*Interview with Junius Quattlebaum, 84 years old*
--_Henry Grant, Columbia, S.C._
Junius Quattlebaum lives with his grandson, a short distance south of
the Guignard Brick Factory, in the town of New Brookland, S.C. He is
partially capable of self-support from what work and produce he is able
to pick up around the City Market in Columbia.
"Well, sir, you want to talk to me 'bout them good old days back yonder
in slavery time, does you? I call them good old days, 'cause I has never
had as much since. I has worked harder since de war betwixt de North and
de South than I ever worked under my marster and missus. I was just a
small boy while de war was gwine on, but I was big 'nough to see and
know what went on dere on de plantation all right.
"I was born on Marster Jim Quattlebaum's plantation over dere in Saluda
County. He had 'bout sixty-five slaves in all, countin' de chillun. My
marster wouldn't have no overseer, 'cause he say overseers would whip
his niggers and he didn't 'low nobody, white or black, to do dat. If his
niggers had to be whipped, he was gwine to do dat hisself and then they
wouldn't be hurt much. Marster lak to see his slaves happy and singin'
'bout de place. If he ever heard any of them quarrelin' wid each other,
he would holler at them and say: 'Sing! Us ain't got no time to fuss on
dis place.'
"Marster lak he dram, 'specially in de fall of de year when it fust git
cool. Us used to have big corn shuckin's on de plantation at night,
'long 'bout de fust of November of every year. All de corn was hauled
from de fields and put in two or three big piles in de barnyard and de
slaves would git 'round them, sing and shuck de corn. De slave women
would hang buckets of raw tar afire on staves drove in de ground 'round
de crowd, to give light. Them was sho' happy times.
"Marster would give all de grown slaves a dram or two of pure apple
brandy, on them corn shuckin' nights, and take several smiles (drinks)
hisself. I 'members so well, one of them nights, dat marster come to de
barnyard, where us was all lit up, a singin' fit to kill hisself. Us was
s'prised to see marster settin' down wid us niggers and shuckin' corn as
fas' as us was. After a spell, him stood up and took 'nother smile, then
say: 'Pass de jug 'round and let's all take a drink.' Wid dat, one of de
niggers grab de jug of liquor and passed it 'round to all de shuckers.
Then marster say: 'Everybody sing.' Some of de niggers 'quire: 'What you
gwine to sing?' He say:--'Sing dis song: Pass 'round de bottle and we'll
all take a drink.' Some of them in de crowd 'jected to dat song, 'cause
they had 'nough liquor in them to 'ject to anything. Marster kinda
scratch he head and say: 'Well, let me git a pole and you all is gwine
to sing.' And singin' dere was, as sho' as you's born. Them niggers
'round de corn piles dat night h'isted dat song right now; dere was no
waitin' for de pole or nothin' else. They wanted to sing, bad.
"De next mornin', after dis night I's talkin' 'bout, Miss Martha, our
good missus come 'round to de slave houses and 'quire how they all felt.
She say: 'You all can rest today and do what you want to do, 'cause
Marster Jim ain't feelin' so well dis mornin'.' She knowed what was
gwine on at de corn shuckin' de night befo' but she ain't said nothin'
'bout it. Mammy said many times dat de missus didn't lak dat whiskey
drinkin' business in nobody. She was a pure and 'ligious woman if dere
ever was one in dis world. Dere ain't no wonder dat de marster was
foolish 'bout her. Mammy say de onliest way for both white and black to
keep from lovin' Miss Martha, was to git away from her and not be so you
could see her.
"Dis is de way our marsters treated deir slaves. I don't care what de
world does write and say 'bout slave owners; I knows dis. Us slaves dat
b'long on marster's plantation had de best folks to live and work wid I
has ever seen or knowed. Dere is no sich kindness dese days betwixt de
boss and them dat does de work. All de slaves worked pretty hard
sometimes but never too hard. They worked wid light and happy hearts,
'cause they knowed dat marster would take good care of them; give them a
plenty of good vittles, warm clothes, and warm houses to sleep in, when
de cold weather come. They sho' had nothin' to worry 'bout and no
overseer to drive them to work, lak some slaves on other plantations
had. Easy livin' is 'bout half of life to white folks but it is all of
life to most niggers. It sho' is.
"No, sir, de patarollers (patrollers) didn't bother none of marster's
slaves. I has done told you he wouldn't let nobody, white or black, whip
his niggers, 'cause he thought too much of them and de work they could
do on de plantation when they was well and healthy. Yes, sir, I
'members, lak yistiddy, when Columbia was burned by de Yankees in 1865.
All dat happened in de month of February, I thinks. Some of de niggers
on de plantation said they seen de smoke from dat big fire, but I has my
doubts 'bout de truth of dat.
"When Christmas come, all de slaves on de plantation had three days give
to them, to rest and enjoy themselves. Missus and de two little misses
fixed up a big Christmas tree. It was a big holly bush wid red berries
all over it. It sho' was a picture of beautifulness. I can see missus so
plain now, on Christmas mornin', a flirtin' 'round de Christmas trees,
commandin' de little misses to put de names of each slave on a package
and hang it on de tree for them. She was always pleased, smilin' and
happy, 'cause she knowed dat she was doin' somethin' dat would make
somebody else happy. She tried as hard to make de slaves happy as she
did to make her own white friends happy, it seem lak to me. Close to de
tree was a basket and in dat basket was put in a bag of candy, apples,
raisins and nuts for all de chillun. Nobody was left out.
"Christmas mornin', marster would call all de slaves to come to de
Christmas tree. He made all de chillun set down close to de tree and de
grown slaves jined hands and make a circle 'round all. Then marster and
missus would give de chillun deir gifts, fust, then they would take
presents from de tree and call one slave at a time to step out and git
deirs. After all de presents was give out, missus would stand in de
middle of de ring and raise her hand and bow her head in silent thanks
to God. All de slaves done lak her done. After all dis, everybbdy was
happy, singin', and laughin' all over de place. Go 'way from here, white
man! Don't tell me dat wasn't de next step to heaven to de slaves on our
plantation. I sees and dreams 'bout them good old times, back yonder, to
dis day."