HomeMy WebLinkAboutMitchell Slave Narrative
Andy Williams
I was borned at ole Springfiel' in Limestone County, Texas on May 2nd, 1859. My
mudder was Hannah Johnson an' I don't know who my fadder was, you see hit
was slavery times in dem days. De w'ite folkses didn't bodder no mo' erbout deir
niggers er marryin' dan dey did 'bout de cows an' hosses on de place. Jes' so
dey's plenty ob little colts, calves an' pickaninies er comin' on, dat's all dey think
erbout. W'en us black folks git sot free, us'n change our names so effen de w'ite
folks git togedder, an' change deir minds an' don' let us be free eny mo', den dey
hab er time findin' us. One ob my sisters is my twin an' she libs in Dallas. Her
name am Laura Williams . My Marster was Dr. Jeff Mitchell an' he brung my
mammy durin' de Freedom War, f'om back at deir ole home in Tennessee ter
Springfiel' Limestone County, Texas. He jes' had only one slave den, an' ob co'se
her chillun. He wife, Mis' Sarah Mitchell, was er fine woman. Dey had seberal
chillun. Dar was Mis' Lizzie , Mis' Mary , Marse Horace an' Marse Claude , an'
Mistis Ella an' Mis Montgomery . Dey all dead but Miz Mary Cavitt an' Marster
Claude Mitchell . Ole Marse, de doctor owned a world ob land in Brazos County;
an' dey rented out land, cattle an' hosses. My Mammy cooked an' nussed fer
dem. Ole Marster all de time wore a broad cloth suit an' er beaver hat an' he
frock-tail coat. He brung he ole kerridge wid him w'en dey mobed ter Texas. De
fambly come in ox waggins an' mule waggins an' de Mistis an' de girls rode in de
kerridge. De wimmin rode in de waggins, but de men an' boys rode hoss back, er
mule back. Dar was thirty ob de Tennessee famblies come togedder. Dey was
scairt ter deaf all de way. Dey was scouts sont ahead ter keep a watch out fer
Injuns, wild beastes an' de Yankees, as dey call de soljers f'om up norf. Dese
famblies reckoned dat hit would be er long time 'fore dey sot de slaves free in
Texas, an' dey thought dat de war wouldn't come ter Texas, dat's why dey made
de long, hard journey out here ter settle in er wild kountry. Marse an' he friens lef'
good homes an' mos' ob what dey had ter kum. Dey brung what beddin' an'
clothes an' dishes dat dey could in de ox waggins, but dat wuzn't much
considerin' what dey had bin' 'cumstomed ter back in de states. Dey was two er I
'spec' three months er comin' ter Texas. Lots ob times dar was plenty ob Injuns
near, but not no fights. Dey stole lots ob de cattle an' hosses. Us had good dogs
wid us, but dey wuzn't trained ter Injuns, lak de Texas dogs. Us brung seed,
tools, cows, hogs, chickens, ducks, geese, mules an' sech wid us, Mammy say.
But de Injuns an' de hard trip got er lot ob 'em, Mammy say. All de
folks, black an' w'ite, slep' on de groun' 'cep' de wimmin an' littles chilluns.
W'en us got ter Texas, us slep de same way, Mammy tell me, till us could chop
de logs, an' split out de boards ter make houses. De wimmin an' little chillun slep'
in de waggins. Some ob de folks went ter wukk on de houses an' some ter clarin'
groun'. De w'ite folks wukked jes' ez hard ez de slaves an' de wimmin an' chilluns
had ter do deir part too. De winter was mighty hard, but all de thirty famblies,
Mammy tell me meny er time, helped each odder an' ex ole Marster said 'Praize
God, dar ain't no graves on de hillside, yet.' W'en de warm spring come, an' de
flowers git all ober eberywhar, and de grass git high ez er hosses' back, den us
all kinder lak hit better. Mistis Sarah she kinder sigh fer de nice home back in
Tennessee, an' de putty fernichure dat she didn't hab out har. Ole Marse had
boughten' some mo' slaves endurin' de winter an' w'en dey couldn't wukk in de
fiel's, dey chop de right kinds ob logs an' one ob de slaves made er lot ob
fernichure fer Mistis. Everyboddy had dat kind ob fernichure har in Texas fer a
long time.
W'en us come ter Texas, Mammy tell me, us didn't know what road ter come,
kase dar wuzn't no fine roads lak now, an' not no bridges at all. Dey forded de
streams an' couldn't haul much ter eat, so dey libed on de country as dey come
through. Dar was bird eggs, wild chickens, sometimes er turkey an' fish. I had
three brudders but dey libed on er jinin' place ter Marster Doctor Mitchell an' he
bought dese three boys f'om de doctor 'fore us come ter Texas. Dat made my
brudders free 'fore us was. Atter de slaves was sot free, my brudders come out
ter Texas ter whar I was. One ob my Marsters, Marse Harve Mitchell , done
married one ob de Nash ladies ob de Nash Lumber Company har in Waco. My
sister stayed in de house wid Mistis Sarah , an' was er waitin' gal. I wuzn't 'lowed
ter go in de house. I stayed in de slave quarters an' fed hogs, carried water f'om
er tank dat was erbout 250 er 300 yards f'om de house. Dar wuzn't no springs no
whar near in dat county an' de nearest crik was erbout seven er eight miles
erway. Atter awhile, us git er well dug, den I didn't hab no water ter carry. Dar
was lots ob chills an' febers in dat country an' dar was some body had 'em, er
somebody git hurt by de cows er hosses an' mules. De Doctor was allers on de
go, kase he practiced fer fifteen miles er mo' de country 'round. He uuz a great
trader. He traded land an' hosses an' he got himself er ot ob money, land an'
poperty. I hoped him wid de cattle an' hosses. Marster rented out er lot ob he
land an' stock an' I hoped him see atter 'em. On de day dat de slaves was sot
free in Texas, Marster come inter de kitchen whar Mammy was er cookin'
brekfas' an' he tell us dat us am ez free ez he am. Den Mammy broke loose er
shoutin' an' she sang an' hollered all day. Dat night, Marse asket her am she
through celebratin' an' she tolt him she was. An' den he wants ter know what she
gwine do, how she gwine git somefin ter eat an' a place ter sleep an' close ter
wear. An' she tell him mighty quick ter 'Go 'long dar, Marse Jeff , who gwine keep
yo' all straight effen I leabes har? I'ze gwine stay right har, an' hope Mis' Sarah ,
dat's what I gwine do, an' dem lazy good fer-nuffin' boys gwine git ter wukk an'
make a crop. Dat's what us gwine do.' Mammy stayed wid de doctor an' he
fambly fer ten er twelve years. Mammy hab bin daid thurtty seben years an' she
libed ter be 87 years old. Marse Harve Mitchell , de doctor's brudder, he tolt me
meny er time, dat de doctor lef' Mammy an' me some land by he will w'en he
died. But de doctor's chillun took eberyting an' said nuffin'. Atter Mammy lef' de
doctor's, she came to Waco, an' cooked fer Marster Cal Sparks , dat sold
buggies an' waggins in Waco. She was allers bein' called fer by de w'ite folkses
ter cook fer de weddin's an' big doinses. She could spin an' weave cloth ter make
clothes an' dey dem eny color. W'en us furst come ter Texas, de Doctor moved
to Boonville dat furst spring, dat dey was in Texas, an' dat fall w'en eberything
was done gathered up, he come atter us an' mobed ter Bryan. De railroad come
through Bryan, an' de Doctor think dat er big city gwine be dar. Den de nex' year,
in June, de slaves was sot free. Mammy wukked fer de Doctor fer one dollar an'
a half a month. Atter us git ter Bryan, I wanted ter do somefin' ter make money,
so I larned ter be a barber f'om Joe Mustach , an Eyetalian in Bryan. He larned
hit te me in 1875. I'ze cut de honorable Marse Tom Connally's hair an' shaved
him in de barber shop w'en he was er young man an' goin' ter school. He studied
law unner Judge Rice . W'en Mammy lef' de doctor, I went ter Bryan an' got
some wukk diff'ent kinds, an' den I larnt ter be er barber. I married Frankie
Cistney . Us was married at de co'thouse by de w'ite Justice ob de Peace, at
Marlin. I had on er black suit an' she had on er w'ite dress. Us jes' got married,
an' went ter de house I had rented. An' in er year er two us moved f'om Marlin ter
Waco, an' I did barber wukk dar. Dar jes' wuzn't no town lak dar am now. Dey
had er street car drawn by mules, an' hit come f'om de co'thouse on out to Bell's
Hill. Mr. Carter had er bath house down ober de Waco Springs right south ob de
ole Suspension Bridge. An' Cleavis Johnson , he bought an' sold slaves. Dar was
what dey call er whippin' post an' de block whar dey sold niggers, ober on de
East side ob Waco, jes' erbout whar de big main building ob de Paul Quinn
College am now. Dar was er great big cotton mill, call Earl's Mill ober dar on what
am now Taylor Street, erbout eight blocks east ob de Brazos Ribber. Dar was
erbout forty er fifty acres in dat campus ob Paul Quinn College w'en hit furst
started, but dey bin sellin' off de land, till hit's jes' er few acres now.
No'm, dar wuzn't no church fer de slaves dat I knowed of, endurin' slavery times.
I laks dat song 'Nearer My God to Thee', de bes' ob eny songs. Mammy was er
fool fer cabbages an' sweet pertaties. I lak bacon an' corn bread de bes'. Us
didn't hab no prayer meetin' durin' slavery. De w'ite folks said dat hit kep' 'em
awake fer de slaves ter shout an' sing. So, us would turn de wash pot ober deir
heads w'en dey git ter shoutin', ter cotch de soun' w'en de slaves sing an' pray.
Dar was w'ite officers dat dey call de patty-rollers, dat rode 'roun' at night an'
effen dey cotch er slave offen he Marse's land at night dey gwine beat him up.
De slaves 'ud lie down on de groun' an' put deir ear on de groun' ter lis'en an' see
effen er pattyroller er comin'. De w'ite folks didn't 'low no pore w'ite folks ter come
up ter deir house an' not eben de patty-rollers could come up ter deir house. Dey
had ter ride up ter de gate an' send word ter de big w'ite man dat dey dar. Den de
Marster, he send some ob he slaves ter de gate ter git de message what de
patty-rollers want tell. De pore w'ites an Patty-rollers couldn't eat at de table nor
sit in de big w'ite folkses' house. I had two boys, Andy an' Jerome Williams . Dey
bof' dead. One was in de world war, an' he died las' year. (1937). W'en my wife
Frankie, died, I married ergin in er year er two. I married Nellie Nunn dis time an'
us hab bin togedder fer thurty year. I wore a black suit an' she had on er putty
blue dress. De Justice married us at de co'thouse. I uset ter libe up on Hongry
Hill, dat part ob Waco an no'th ob Jefferson an' between Third Street an' de
Ribber. De onliest bridge to reach down in town, f'om dar, was a little, low,
wooden culvert on North Third an' w'en hit come a hard rain, dat was all unner
water. W'en de Brazos git on er oberflow, de water 'ud be out on de West side ob
de Ribber f'om First to Second an' sometimes to Third an' eben in one low place,
up to Fifth Street, but dey filled dat in, an' de water not bad in West Waco now.
Hongry Hill was a group ob shanties on de hill north ob Jefferson. W'en I furst
uset ter come ter Waco, Marse Wiley Jones had him er big frame building fer a
hotel, hit was on de souf' west corner ob Second an' Franklin Streets. Hit burnet
down sometime in 1874. On de wes' side ob de Brazos Ribber, jes' behon' de
northern limits ob de nigger houses dat dey call Hongry Hill, was de brewery
whar Marse Griesenbeck made beer. He put de beer in black glass bottles an' in
w'ite stone bottles. De w'ite ladies 'ud git dese black an' w'ite bottles an' put er
w'ite one an' den er black one in er row eroun' deir flower beds ter make de yard
putty. Dar wuzn't much ice 'roun' in dis country in dem days an' hit costs er lot.
Dis ole man Griesenbeck , dug him a large vault in de rock bluff behime he little
brewery, an' den built er thick stone wall in de front, in dis way he make a dark
coolin' room fer he brewery. He didn't make money lak he think an' so he closed
de brewery atter a year er two. Den atter erwhile, de roof fell in, but de little w'ite
an' cullud boys, dat went swimmin' in de swimmin' hole in de Ribber, close ter dis
vault, kase in de middle ob dat dark room was a real deep well, an' in dat well
was de hidin' place ob ole Raw-Head-An'-Bloody-Bones. Atter erwhile, de city
council passet er law dat de chillun couldn't go in bathin' naked no mo'.
On furdder up de Ribber, no'th ob de brewery, was a sawmill on de bench ob de
Ribber bank. Dey had de mill close ter de Ribber, so dat de logs could be floated
down f'om above, an' drug up easily to de saws. Dis went broke too, 'bout de
time de railroads come ter Waco, but de ole mill was er long time rottin' 'way an'
bein' washed 'way by de big rizes in de Ribber. Dar ain' nuffin' lef' ob de mill now
'cep' er scar on de side ob de hill whar de coolin' room ob dat brewery stood. Dar
was er settlement ober on de East side ob de Ribber dat dey call East Waco. De
mainest part ob dat settlement was erbout a mile east ob de Ribber, jes' 'bout
whar de ole Dallas road turns off f'om Elm Street. Dar was er mill, er blacksmif'
shop, a saloon, an' er sto' er two dar. Dat was whar Marse Kellum an' Marse Ed
Rotan had 'em er store; but w'en de railroad come, den Marse Kellum an' Rotan
moved down beside de tracks. Dat mus' er bin 'bout 1872, near ez I kin figger out
f'om what my w'ite folks say. On down er piece f'om dis har settlement at de
cross roads, what am now de end ob Elm Street, was de cotton mill settlement.
Dis was mosley on Taylor Street erbout eight blocks f'om de Ribber. In dis mill
settlement was de Earle mansion, er great big red brick two story house lak all de
big folks in de Souf' allers had; an' little shotgun houses all built togedder in rows
fer de cotton mill hands; an' den, de big mill, hitself. Dis was mosley built by
Marster J. B. Earl, de ole Marse Earle . He built hit jes' 'fore de War. Dey brung
de machines fer dis mill dat Marse Earle had done buyed ober in Eurrup an' den
had hit put on de ship an' sont hit ter some sea port in Mexico, an' den he had hit
hauled in ox waggins f'om dar ter Waco. Dat sho' cost some money an' hit took
him 'bout two years ter git hit fixed an' in Waco. Hit uset ter take 'bout twenty or
thirty days ter make de trip f'om Waco ter San Antonio wid ox waggins. Dar
wuzn't no roads, an' not no bridges an' ebery night, dey had ter camp close ter er
Ribber or crik. Dar wuzn't no hotels nor no waggin' yards in dem times. Ober on
de west side ob de Ribber what was call de buziness part was jes' some board
shacks on what us call Bridge Street now, but dey call hit de "Rat Row", den.
Down in de low lands whar de mos' ob de East Waco buziness houses am now,
dar wuzn't nuffin' den 'till atter de railroad come. Long 'bout 1871, dat Rat Row all
git burned down one night. Dar was er ole black woman, call Nancy , dat cooked
fer Marse Wiley Jones . W'en de fire woke her up, she 'gun hollerin' 'Lawd hab
mercy! Hit's de end ob de world!' De town spread mosley ter de Souf' at furst.
Dar was de Waco Crik in dat part ob de town an' dar wuzn't no bridge ober dis
crik 'till dey built one on Third Street. Den dey git ter buildin' whar Fifth Street am
now an' 'twarn't 'till 'bout 1874 dat dey built er bridge ercross Waco Crik on Fifth
Street. I 'members w'en dat bridge was built kase dey was gwine hab de furst big
fair har in Waco. Dis fair was call de Texas Agricultural an' 'Dustrial 'Sociation an'
dey had hit out whar de Oakwood Cemetery am now. Wall, dey thot dat dar
gwine be big crowds come ter dis fair, so dey built de bridge 'cross Waco Crik
ober on Fifth Street. In dem days, dey couldn't build bridges lak us hab now, an'
too, dat Waco Crik am er whizzer come big rains. An' sho' nuff, de furs' big rain,
all de 'proaches ter de bridge jes' melt lak hot butter. But by dat time, de fair all
ober wid.
'Bout dat time, dar was what dey call de Square all fixed up in Waco, an' Main
Street, dat was de ole Rat Row, had er lot ob stories an' sech on bof' sides, f'om
Furst Street ter de Square. Dat Main Street am Bridge Street now. An' on de no'f'
side ob dis har Square, was what dey call Broadway Street. Marse Coke , what
was de Gubernor ob de State atter a while, had him an office up stairs on dis
Broad Street. 'Bout de middle ob de block, on de souf' side ob de Square, was de
ole Waco Hotel, but not de one dat am now down on Sixth an' Austin Streets. At
dis ole Waco Hotel, I was er barber, an' all de stage lines run coaches inter stop
at dis hotel fer deir sleep an' eat. Dese stages went to er lot ob places 'roun'
Waco. De silk stockin' district, whar all de big w'ite folks libed, was on Souf'
Second, Third an' Fourth, an' de cross-streets. Dar was Major W. W. Downs ,
who had fo'teen chillun, he had a palace on Souf' Third 'bout two blocks below
what am Clay street now. De floors was made ob wide cedar plank, hewed by
hand. Den, on de norf'eas' corner ob Third an' Clay, was de home ob Judge O.
H. Leland. An' on de souf' east corner ob Third an' Clay, Professor Maddin libed.
He was president ob de Waco Female College 'till 'bout 1868. An' den he an' he
wife started dem a school ob deir own, down at deir house. De folkses studied
what dey call de blue-back book an' one ob de w'ite Marsters gib me one ob
dem, an' tolt me dat he gib me twenty dollar gold piece effen I git ez far ez
"baker". No'm, I hain't got dat gold piece yet.
Yassum, I seed de perade but dey don' hardly eber hab no perades lak dey uset
ter. De furst perade dat I eber seen was w'en dat Fair I tolt you 'bout was har.
Marse Robert S. Ross , he was er captain an he git togedder what dey call de
"Waco Greys." Dey sho' wore some purty coats an' dey was sho' some sight ter
cure sore eyes w'en Marse Bob Ross come wid 'em down de street in er perade.
Captain Bob Parrott , he git er lot ob young men an' made up what dey call de
Central City Guards, but dat was er year er two atter dat furst fair an' dey had er
fair ebery year an' de perades too. Dar was de Volunteer Fire department. Dat
was ob all de young buziness men. An' de town bought a steam fire enjine an'
dey name hit de "Belle of Waco." An' den, dey bought two hose reels an' er little
hook an' ladder truck. My! den de perades was sho' grand. Dar was floats all
fixed up by de stores, an' de soljer boy companies, an' de Fire Company wid de
Belle ob Waco, an' de trucks. Waco sho' had some big perades w'en de Cotton
Palace was gwine on. In dem early days ob de Volunteer Fire Department, dat I
am tellin' you 'bout, dey dug an' fixed up er brick cistern unner de groun' right
spang in de center ob de Square. De fire injine pumped hit full ob water f'om de
Waco Spring. All de water dat folks had den in Waco was in wells an' cisterns or
dey haul hit f'om de Waco Spring. Dat cistern git hit sides all cracked w'en dry
weather come an' atter a-while, dey fill hit up an' built a City Hall ober whar de
cistern am now.