*Interview with Harriet Casey,*
*aged 75, Fredericktown, Missouri.*
*Interviewed by J. Tom Miles.*
"I've lived here 'bout 65 years. I was born in slavery on de Hill place
in Farmington. My mother's name was Catherine. Father's name was George.
A brother and sistah of mine was sold as slaves 'fore I was born. I
nevah saw them. My father was sold away from my mother. Our home was not
pleasant. The mistress was cruel. Her brother would go down in de
orchard and cut de sprouts and pile 'em up under de house so as de
mistress could use 'em on us. She also used a bed stick to whip with.
"One day we took de cows to pasture and on de way home I stopped to
visit Mrs. Walker and she gave me a goose egg. And den when we got home
de old mistress kicked me and stomped on us and broke my goose egg.
Did'n mind de whipping but sure hated to break my egg.
"Our cabin was one room, one door and one fire place. Our mistress was a
rich woman, and she had three husbands. She had a big square smoke house
full of hog, beef, deer, all pickled away. She had 12 cows and lots of
butter and a spring-house.
"To eat we had corn meal and fried meat dat had been eaten by bugs. We
had some gravy and all ate 'round de pans like pigs eating slop. And we
had a tin cup of sour milk to drink. Sometimes we would have
gingerbread. Dis was 'bout twice a year.
"My brother dat was a slave ran off with four or five other boys and
never come back. He went west and died in Honolulu. They had a
'niggerbreaker' in Farmington who would take care of de slaves who were
hard to handle.
"Once it got so cold dat de chickens froze and fell out of the trees and
de mistress gave each of us a chicken to eat. We had no shoes even in
winter. I can't 'member having good clothes.
"One of our neighbors, Mr. McMullin, was a poor white but he had a heart
and was our mistress' guardian. I was too little to do much but I would
walk along de furrows and hit de oxen with a stick. My sistah come and
got me after freedom and learned me de alphabet. De first thing I ever
learned to read was, 'I see you Tom. Do you see me?' I worked for
intelligent people and learned a great deal. After I married I wanted to
learn a great deal and how to read. At de camp in Mine La Motte I went
to school in a log house for 'bout two months.
"Dey would whip with a cat-o'-nine-tails and den mop de sores with salt
water to make it sting. De traders would come through and buy up slaves
in groups like stock. On de way south dey would have regular stopping
places like pens and coops for de slaves to stay in; at each of these
stoppin' places some of de slaves would be sold. My uncle's father was
his master and de master sold my uncle who was his own son.
"When my mother died I did not know what a coffin was or what death was.
So I went to my dead mother where she was on de cooling board and
brushed my dress and said, 'Look at my pretty dress.'
"There was a tough gang called patrollers. Dey would scare de Negroes
and would keep dem always afraid. De mistress would take a couple of us
young ones to church but when we got home things were different.
"And I never seen so many soldiers in my life before or since than when
Price come through on his raid. It was apple pickin' time and de
mistress made us gather apples and pack 'em to the soldiers and we had
to pack water from de spring to 'em. De mistress had pickets out in
front of de house when de soldiers was in town.
"Once when de Union soldiers was in town a negro soldier come and got
him a turkey off de fence. De next night a white soldier come to get a
turkey and he looked all over de place and come up over de stile. Den de
mistress goes out on de porch and called de dogs and said, 'Sic the
rogue'. De soldier took out his pistol and laid it on de fence and
waited awhile and looked. De dogs were jumping up against de fence. So
de soldier shot de dog and then went off and got on his hoss again.
"One day a Union officer come up and had a saber and said he would cut
off de mistress' head. De officer was a Dutchman. The mistress then ran
to town for help. De soldier came right in de cabin and said, 'Me no
hurt you.' De soldier went in de safe in de house and ate all he wanted
and den went to bed in de house. Finally de law come and moved him out
of de bed off de place. De soldiers would come at night and rout de
slave women out of bed and make 'em cook de soldiers a square meal."