Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1895-01-10
IN SLAVERY DAYS.
Pleasant Recollections of Old
Maum Jincy Ann.
me Aged Negress Tells of the Good
Times Before the War and Com
plains of Her Condition as a
Free Woman.

Free Woman.
Maum Jincy Ann is tall and slim.
Her tallness is chiefly noticeable in her
length of arm, while her slimness is
most conspicuous in those por tions of
| the female form usually full and
rounded. Her feet have an uncomfort-
able way of seeming to hit each other
when she walks. Maum Jincy Ann is
fond of talking about herself. One
morning while chopping out the cotton
in the newly-cleared patch near her
| cabin door, middle Georgia, she de-
| ivered herself to me in this fashion,
writes a correspondent of the Philadel-
phia Times: ''Yes, was born in Geor-
gle. Cindy and 'Nerva dey ant no true
huff sisters to me, kase Cindy, she
born when my mammie had she happy
up here on de True Blue plantation;
den 'Nerva she cum long, arter de
colonel done fotch my mammie back
| into Souf Car'lina. You see! My daddie
he done b'long cross de George line,
and he Twin dar right now if he amt
done dead, please God! My old mistis
we're on de ole state road she TEX a tack
| became attached to me when l was a
leetle gal an tex me away from my
mammie and l always staid right by
! her-a fannin' of her, when she'd tex
| her rest in de hot AFTERNOON, a gittin'
| her a cool drink an SIGH like. She
never could eat nuthin' tall lest l stan
right behind her chair: an she arm
me to piece de quilt patch! Look a here.
| but dat was a stirrin' oman! an she
larn dem gals to work, too; she not like
some OBJ de udder buckra.
| ''When dem two girls O hern gwine
marry, I low dey had as much as TWEEN
| ty quilt apiece, an some on 'em real
fine, same like bought quilt right de
sto'. l tell you dem was no half-cut
people; dey know what was what!
When l WIZ done growed l tol de keys.
same like mistis, when she's go Off to
two an three days meetin' An de
crowd O people what would set round
dat big table Sundays an big meetin'
| days! Look here! Sometimes mos de
whole settlement would come home
| long O my mistis, 'kase der knowed she
had sech a good hand wild cherry ting.
She and Miss Shooter, dey could mex
de best bread on dat road up an down,
an when dare was comp'ny | tell you
dere was movin' round an fiXin' things
cherry which-a-way, sho's as you born.
| We was feed in slave times better dan
any oh de colored people bout here.
n 10 lN11 al, -
usen to be sent to der peach tree for
der breakfas', but dat man what owned
dem people was one oh desc reg lar old
mousers! (nisers). He didn't b'leeve in
spendin' no money tall, and when de
Yankees come he put all de money I'M
derneath the ole woman cause she
was sick der save it cherry bit.
/ ''ln de Christmas times we all had
'nouf, an more dan 'nouf to eat an
! trow way. We war all lowed to raise
our own turkeys an tings, an cen de
! hog-killin' time what fine to do we
had wild de cracklins an de chittlins
an all de trimnins! l tell you dem
was times. An we raise dem big Gala
bash gourd an sto' way de sausage
list as sweet, wild de lard a-coolin' on
| de top. Young mauser he always usen
to come to my house to eat de 'possum
serve up with de sweet later all round.
a-swimmin' in de gravy SO rich like:
'nouf to make your mont natter right
now. Den alter all was done he usen
to drap quarter cen my haG' an say:
Tank you, manner SO parlite an gen
tleman like. De slave time was good
'nouf for me; but now l hab for jump
in de cotton patch an hoe an chop
from TO day till de sun clean gone
down; and de flour bread cum scarce
an high, an my leg ache till l fair fit
to fall down, jes' a-stirrin' an a-stirrin'
till bout to git de spring halt. Use a.
lookin' for the Lord to call me any
day, an Use glad Use born to die, an
! Use jet goin' to keep on a-watchin'
an a-prayin', for dere's no KNOWN
when de Savior will repair I low
not to be a-nappin' when He come,
scusin' He come in de night time.
Here, limbo. Ito her youngest
hopefuD cum mind de guinea an keep
dem young turkey from trailin' off.
Ant you know dem young ting mighty
quick to ketch der def? Dat boy is
smart chile" she continued, ''scusin' he
so love to play an fool. Dey low he
done lick out every boy what goes to
mill. He done beat Uncle Jal1e's boy,
Boston; an dat Boston kin butt same
like a ram. All O dat Johnson fam bly,
kin butt more'n any niggers l eber see
dis side O. kingdom come!
well. de sun mus be mos git to
twelve. Time to knock off and fix de
stira bout for dem chilluns dinner