*Interview with Jane Simpson,*
*St. Louis, Missouri.*
_She Was Sold 6 Times_
The subject of this sketch is Jane Simpson, familiarly known in her
neighborhood as Aunt Jane. She is more than 90 years old but her exact
age is not certain. She lives at 2712-1/2 Clark Avenue with her niece
and family.
In a very poorly furnished old 3-room brick apartment, seated in the
front bed room, was Jane Simpson, frail and slender, very light
complexion with beautiful long white hair, well combed and neatly
dressed. Owing to a recent illness, she was not able to do any
housework. Jane very feebly tells the following story of her life:
"I was born more than 90 years ago down in Burkesville, Kentucky. My
memory's not so good, 'cause I been sick more than 20 years, and just
got up less than a week ago from a very bad spell. But I might tell my
story scatterin' like. I'll do the best I can. I been sold six times in
my life, first to Chris Ellis, second, to John Emerson and my third
owner was Jessie Cook.
"I wasn't old enough to be much help, till I 'come the property of Marse
Cook. Den I was big enough to pick up chunks in de field, set brush heap
afire, burn up rubbish, pull weeds and de like. He sold me to Dr. Hart
around de age of ten to be his house girl. De doctor kept me till de
Civil War was in de air and dey started running de slaves to Texas
'cause dey thought de Yankees couldn't make it plum to Texas, but dey
did. By de time we got as far as Crowley's Ridge, peace was declared. My
father's owner was old Bill Cuington, de meanest slave owner in de
county. Dey made him go to war, so when he come back, he told my papa
dat he was as free as him now, and he could go if he wanted to, or stay,
he didn't care which, but if he stayed he wouldn't git nothing for his
work. So a white neighbor friend heard Marse Bill say it. He told my
father to come to his place with him down de road apiece where he was
clearing up land, but if he got caught, don't ever tell he helped him
get away 'cause some of the land he was clearing up was owned by
Cuington, and Cuington would fire him if he knowed he helped one of his
ex-slaves in anyway.
"So papa taken my mother and us 4 children de route dis white friend
helped him to go, to Clarington, Arkansas. He got us a job on a farm
owned by his friend, Jerry Diles. Our whole family went to work on Mr.
Diles farm and we made a good crop. Mama milked, I cooked, de rest of de
family farmed and we stayed there more'n 4 years. When we left we had
money enough to buy us a farm and stock of our own. I 'member well when
I was a child how dey wouldn't 'low us chillun nothin' to eat but
pumpkin and mush. We didn't own no clocks dem days. We just told de time
by de sun in de day and de stars at night. If it was clouded we didn't
know what time it was. De white folks didn't want to let de slaves have
no time for der self, so de old folks used to let us chillun run and
play at night, while de white folks sleep and dey watch de stars to tell
about what time to call us in and put us to bed, 'fore de white folks
know we was out.
"I been sold six times in my life, but, I never got more dan three or
four whippings, but dey cut de blood out of me every one of dem times.
If old miss got mad about something, just anything at all, she'd have
you whipped, when maybe you had not done a thing, just to satisfy her
spite feeling. I never can forget, I was sitting upstairs in old miss
house quilting when de first Yankee army boat went to Vicksburg,
Mississippi. Old miss made me git right up and go git her children out
of school and bring 'em right home. She's scared to death most, but de
boat went right on. It didn't even stop. I had to take her children back
and forth to school every day. Dey was mighty nice children. Dem very
white children taught me to read and write, but I been sick so bad and
so long I done forgot every bit of it. My first old master never was
married and he only bought 2 slaves in his whole life and had between 50
and 100 slaves, all kin folks. Dey raised children on his plantation
worse dan flies. I never had a child in my life but I raised a host of
other folks' chillun.
"Old master was a drunkard. He got drunk one night and fell off a rock
and broke his hip. He died from dat fall. Before he died he told papa,
he knew he was goin' to die, and he had been so mean to his old slaves
dat he wanted to do somethin' for 'em, and no one never knew where he
kept his money. My grandpapa, Meridie and grandmother, Juda, was de only
2 slaves he ever bought and all de rest come from dem 2. Old marse Chris
told grandfather before he died, there was a keg buried at de foot of de
cliff with all his money in it, for he was very rich. My old grandfather
told de overseer 'bout it. Dey wouldn't dare to dig and find anything on
de owner's plantation without de overseer let em, specially when de boss
is dead, and de overseer of course said he looked for de keg and didn't
find nothing.
"I had an uncle who was buying his freedom from marse Chris and was
almost paid out when marse Chris died, but he didn't know nothing 'bout
keeping receipts so he was put on the auction block and sold again. My
mama and daddy had 13 children and they is everyone dead but me. My
papa's name was Dave Bedford. He was 103 years old when he died in Holly
Grove, Arkansas. My sister died and left 9 children and I raised
everyone of dem. One boy is deaf and dumb, and lives in Little Rock,
Arkansas and is one of the best paper hangers down there. My husband was
a farmer. He has been dead so long, I can't tell when he died. My grand
niece said he been dead 22 years, I don't know. My children I raised and
my friends have been taking care of me, ever since my husband died,
'cause I can't take care of myself.
"While my husband lived we farmed all de time and lived well. When he
died I had $4000 in de bank at Mound Bayou, Mississippi. De bank went
down and I been a beggar every since. Never did get one penny of dat
money. I been here in St. Louis so long, I don't know how long I been
here.
"A Democrat offered my husband 80 acres of land if he would vote a
Democrat ticket and get his friends to change from Republicans to
Democrats and my husband told him he would suffer his right arm to be
cut off before he would do that, and he didn't change either. I only
voted once in my life dat was for a Republican President, I don't
remember which one. De niggers didn't 'spect nothing from de white folks
when dey got set free. Dey was so glad to get set free dey just glad to
be loose.
"I never even heerd of white folks giving niggers nothing. Most of de
time dey didn't even give 'em what dey 'spose to give 'em after dey was
free. Dey was so mad 'cause dey had to set 'em free, dey just stayed
mean as dey would 'low 'em to be anyhow, and is yet most of 'em. I used
to hear old slaves pray and ask God when would de bottom rail be de top
rail, and I wondered what on earth dey talkin' 'bout. Dey was talkin'
'bout when dey goin' to git from under bondage. Course I know now. I
don't hardly know what to say 'bout dis new generation. Dey ain't
nothing like when I come along, nor nothing like when you come along.
"You can just look at a person and tell whether dey is late day folks or
not. Dey is de worse, ill mannered, biggody generation I ever heard of.
Dey don't care for folks' feelings and jest as lazy and good for nothing
as dey can be. Instead of being better 'cause der opportunities is
better, dey is worse, and I feel so sorry about it. De old folks wanted
to be free so bad dey use to sing a song named 'Free, Free My Lord,
March on De Heavenly Way.' I can't remember none de other songs. I been
sick so much. I wish I could go back to de Arkansas country where my
mama and papa died. Dere is 11 children down dere right now what I
raised and lot of my relatives, too. Dey would take care of me if I
could get there, I would not have to live like I living here. I see
better without glasses dan I do with dem, I don't read any way. I belong
to de St. Paul A.M.E. Church, but haven't been able to go for six years
but twice. I don't git no help from de relief and we need help de worst
way. My grandniece tries to work when she can get it, but she is sick,
too.