*Interview with Tom McAlpin*
--_John Morgan Smith_
_A WHUPPIN' WID DE TRIMMIN'S_
"Mornin' Boss," said uncle Tom McAlpin, "how is you dis mornin'?" The
old former slave spoke cordially with a definite twinkle in his muddy
eyes though his age had passed the four score and ten mark. His mind was
alert; his memory vivid, and his faculties of speech quite unusual. Tom
McAlpin was indeed a remarkable man. There was really a sincere note of
welcome in his voice as he came forward, placed a large piece of
cast-iron pipe against the steps of his house, 1928 Ave. D. So.,
Birmingham, and looked up at me showing a mouth of straggly teeth in a
warm smile.
"Yassuh," he continued in his high-pitched voice after our salutations,
"I'll be glad to serve you as bes' I kin wid my knowledge of de pas'
years. Jus' you set down in dat chair," he pointed to what was left of
an ante-bellum wicker seat; "I'll set on dese steps an' us'll go over de
whole thing from de beginnin's.
"Fus' thing I guess you wants to know is whar an' when I was born.
Yassuh, an' who I b'long to. Well, Boss, I was born in Martersville,
Alabamy. Dat's five miles southwest of Talladega. I come into dis ole
worl' on a sunny day in June, eighteen fawty fo'. I belonged to Dr.
Augustus McAlpin, an' from dat day to dis, I is seed many things come
an' go, an' I is aimin' to see a lot mo' befo' I cross to de udder side.
"De docta jus' had a small plantation, 'bout 100 acres, I s'pose, an' he
didn't have but 12 slaves, 'caze dere warn't no need fo no mo'. He was
busy in town adoctorin' folks. He didn't have no time to do any real
farmin'.
"My job aroun' de place was to nuss de chilluns, white an' nigger. We
all played 'roun' together. Sometimes we play coon an' rabbit, fox an'
houn' and snatch, but what was de mostes' fun was a-ridin' ole Sut. Sut
was a donkey an' us useta hitch him to a wagon, an' six of de chilluns
would ride in de wagon an' I'd ride on his back. Sometimes us'd ride all
de way into Talladega wid Sut.
"Nawsuh, I ain't neber got no whuppin' but one, an' it was a sho' 'nough
complete one, boss, wid all de trimmin's. It all happened when de Massa
told me he better not cotch dem hogs in de corn, an' iffen he did, I was
agoin' to git a whuppin'. Well, boss, dere was one ole hog dat I jus'
couldn't keep outten dere so I tuk a needle an' sewed up his eyes.
'Course I was jus' a little black 'un an' didn't know whut I was adoin',
but I sho' sewed up dat hog's eyelids so's he couldn't see nothin'. Dat
kep' him outten de corn all raght, but when de Massa found it out he
gave me a lickin' dat I ain't forgot yit. Boss, dat was de onlies'
lesson I ever needed in my life. It done de wuk.
"Yassuh, dere was pattyrollers 'roun' our place, but dey never cotched
me, 'caze I was too swif' for 'em. Boss, I could take holt of a hosses
tail an' run 'roun' de pasture an' keep up wid him. I was sho' fas' on
my feets.
"Nawsuh, us wan't never given no money for nothin', but I learnt how to
make baskets an' I would take 'em in to Talladega on Sat'day evenings
an' sell 'em to de white folks for fifteen cents. Den when I needed
somp'n lak 'bacca or a little piece of chocolate, I could go to de sto'
an' buy it. Lots of slaves on yuther plantations warn't 'lowed to make
any money dough.
"Nawsuh, I ain't never had no schoolin', 'ceptin' what I could git outen
de little white folks' books myself. Us niggers useta tote dere books to
school for 'em an' on de way I would look in de book an' git a little
learnin'.
"When us niggers on de McAlpin place et, us et raght at de same table
dat de white folks et at. Atter dey finished dere meal, us slaves would
sit down raght atter dem an' eat de same kinda food. Yassuh.
[Illustration: _Tom McAlpin, Birmingham, Alabama_]
"Sho' I 'members de war. I 'members when de war commence', Jeff Davis
called for volunteers; den a little later when de south needed mo' mens
to fight, Jeff Davis' officers would go th'ough de streets, an' grab up
de white mens an' put ropes 'roun' dere wrists lak dey was takin' 'em
off to jail. An' all de while dey was jus' takin' 'em off to de war. Dey
made all de white mens go. It was called de 'scription. Some niggers
went too. Dem niggers fought raght side of dere masters. Some went as
body guards an' some went as soldiers.
"Yassuh, Boss, I recalls de time dat de 'federate soldiers, bless dere
souls, hid dere few hosses in de basement of de old Masonic Institute in
Talladega an' hid dere amunition in de hollow stone pillars. Gen'l
Wilson an' his raiders come th'ough dar, but dey never did fin' dem
'federate supplies. Dem Yankees jus' lak to scare eve'ybody roun' de
place to death. Dey shot up de town an' dem blue coats tuk eve'ything we
had: cotton, sugar, flour, hams, preserves, clothes, corn; eve'ything,
Boss, eve'ything. Dey even burned up some houses.
"But Boss, dere ain't never been nobody afightin' lak our 'federates
done, but dey ain't never had a chance. Dere was jes' too many of dem
blue coats for us to lick. I seen our 'federates go off laughin' an'
gay; full of life an' health. Dey was big an' strong, asingin' Dixie an'
dey jus knowed dey was agoin' to win. An' boss, I seen 'em come back
skin an' bone, dere eyes all sad an' hollow, an dere clothes all ragged.
Boss, dey was all lookin' sick. De sperrit dey lef' wid jus' been done
whupped outten dem, but it tuk dem Yankees a long time to do it. Our
'federates was de bes' fightin' men dat ever were. Dere warn't nobody
lak our 'federates.
"I was in Richmond dat cold day dat Gen'l Lee handed his sword over to
de yuther side, an' I seen Jeff Davis when he made a speech 'bout
startin' over. I seen de niggers leavin' dere homes an' awandering' off
into de worl' to God knows whar, asayin' good-bye to dere white folks,
an' atryin' to make dere way de bes' dey kin. But, white boss, it jes'
seem lak you let a nigger go widout a boss an' he jes' no good. Dere
ain't much he kin do, 'caze dere ain't nobody to tell him. Yassuh, I was
sont to Richmond to bring home some of our wounded 'federates. Dey sont
me 'caze dey knowed I was agoin' to do my bes', an' caze dey knowed I
warn't afeered of nothin'. Dat's de way I've always tried to be, white
boss, lak my white people what raised me. God bless 'em."