*Interview with Milton Marshall, (82)*
*Newberry, S.C. RFD*
--_G.L. Summer, Newberry, S.C._
"I live in Newberry County, a few miles from town on Mr. Alan
Johnstone's place. I rent and make a fair living. I have ten children
now living and two dead. Dey is all on a farm. I was born in Union
County, jes' across de Newberry line, near de Goshen Hill section. I was
young when we moved to Newberry and I have lived dar nearly all my life.
My father, Ned Worthy, was a slave of Frank Bynum's mother. My mother
was Maria Worthy who was a slave of Mr. Burton Maybin. She cooked for a
long time for de Maybin family.
"I was small in slavery time, and played wid de white chaps. We used to
go wid Mr. Burt Maybin to see dem muster at de old Goshen Hill muster
ground.
"Marse Burt Maybin owned 88 slaves, and I was one, and is de only one
now living. We had no money in slavery time, jes' got food and clothes
for our work; but my marster was a good feeder, always had enough to
eat. Some of de marsters didn't give niggers much to eat, and dey had to
slip off and steal. We had plenty of what was de rule for eating in dem
days. We had home-made molasses, peas, cornbread and home raised meat
sometimes. We killed rabbits and 'possums to eat, and sometimes went
fishing and hunting. Marse wouldn't allow fishing and hunting on
Sundays, but de chaps would slip off on Sundays sometimes and catch lots
of fish.
"Our clothes was made at home, spun and wove by de women folks and made
by dem. Copper straw and white cloth was used. Our shoes was made by a
shoe-maker in de neighborhood who was named Liles. Dey was made wid
wooden soles or bottoms. Dey tanned de leather or had it tanned in de
neighborhood. It was tacked around de soles. It was raw-hide leather,
and de shoes had to be soaked in warm water and greased wid tallow or
meat skin so de shoes would slip on de feet.
"I married Missouri Rice at her own house. We had a big wedding and she
wore a white dress wid two frills on it. I wore a dove-colored suit and
a high brim hat wid a small crown. I bought de hat for $7.00 jes' to
marry in, but used it for Sundays.
"We had good white neighbors in slavery time. My marster and mistress
was all right. All of us had to go to work at daylight and work till
dark. Dey whipped us a little and dey was strict about some things.
"Us chaps did not learn to read and write, dat is why I can't read and
write today. Marse wouldn't allow us to learn. Once he saw me and some
other chaps, white chaps, under a tree playing wid letter blocks. Dey
had de ABC's on dem. Marse got awful mad and got off his horse and
whipped me good.
"De niggers didn't have a church on de plantation but was made to go to
de white folks church and set in back of de church. Dey had to git a
pass to go to church same as any other place, or de patrollers would
catch 'em and beat 'em.
"Atter de war was over de niggers built brush arbors for to hold
meetings in. I sho' remember de old brush arbor and de glorious times
den, and how de niggers used to sing and pray and shout. I am a Baptist
and we baptised in de creek atter we dammed it up to hold water deep
enough. Sometimes we used a waterhole in de woods. I remember one old
Baptist song, it went:
Down to de water I be baptised, for my Savior die;
Down to de water, de River of Jordan,
Where my Savior baptised.
"Some of de slaves was whipped while dey was tied to a stock. My marster
was all right, but awful strict about two things, stealing and telling a
lie. He sho' whipped dem if dey was caught in dem things. Some marsters
didn't feed de slaves much, but my marster always had enough. Every
Sunday he would give each nigger a quart of flour extra for breakfast.
"We had to work all day Saturdays, but Marse wouldn't let anybody work
on Sunday. Sometimes he would give de women part of Saturday afternoons
so dey could wash. He wouldn't allow fishing and hunting on Sundays
either, unless it looked like rain and de fodder in de field had to be
brought in. He always give us Christmas Day off, and we had lots of good
eats den.
"I remember de old corn-shuckings, cotton-pickings and log-rollings. He
would ask all de neighbors' hands in and dey would come by crowds. I can
remember dem good. I remember de grain was put in drains and de horses
was made to tramp on it to git de seed out. Den it was put in a house
and poured in a big wooden fan machine which fanned out de chaff. De
machine was turned by two men. Dey made molasses by taking de cane and
squeezing out de juice in a big wooden machine. De machines now is
different. Dey is made of cast.
"A stage dat was drawn by two horses went past our place. It carried
mail and people. When Marse wanted to send word to any people in de
neighborhood he sent it by somebody on a horse.
"Many of de slaves, and some old white people, too, thought dar was
witches in dem days. Dey believed a witch could ride you and stop blood
circulation.
"Dar was many dogs on de farms, mostly hounds and bird dogs.
"My grandfather was called 'Jack', and he was a nigger-driver. Dat was a
nigger dat had to oversee de slaves when de marster was away from home.
He would call de cows like dis, 'Su--wee, Su-wee' or 'Sook, Sook'. He
called his dogs by whistling. He had several dogs. When grandpa died and
was buried, his dogs would git out and bark and trail jes' like trailing
a rabbit, and de trail always led to de graveyard. Dar dey would stand
by his grave and howl for a long time, wid deir heads up in de air.
"De old folks made medicines from root herbs and tree barks. Herb tea
was made to keep away fevers. Marse always called his big chaps up to de
house in de mornings and made dem drink chinaberry tea to keep worms
from gitting in dem.
"When freedom come, de slaves was notified dat a white man by de name
Ban White would come to de plantation and make a speech to dem. He said,
'Now dat you is free, you will be wid your marster, and he is willing to
give you 1/3 of what you make. You is free, and dar will be no more
whippings.' Den Marse said, while he was crying, 'You stay on wid me and
I'll give you food and clothes and 1/3 of what you make.
"Atter de war, de Ku Klux did bad in our neighborhood. Dey killed five
or six niggers. I guess it was 'cause dey was Republicans and had
trouble at voting times.
"I never did think slavery was right. I was jes' a chap den and never
thought much about it till long since it was over. De carpetbaggers dat
come to our place tried to make me believe dat de white man was our
enemy, but I found out better. I am a Democrat and always was one. I was
40 years old when I repented of my sins and jined de church. I wanted to
jine and be baptized and be saved."