*Interview with Callie Williams*
--_Mary A. Poole, Mobile_
_PATTEROLLERS USED SHACKLES, SAYS CALLIE_
Callie Williams was only four years old at the time of the surrender,
but stories told to her by her mother are vividly remembered, and the
fact that she has had the same environment continously throughout the
years imprinted these happenings permanently on her mind. She lives at
504 Eslava Street, Mobile.
"My mammy and pappy was brought to Alabama by specalators who sold 'em
to Mr. Hiram McLemore at Newport Landing, on de Alabama ribber," Callie
said. "Mammy's name was Vicey and she was born in Virginia, but my pappy
was born in Kentucky. His name was Harry. Mr. McLemore had about three
hundred head of slaves, some of 'em on one plantation of about two
thousand acres an' de res' on another place of about five hundred acres.
He sho' did have a pretty house. It was all white and ramblin-like and
had big trees aroun' it. Dere was a cool well and a big dairy right
close by it and den de cabins was all in a row in de back, some of 'em
made out of planks, but mos' of 'em was made wid logs. Dey was all named
after whoever lived in 'em."
Aunt Callie needed little urging to tell of the old days, and she claims
to vividly remember her master's family.
"His wife was named Axie Bethea and he had seven children," she said.
"One of 'em I never will forget, Miss Julia, 'case she gimme de first
calico dress I ever had and I was proud as a peacock wid it. Miss Julia
was de oldest little girl and dey give me to her.
"My mammy say dat dey waked up in de mornin' when dey heard de sweep.
Dat was a piece of iron hangin' by a string and it made a loud noise
when it was banged wid another piece of iron. Dey had to get up at four
o'clock and be at work by sunup. To do dis, dey mos' all de time cook
breakfast de night befo'.
"Pappy was a driver under de overseer, but mammy say dat she stay at de
little nursery cabin and look after all de little babies. Dey had a
cabin fixed up with homemade cradles and things where dey put all de
babies. Der mammies would come in from de field about ten o'clock to
nurse 'em and den later in de day, my mammy would feed de youngest on
pot-licker and de older ones on greens and pot-licker. Dey had skimmed
milk and mush, too, and all of 'em stayed as fat as a butter balls, me
among 'em. Mammy saw dat I always got my share.
"De slaves got rations every Monday night. Dere would be three pounds of
meat and a peck of meal. Dere was a big garden dat all of 'em worked and
dey had all de vegetables dey needed and dere was always plenty of
skimmed milk. Dey cooked de meals on open fireplaces in de big iron
'spiders.' Dem was big pots hangin' over the fire from a hook. Dey do de
cookin' at night and den warm it over the nex' day if dey wanted it dat
way.
"While mammy was tendin' de babies she had to spin cotton and she was
supposed to spin two 'cuts' a day. Four 'cuts' was a hard day's work.
What was a cut? You oughta' know dat! Dey had a reel and when it had
spun three hundred yards it popped. Dat was a "cut." When it had been
spun, den another woman took it to de loom to make cloth for de slaves.
Dey always took Saturday afternoon to clean up de clothes and cabins,
'case dey always had to start work on Monday mornin' clean as a pin. If
dey didn't, dey got whupped for bein' dirty.
"Some of de niggers, after dey'd been beat, would try to run away and
some of 'em got loose, but de patterollers caught a lot of 'em and den
dey'd get it harder dan ever befo' and have shackles out on dere feet
wid jes' enough slack for 'em to walk so dey could work.
"If dey wanted to go 'possum huntin' or fishin', dey could get passes
from de overseer. Two things dey really loved to eat was 'possum and
fish. Dey'd eat and eat 'till dey'd get sick and den dey'd have to boil
up a dose of Boneset tea to work 'em out. If dat didn't make 'em feel
better, dey'd go to Marster. He always kept calomel, bluemas and quinine
on hand. If dey got too bad off sick, den marster would call de doctor.
De children wasn't bothered with nothin' much but worms and dey'd take
Jerusalem oak. It was de seed of a weed dat cook' and mix' 'lasses to
make it taste like candy. Boneset was a bush and dey'd boil de leaves to
get boneset tea.
"Mos' of de time de slaves would be too tired to do anything but go to
bed at night, but sometimes dey would set around and sing after supper
and dey would sing and pray on Sunday. One of de songs dat was used mos'
was 'Yon Comes Old Marster Jesus.' If I remembers rightly, it went
somp'n' like dis:
I really believe Christ is comin' again
He's comin' in de mornin'
He's comin' in de mornin'
He's comin' wid a rainbow on his shoulder
He's comin' again bye and bye.
"Dey tried to make 'em stop singin' and prayin' durin' de war, 'case all
dey'd ask for was to be sot free, but de slaves would get in de cabins
and turn a big wash pot upside down and sing into dat, and de noise
couldn't get out. I don't remember nothin' about dis ceptin' what mammy
say.
"When de Surrender come, she say dat a whole regiment of soldiers rode
up to de house yellin' to de niggers dat dey was free. Den de soldiers
took de meat out of de smokehouse and got all de 'lasses and meal and
give it all to de niggers. Dey robbed de bees and den dey eat dinner and
go on to de nex' place, takin' de menfolks wid 'em, all 'ceptin' de ones
too old, my pappy among 'em.
"After it was all over my pappy rented land on Mr. McLemore's place and
he and mammy stayed dere till dey died. Dey was buried in de same
graveyard dat Mr. McLemore had set aside for his slaves. I married Frank
Williams in Montgomery, Alabama, but our marriage was nothin' like mammy
say her and pappy's was. She say dey 'jumped de broom stick.' When any
of de slaves wanted to get married dey would go to de big house and tell
marster and he'd get his broomstick and say, 'Harry, does you want
Vicey?' And Harry would say 'yes.' Den Marster would say, 'Vicey, does
you want Harry?', and she say 'yes.' Den marster say, 'Jine hands and
jump de broomstick and you is married. De ceremony wasn't much but dey
stuck lots closer den, and you didn't hear about so many divorces and
such as dat.
"All my children is dead but two. I had five. One is livin' in Atlantic
City, N.J., and I live here wid de other one. I 'spects I'll jes' go on
livin' here 'till I die, serving Ole Marster as bes' I can. If all de
peoples on dis here earth would do dat, we wouldn't be pestered wid all
dese here troubles like we is nowadays.