854, and dey tells me dat make me 'bout 84 years old. Woodruff
Norseworthy was my owner and boss all de time I a slave. I marry in 1875
and I lost my wife two year ago, and when a man looses a good woman he
loses somethin'. Us had 13 chillen, but only two of dem alive now.
"My boss man was mean to he niggers and I 'member crawlin' down through
de woods and listenin' one time when he beat a nigger. Every time he hit
him he pray. Boss have 15 slaves and I recollect one time he gwine beat
my mother. She run to de kitchen and jump behin' de door and cover
herself up in de big pile of dirty clothes. Dey never think to look for
her there and she stay there all day. But de next day dey cotch her and
whip her.
"Dem what runs away, dey gits bloodhounds after 'em. Dey clumb de tree
when dey heered dem hounds comin' but de massa make dem git down and dey
shoot dem, iffen dey didn't. When dey gits down de dogs jumps all over
dem and would tear dem to pieces, but de massa beats dem off.
"Once de boss has company and one our niggers sleeps on de porch outside
de company's room, and in de night he slip in dat room and thiefed de
fine, white shirt out de suitcase and wears it round de next mornin'.
"Course he couldn't read and he ain't know de [HW: white] man have he
name on dat shirt. When de boss find it out he takes dat nigger down in
de bottom and I crawls through de bresh and watches. Dey tie he foots
together over de limb and let he head hang down and beat him till de
blood run down on de roots of dat tree. When dey takes him down he back
look like raw meat and he nearly die.
"Sometime when de nigger won't mind dey puts de chain to one foot and a
ball on it 'bout big as a nigger's head, and he have to drag it down
with him whe ever he go.
"My white folks moved to Bastrop in Louisiana and den to Texas and brung
me with them. When us work in de field us have de cook what put us food
on big trays and carry it to de field, den we stop and eat it under
shade of a tree, if dey any. Dey give us bread and meat and syrup for
dinner and us has bacon long as it lasts.
"When I's free I rents land and crops 'round, after I gits marry. Befo'
dat, I was here, dere and yonder, for my board and clothes and four bits
de day. I give all my chillen de eddication, leastwise dey all kin read
and write and dat's what I cain't do.
"I 'longs to de Meth'dist church and I don't unndestan' some dese other
churches very well. Seems strange to me dat at dis late time dey's
tryin' find new ways of gittin' to Heaven."