*Interview with Jane*
--_Mildred Scott Taylor, Georgiana, Alabama_
_DID THEY OWN US OR WE OWN THEM?_
"Yas, chillun, I 'members de wah; 'caze I was here when de Yankees come
t'rough an' I was about fourteen year ole. Ole Marster he went off to de
wah wid a whole passel of sojers, en' he been gone a long time, en'
nobody to home to look atter de plantation, 'cep Ole Mistis en' Unker
Jude, what was Ole Marster's fust slave he ebber owned. Ole Marster en'
Unker Jude was borned de same day, en' Ole Marster's pappy gin Unker
Jude to him, whenst dey was leetle bitsy babies. When Ole Marster mai'ed
Ole Mistis, dey was young folks, en' dey move to his own plantation. He
tuk Unker Jude wid him, en' Unker Jude was de ca'i'ge driver. When Ole
Marster went off ter de wah, he tole Unker Jude ter look atter Ole
Mistis en' evy'ting on de place 'twell he come back. Whilst Ole Marster
gone to de wah, Unker Jude was oberseer for Ole Mistis, en' he made de
niggers wuk harder dan Ole Marster did, to make co'n, en' oats, en'
fodder, en' meat fer de sojers.
"Ole Mistis made de womens card bats, en' spin en' weabe on de loom.
What er loom look lak? It look lak er loom, dat what it look lak; what
you spec' it look lak? All de womens, white en' black, wuk hard makin'
jeans fer de sojers clo's en' makin' linsey fer de women's clo's. Us
didn't hab no udder clo's 'cep dem linsey, but dey sho was good uns en'
las' er long time, iffen yer didn't stan' too close ter de fire en'
scorch 'em.
"Us kep' hearin' of de Yankees comin', en' one mawnin' Ole Mistis she
say: 'Jane, you go down ter de front gate en' stay dar en' watch en' see
iffen de Yankees comin' down de big road, en' when you sees 'em, you run
tell me quick.'
"Bimeby, I seed de Yankees comin' about a mile down de road, en' I run
tell Ole Mistis, en' she call de womens en' dey run down t'rough de
orchard to de big woods, en' I run tell Unker Jude en' he onhitch de
mules en' lead 'em down ter de big gully behin' de fiel'.
"Ole Mistis tole me to run back to de house, quick, fo' de Yankees get
dar, en' git her gole watch en' chain outen de bureau drawer; but de
Yankees come in whilst I was gitten de watch en' chain, en' one ob 'em
grabbed it outen by han' en' put it in his pocket en' tole anudder
Yankee: 'I'se gwine tek dis home ter my gal.'
"De house en' de yard was plum full of Yankees en' dey rid dey hosses
en' tore up ev'yting, lookin' for money en' jewelry. Dey ax me whar it
was hid, en' I tole em' I didn't know en' dey said I was lyin', en'
iffen I didn't tell 'em, dey would kill me 'lak er dam Rebel', en' I sho
was skairt.
"Dey et up all de sump'n' to eat in de kitchen en' tuk all de meat en'
meal outen de smokehouse en' didn't lef' us nuddin', en' dey went to de
crib en' tuk ev'y year co'n en' all de fodder en' put it in wagins en'
tuk 'em off.
"De Yankees ax me don't I wanner be free en' I say: 'No, suh', en' dey
say ev'body gwine be free an' I won't hab ter wuk fer Ole Marster no
mo'. Den dey ax me whar Ole Marster at, en' I say: 'He gone to wah', en'
dey ax me whar Ole Mistis, en' I say: 'I dunno whar she at; she done
gone off summuz.' Dey ax me whar de guns, en' I tole 'em us didn't hab
no guns.
"Dem Yankees mighter been dar till yit, iffen one ob 'em hadn't rid his
hoss ober a bee gum en' Man! dem bees en' dem Yankees sho did mess up!
In about a minute dere wan't no Yankees nowhar 'cep down de big road
whar de dus' jes' foggin' up! 'Bout a week some mo' Yankees come, but
dey muster heared 'bout de bees, 'caze dey lef' dey hosses outside de
big gate en' walked up to de house, but dey didn't stay long 'caze dey
wan't nuffin' lef' atter de fu'st Yankees done to' up ev'ything. En'
when dey ready to go dey tuk dey guns en' stood way off en' shoot de bee
gums all to pieces, en' dey flewed aroun' en' us had to stay 'way 'twel
night. Unker Jude, he wuk all night long, makin' bee gums outen a hollow
log, en' nex' day he hive ebery one ob dem bees en' put 'em in de new
gums, en' de bees dey tote all dey honey en' put it in de new gums fas'
as dey could make comb fer it. Dem bees sho' was smart.
"When de wah done gone, Ole Marster he come, wid one he arms shot plum
off, en' Ole Mistis she cry, she so glad to see him en' Unker Jude he
cry en' hug Ole Marster, en' us all cry en' tek on, we so glad Ole
Marster come back en' so sorry he arm shot off. Ole Marster tell all de
niggers dey free now en' don't hatter wuk fer him no mo', en' some er de
young niggers went off atter de Yankees, en' neber did come back, but de
res' ob us jes' stayed right whar we is. Us had a mighty hard time for a
long time, but de white folks had de same hard time en' us didn't mek no
diffunce. I mai'ed Rufus en' us raise a big fambly right dar on Ole
Marster's plantation, en' outen us's twelve chilluns, ain't nary one
eber seen de inside ob de jailhouse. I raise my chilluns jes' lak Ole
Mistis raise her'n en' dat's de way to raise 'em, to wuk en' keep outen
debilment. Ole Marster dead en' gone en' Ole Mistis too, but I 'members
'em jes' lak dey was, when dey looked atter us whenst we belonged to 'em
or dey belonged ter us, I dunno which it was. De times was better fo' de
wah. Us had good things to eat en' plenty of it, en' we had good clo's
en' clean clo's fer Sunday. Dat's mo'n some triflin' niggers got now.
"I goes to church en' sings en' prays, en' when de good Lord teks me,
I'se ready to go, en' I specs to see Jesus en' Ole Mistis en' Ole
Marster when I gits to de He'benly Lan'."