I don't reckon I can tell you all so much 'bout slave times, 'cause I was only 'bout 10 years old when freedom broke. I's too little to work in de field, but dey'd cotched me sure and put me out working with de rest in a couple more years. Cap'n Sanders is de one we belong to. He's got de plantation at Walker's Station, what was 'tween whar at Sugarland is at now, and Richmond down in Fort Bend County. "He's got plenty colored folks for slaves,  plenty of 'em, and he works 'em hard too, 'cause dey goes out to de field early and comes back late. Yes suh, I reckon he's plenty tough on 'em, 'cause I has see some of de colored folks tied up by de hands to trees and whipped with a bullwhip. Yes suh, I was jes' a young fella, but I has see 'em do jes' like I'm telling you 'cause de Cap'n ties de ones what gets whipped to a tree what was down to de quarters. Yes suh, he sure do 'em bad sometimes. Lemme see now, I knows my mamma's name was Mrs. Hogan and my papa's name was Mr. Hogan , but I jes' can't rec'lec' what de fust names was, 'cause dey both die right after we comes to Harrisburg 'bout a year after freedom broke. I knows I has brothers and sisters too, but dey was older'n me and when we leave de plantation dey scatter like quail do, and I reckon dey is all dead 'fore now. I hear mammy say, Mr. Hogan , what was my pa, and her and my oldest brothers and sisters come from somewhar in Alabama. She say dey was brought here by traders and sold to Cap'n Sanders , but I never hear her talk 'bout it much, and I wouldn't pay no 'tention to it nohow, 'cause I was too young. No suh, I can' tell so much 'bout times 'fore freedom broke, 'cause dey keeps us chillen in de quarters while de old ones is working in de fields. Den de parents get dere chillen when dey comes in at night and takes 'em to de cabin whar dey belongs. Ain't nothing in de cabins 'cept a bench and table what we eat off. We sleeps on de floor jes' like cattle. When it gets cold weather, dey gives us some covers, but dey ain't 'nough to go 'round and we has to bunch up to keep warm.

Games? No suh, we don't have no games, and we chillen don't do no cutting up 'round de quarters 'cause old Judy what takes care of de chillen while de old folks is working would give us a crack 'long side de head. I don't know much 'bout when freedom broke 'cept Mr. Hogan , my pa, say dat he don't have to work for Cap'n Sanders no more 'less Cap'n pays him. I rec'lec' Cap'n Sanders died in jes' a little while and I hear it killed him 'cause he had lost all his colored folks. When I's 'bout 12 years old we comes here to Harrisburg, but twan't much of no town like it is now. De railroad what go to Columbus, end here. I rec'lec' at fust dey jes' has two engines. Den dey gets bigger ones, and dey was so heavy dey broke down de wood bridge 'cross de Brazos at Richmond and killed some folks. Den de railroad people send to New York or some place and gets a iron bridge what dey put over de Brazos. I ain't growed up yet when fust Mr. Hogan and den Mrs. Hogan , what was my pa and ma, died. I goes to live with my aunt and den I gets my fust job at de sawmill keeping de sawdust from piling up 'round de saws. Den when I gets older I gets work on de railroad here, and has done fust dis and dat 'round here, 'til I's got too old to work. Now all my own folks has most died out. De railroad has built up de tracks so high in front of de house, dat 'bout all I can see now is de trains going by, but when it's warm and I can sit out on de porch, de engine-men wave to me sometimes and dat's why I's watching when dey whistle for de crossing, 'cause I know de engine number from de way de whistle sounds.