An interview with Annie Tate 73 of 624 S. Harrington Street, Raleigh,
N.C.
"I wuz a year old when de war wuz ober but of course I ain't knowin'
nothin' 'bout slavery 'cept what my mammy said, an' dat ain't so much.
"I reckon dat it wuz a brother of Calvin Jones dat my mammy belonged
ter, anyhow, it wuz at Wake Forest. My mammy wuz Rosa Jones till she
married Phil Perry, my pappy.
"My mammy's mammy, who also belonged ter de Jones family killed herself
'cause dey sold her husban'. Mammy said dat she wuz eight or ten years
old at de time.
"Old marster wuz very fond of my grandpaw an' he wouldn't 'low de
oberseer ter beat him, but ole marster went off on a trip an' he left
young marster in charge of de big farm an' de whole slue o' slaves dat
he owns.
"One day atter ole marster wuz gone de oberseer tried ter run de hawg
over gran'paw an' wuz cussin' him scan'lous. Gran'paw cussed back at
him an' den de oberseer started ter beat him. Gran'paw drawed de hoe
back ober his haid an' tells him dat if'en he comes a step closter dat
he am gwine ter bust his haid open. De oberseer comes on an' de hoe
'cends on his haid choppin' hit wide open.
"Ole marster ain't dar so young marster makes seberal of de slaves hold
him while he lashes him wid de cowhide. He cuts his back all ter pieces
an' den he throws him in de barn, chained down ter de flo'.
"Gran'mammy snuke out ter see him an' whisper ter him through de
cracks, but one night she goes out dar ter de barn an' he am gone. She
runs ter young marster an' axes him whar am gran'paw an' he tells her
dat he am sold ter a man from Mississippi an' dat if'en she whimpers
'bout him sellin' de black bastard dat he will whup her, den wash her
down wid vinegar, red pepper an' salt.
"Pore gran'maw am nigh 'bout crazy so she walks off'en de plantation.
Down on de aidge of de plantation runs de Neuse so gran'maw gits dar,
an' jumps in.
"My mammy am little an' she ain't got no brothers an' sisters so de
missus takes her in de house wid her. Dey said dat de ole marster had a
fit most when he fin's out 'bout what been done dar while he am gone,
so he am extra good ter mammy.
"At de surrender he calls his niggers in an' he says dat he will give
'em permission ter libe on de riber plantation, dey can build deir
shacks dar an' live dar durin' dere life time. Some of dem does dis,
an' fer seberal years dey stays on dar. Mammy said dat he tol' de Ku
Kluxes ter stay off'en his lan' too, dat he could manage his own
niggers."