*Jane Baker,*
*Farmington, Missouri.*
*Interview with Chas. Baker.*
"Ma muther wuz in a log cab'n east ob Farmington an when Price's
soldiers com thru frum Fredericktown, one ob de soldiers climb'd ober de
fence an robbed de hen house ob eggs an he put de eggs in his boots. Den
when he climb'd ober de fence to git back to de road he mashed de eggs
in his boots. De soldier tok off his boots an turned dem upside down to
git de broken eggs out an ma muther ran out ta de fence an hollored,
'Goody, goody.'
"Ma muther say dat de worse side ob slabery wuz when de slabes war
'farmed out'. A master or slabe holder wud loan or sublet slabes ta a
man fur so many months at so much money. De master agreed ta supply so
many clothes. De man who rented de slabes wud treat dem jus lik animals.
"Ma muther wuz sole twice. De furst time she wuz 14 years ole. She wuz
tak'n 26 miles to de new owner, an hit took all day. She tied all her
belongings up in a red bandanna handkerchief an went on horseback. One
stream wuz so high dat when dey cross'd hit dey got all wet. Den as soon
as she got to de new owner she wuz ship'd de follin' day. One ob ma
muther's owners wuz so good ta her dat she wuz treated as one ob de
family."
REFERENCE:--The above information was received from Chas. Baker, who is
the brother of Dayse Baker, principal of the colored Douglass School in
Farmington, Missouri. Thus these facts are concerned with their mother,
Mrs. Jane Baker, an Ex-Slave, who died at the age of 103.