An interview with Laura Sorrell, 72 years old, of 207 Battle Street,
Raleigh. The story is her mother's.
"My mammy, Virginia Burns, wus borned in Fayetteville, Cumberland
County. She never knowed her parents an' frum de fust she can 'member
she is a bound girl.
"Frum de fust she could 'member she wus bound out ter a Mis' Frizelle
what beat her, give her scraps lak a dog, an' make her wuck lak a man.
Dey eben makes her git on de well sweep an' go down in de well an'
clean hit out. She said dat she wus skeerd nigh ter death.
"She wus a grown woman when she 'cided dat she can't stand de treatment
no mo'. She has cut wood since she wus big enough ter pick up de axe
an' she makes up her min' ter quit.
"Dey wus a-fixin' ter chain her up an' beat her lak dey usually done
when she 'cides ter go away. She has ter go den or take de whuppin' an'
she ain't got time ter make no plans.
"Fust she runs ter de Marster's bedroom an' slips on a pair of his ole
shoes, den she goes out ter de big chicken house back of de barn. She
hyars de Marster a-callin' fer her 'fore she gits ter de woods so she
runs back an' hides in de chicken house.
"Dey calls an' dey calls, an' de chickens comes ter de roost but she
lays low an' doan make no fuss, so dey goes on ter sleep. She hyars de
folkses a-callin' her but she lays still, den she sees de torches what
dey am usein' ter find her an' she thanks God dat she ain't in de
woods. Atter awhile she thinks dat she can sneak out, but she hyars de
bayin' of de bloodhoun's in de swamp so she lays still.
"Hit am four o'clock 'fore all gits quiet. She knows dat hit am safe
ter go now, case she has done hyard Mister Frizelle an' one of de
patterollers a-talkin' as dey goes back ter de house. Dey 'cides ter go
home an' start out ag'in de nex' mornin' bright an' early.
"Mammy am skeerd pink but she knows dat unless she am keerful dey am
gwine ter ketch her. She lays still till daybreak den she flies fer de
woods.
"I'se hyard mammy say dat dem nights she slept in de woods wus awful.
She'd find a cave sometimes an' den ag'in she'd sleep in a holler log,
but she said dat ever'time de hoot owls holler or de shiverin' owls
shiver dat she'd cower down an' bite her tongue ter keep frum
screamin'.
"She said dat de woods wus full of snakes an' hit wus near 'bout two
weeks 'fore she got ter Guilford County. She had stold what she et on
de way dar, an' dat hadn't been much so she wus weak.
"One day she crept outen de woods an' look roun' her an' hit bein' in
July, she spies a watermillion patch. She looks roun' an' den flies
out dar an' picks up a big million, den she shakes a leg back ter de
woods.
"While she wus settin' dar eatin' de watermillion a young white man
comes up an' axes her her business an' she, seein' dat he am
kind-lookin', tells him her story.
"She fully 'specks him ter turn her ober ter de sheriff but 'stid of
dat he tells her dat his name am Daniel Green, an' dat he am a Union
sympathizer, an' den he takes her ter some colored folkses house.
"Dese colored folkses am named Berry an' my mammy am stayin' dar when
she falls in love wid my paw, Jake Sorrell, an' marries him.
"She ain't never been ter dances an' sich before but now she goes some,
an' hit wus at one of dese dances whar she met my paw. When she gits
engaged ter him she won't let him kiss her till she axes Marster Daniel
iffen she can marry him. Yo' see she wus wuckin' fer Marse Dan.
"Well he give his consent an' dey wus married. Dey had me soon, case I
wus eight months old when de Yankees come, an' we wus freed by de law.
"My mammy an' paw had a hard time do' dey ain't had but us two
chilluns, but dey manages ter feed us all right. Dey wus superstitious
an' paid de witch doctor a right smart ter keep off de witches but jist
de same we got along well as most folks eben do' we did have ter eat
hard tack an' black molasses fer seberal years atter de war."