350052
Oklahoma Writers‘ Project
88
Ex—S1a~~es~
~ES~R~ LtS~
~	.A~ge 85 yrs. Tulsa, Ok].a.
	I was born near Memphis, Term., on the old. Ben Moore plantation, but I &on‘t know anything about the Old. South because Master Ben moves us aU up into Missouri (about 14~miles east of Westport, now ICansas City), long be— fore they started. fighting about slavery.

	Mary Collier was my mother‘s name before she was a Moore. About my

	d.unno . ~vrammy was sickly mo st of the Urne when I was a baby ‚ and

	thin and poorly when they move to Missouri the white folks afraid

	die on the way.

	But she fool •em, and she live two—three year after that. That1s good. Old Master Ben tells me when I gets older.

	I stay with Master Bents married. daughter, Mary, till the coming of the War. Times was good before the ~a~~and I wasntt suffering none from slavery, except once in a while the Mistress would fan me with the stick — bet I needed it, too.

	When the ~ar come along Master he say to leave Mistress Mary and. get ready to go to Texas. Jim 1~oore, one of the meanest mén I ever sea, was the son of Master Ben; hets goii~g take us there.

Demon Jim, ha‘ s what I cal). him when he am1 t round the place,

.	but when he‘ s home it was always Master Jim ~ cause he was reckless with the

whip . ~e was a Rebel officer fighting round the country and. didnt t take us

~	‚ ~ slaves to Texas right awa~y. So I stayed on at his place not far from Master

~ ~ Bee..! s plantation. ~

~ . • ~ ~ ‚	Mas1~r jim~ s . wife was ~ a demon, just like her husband.. tYsed the whip


L ~ aU the time ‚ a~ every ti~ie Mà~ster Jim come home he whip me ~ cause the
father, I she was so she going
what