*Ruben Woods, hale and strong despite his 84 years, was born a slave of
the John Woods family in Taladiga County, Alabama. He served as houseboy
in their home until he was 21, then came to Tyler, Texas, with one of
his master's children. He now lives in El Paso, Texas.*
"I'se de oldest of seven chillen. My father was John Woods, mother Laura
Woods. She was a cook for de marster's family on de plantation. We lived
in a log house, logs was hewed in de woods. De marster's house was
plastered inside. He had 1,000 acres plantation and 96 slaves. He took
good care of 'em. Onct a week dey would come and dey allowanced 'em out
pervisions. Not fine stuff; no, dey didn' gib 'em nothin' like dat ham
and such. Dey would gib you enough flour for biscuit for Sunday mornin'
and dey gib potatoes. I tell you how dey done dat; ev'ry family, he had
a basket and when dey blow de ho'n in de evenin' ev'ry chile dat was big
enough come and he know his basket and take it home.
"De quarters was all in rows. You had to have a pass frum de massa to go
from one place to anudder or the pateroller would ketch you and whop
you. Overseers whopped 'em, too.
"You worked frum time you could see 'till dark. You couldn' git outta
dat, no suh, time you coul' see de stuff in de fiel', you was out
workin.'
"Ole man Woods was a powerful good man. He wouldn' raise cotton for
sale, only jus' enough for de women to make clothes. He raised hogs and
cattle. I 'member Ben Averit; he had a big plantation over on de island.
Took boatloads of slaves and work 'em hard. We'd hear de boats go over,
clop-clop.
"We'd take two yoke of oxen with co'n and wheat to de mill, stay all
day, den bring it back to give ev'rybody. I go to mill lots of times and
allus drive oxen. In hot weather, dey run off to de creek. What you
talkin' erbout, when it gits hot and dey smell dat water, dey travel!
"I 'member stagecoach. Had erbout six or eight hosses to 'em. Driver'd
blow bugle for stops jus' like trains. Dey didn' have much trains dem
days.
"When de war comes, we had soldiers. I se'ed 'em drillin' and marchin'.
I se'ed dem hep-hep-hep! Yes, ma'am, when de Yanks come we was a runnin'
and a squattin' like partridges a hidin'. Dem guns was a firin' and
shootin' dem cannon, spoilin' fiel's and killin' hawgs. Wasn't no fun.
Drums a beatin'. It was excitable, yes, ma'am. We had to run and hide.
We all run up to whut dey call a cave and down in dat cave we had eats.
All come what could git in dere. De soldiers try to roun' 'em up, but
not dem niggers. All run from one place to anudder.
"I learned to read and write after freedom. Dey not allow you no book
larnin'. Obey your marster and missus, dat's all.
"I 'member jist as well as dat I'se sittin' here, when freedom come.
Marster had 'em all come near de gate and he say, 'You all is free as I
am now.' He hollered and cried. It tickled me to see him cry. And den he
say, 'But now iffen you want to, all kin stay and finish up de crop.
I'll feed you.' Some, dey go to de neighbors. Dey didn' know whut to do.
Dey hadn' been taught to do for demselves. But dey couldn' whop 'em no
more. I stayed 'till I was 21.
[Illustration: _Ruben Woods_]
"No, ma'am, I never coul' sing, but I 'member one song. It went dis way:
'1821--Jesus work is jus' begun;
1822--Jesus brought de sinner through;
1823--Jesus sot de prisoner free;
1824--Jesus preached 'mong de poor;
1825--Jesus brought de dead to life;
1826--Jesus had all things fixed;
1827--Jesus rose and went to Heben;
1828--Jesus made de plain way straight;
1829--Jesus turned de blood to wine.'
"We played hide-a-hoop. And hide-a-switch. We do dis; you'se huntin'
switch and gittin' hot, gittin' col', dey take after you, dey have a
base to go to. Den if dey ketch dem dey whop 'em.
"We played 'Anthony Over,' wid thread balls. We throw dat ball over de
house. If dey don' ketch it, dey's out. Dat's de way dey had de sport."