*Interview with Sena Moore, 83 years old*
--_W.W. Dixon, Winnsboro, S.C._
Sena Moore lives alone, in a one-room frame house about five miles
northeast of Winnsboro, S.C. She does seasonal work, such as hoeing and
picking cotton, of which she is still fully capable. She pays $2.00 per
month rent, for the house and vegetable garden spot.
"Sumpin' tell me to make haste and come here for to see you. How's you
dis mornin'? Mustn't forgit my manners, though I's wantin' to tell you
de ifs and hows and de ups and downs of dese many years dat I's been in
dis land of sorrow and tribulation.
"I was born in 1854, on de Gladney plantation. Was a pretty smart gal,
twelve years old, when de Yankees come through. Marse Riley have a Bible
out yonder at Jackson Creek dat show's I's eighty-three years old. His
aunty is a sister to my old marster, Jim Gladney. Miss Margaret married
a Paul but Miss Nancy and Miss Mary Ann, them two never marry, bless
God! De house out dere in Jackson Creek neighborhood.
"My pappy was George Stitt. My mammy was Phillis Gladney. My pappy was a
slave of de Stitt family; had to git a pass to come to see mammy. He
slipped in and out 'nough of times to have four chillun. Then de Stitts
took a notion to sell him to Arkansas. My mammy weep 'bout dat but what
could her do? Just nothin'. Old marster 'low: 'Plenty more good fish in
de sea, Phillis. Look 'round, set your cap, and maybe you'll 'tract one
dat'll give your heart comfort, bye and bye'. My full brudders was
Luther Stitt, Bill Stitt, and Levi Stitt. My mammy then take up wid a no
'count nigger name Bill James and had one child, a boy, name Jim. He
died long time ago.
"Us live in a log house wid a dirt floor and de cracks stop up wid mud.
It had a wooden chimney. De beds was saplin' pole beds. De ticks was
wheat straw, though most of de time us chillun sleep on de floor. My
marster not a big buckra; he just had a handful of slaves. Us had to
fight chinches, fleas, and skeeters (mosquitoes) 'most all night or 'til
they fill theyselves wid our blood. Then they take a rest and us git a
rest and slept. My grandpappy was one of de free niggers. Him was a
Stitt family nigger, a blue-eyed nigger.
"Money? Lord help me, no! As I 'member, us had plenty to eat, sich as
peas, beans, greens, lye hominy, and 'lasses but no flour bread.
"My young marster, Sam, was kilt in de war but Marse Tom went off and
settle in Arkansas.
"What clothes us have? Just 'nough to hide our secret parts in summer. A
shirt for de boys and a slip-over for de gals. They was made out of
weave cloth, dat us spin of de cotton dat us picked out of de field. Wid
all de drawbacks, us was happy more then than now.
"Us raise our own chickens and sing while us workin'. I never mind white
chillun callin' me 'nigger'. Dat was a nickname they call me.
"Us was Presbyterians and b'long to de Jackson Creek Church, Lebanon.
Gallery was all 'round de up-stairs. Got a whippin' for goin' to sleep
up dere, one Sunday, and snorin'. In them days de preacher was powerful.
De folks mighty 'ticular when him come 'round and fill de back of his
buggy wid sumpin' of everything on de place, lak ham, chickens, eggs,
butter, marmalade, jelly, 'lasses, sugar, vegetables and fruit. Him put
in full time on Sunday though, preach 'bout two hours befo' he put on de
benediction.
"What 'bout my courtin' days? Well, I had them, too. A Yankee want me to
go off wid him but I tell him no! Then when I 'fuse him, him 'suade
another gal to love him and leave wid him. Her come back to de place six
months later and had a baby by dat scamp man.
"When I was fifteen, I marry Bill Moore. Stood up wid him, dat day, in a
blue worsted dress and a red balmoral over a white tuck petticoat, and
under dat, a soft pique chemise wid no sleeves. Had on white stockin's
and low quarter shoes. I had sweet shrubs all through my hair and it
held them all night and de nex' night, too. Sill make a big laugh 'bout
it, while nosin' in my hair and smellin' them sweet shrubs.
"Dr. Turner was de doctor dat 'tended de Gladney's and de slaves on de
place.
"How us git fire? Us git two flint rocks, hold lint cotton under them,
strike a spark, it drop down, set de cotton afire and then us fan it to
a blaze.
"Yes sir, I see many good white men, more than I got fingers and toes,
but a low down white man can git low downer than a nigger man. A good
white lady telled me one time, dat a bad white woman is a sight worser
and more low downer than a bad nigger woman can ever git to be in dis
world. Now what you gonna day to dat, Mister? Well, if you have dat
notion too, us won't argue 'bout it.
"Does I believe de Savior has a remedy for de laks of sich women? Let me
think 'bout dat a little bit. De Savior has a cure for things, all
things. How come he ain't? Didn't he give a woman de livin' water at de
well and make her white as snow? Then he run seven devils out another
woman, for just sich sins as us is talkin' 'bout, Mister!
"Ku Klux? Does I 'member them? Dis left knee 'members them! One night de
big road full of us niggers was comin' from church. Just as us git to de
top of de hill us see, comin' up de hill, a long line of hosses, wid
riders dressed in pure white, hoods on deir heads, and painted false
faces. They busted into a gallop for us. I was wid my brudders, Luther
and Bill; they jump de side gully and got 'way in de woods. I jump but
de jump was poor as a cow, I reckon, and dis very leg crumple up. I lay
dere in my misery 'til daylight, and my brudder, Luther, come back and
carry me home. Dat word 'home' 'minds me I ought to be goin' dere now.
De Lord take a lakin' to you, and you to me! May you git to heaven when
you die and I git dat pension befo' I die. Amen!"