"’Twas a long and a wide stiff leather strop w’at he had whut hung back uv his do’, and hit had big roun’ holes in hit, and he’d git him a pot of warm salty water and set hit down by his side. Den he had ’em cotch de nigger and put his feet in de long block, and somebody helt dey han’s, and he strip ’em stark naked, and he stretch ’em ’cross a log, and he dip de long stiff leather strop wid de roun’ holes in hit in de briny salt water, and den look out ’case he comin’ down on dat po’ nigger’s nekkid bottom. De holes in de strop dey sucks flesh up in th’oo 'em, and de nigger’s a hollerin’ and ev’ybody so skeered dey right ashy, and dey can’t nobody say a mumblin’ word ’case dey so skeered.
[Illustration: _Martha Jackson, [TR: Livingston?], Alabama_]
"Lawdy, Lawdy, dem was tribbolashuns! Wunner dese here ’omans was my Antie and she say dat she skacely call to min’ he e’r whoopin’ her, 'case she was a breeder woman, and brought in chillun ev’y twelve mont’s jes’ lack a cow bringin’ in a calf. And she say, dat whut make her mo’ val’ble to her Ole Marster. He orders she can’t be put to no strain 'casen uv dat. And she say she give him praise on his gretty grave fer dat. But dem others he worked ’em day en night, Sad’dy en Sunday too you’se sho’ ter hear dem women uv er night battin’ de clo’es on er log in creek wid de stick.
"But fo’ long dat man tuck rale sick, en he b’lieved in conjurashun but spite everything he done he got worser en worser and fo’ long he died.
"So dey sarnt down in de woods and all over de plantation er lookin’ fer de niggers to come to de Big House ’case dey overseer was dead. And here dey comes a-shoutin’ and a-clappin’ dey han’s and a-holl’rin’ sumpin’ awful.
Ole John Bell is de’d en gone I hopes he’s gone to hell!
"En dat was de onles’ time I’s ever seen dem niggers happy on dat plantation ’tel atter s’render."
*Interview with Jane* —_Mildred Scott Taylor, Georgiana, Alabama_
"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.