me war put on de block in front of de Courthouse in Hopkinsville and
sold to Mr. Newt. Catlett and we brung $500.00. Marse Catlett lived on
the corner of Seventh and Clay Streets, Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Wen I
was older the white folks had me foh to nurse dar chilluns. I noes wen
de war broke out marse had a store and den marsa took me to his wife's
kinfolks down in de country till freedom war declared den my stepfather
come an' got me. Of course I hed ter work and den I went ter nurse foh
Dr. Fairleigh and nussed his daughter Madge. De white folks wont good to
me. My marster was a good man but my missus wont no good woman. She
uster box my ears, stick pins in me and tie me ter de cedar chest and
whoop me as long as she wanter. Oh, how I did hate dat woman.

"Yes, once in my life I seed a ghost. We was goin' thru de woods to a
neighbors ter a prayer meeting en a man stepped out in de woad without
no head wid all his clothes on en I had jes wropped my head dat day and
wen I seed him all my hair strings en all jes stood straight up. I got
hot den I'se got cold and he jest stepped ter de side of de road en I
went by running. Yes, we got ter de prayer meeting en den we went back
home de same way en did us niggers run?

"I was nurse in slave time en I carried de chilluns all ober de house en
one day I had de chilluns upstars en my missus called me en I went ter
see whar she wont and while I'se war gone de baby got hodter Indian
Turnip an hed bit it by de time I git back dar en I called my missus en
she come en made me eat de rest of de turnip en my face enall swelled up
en my eyes war closed foh days. After missing de baby en tending ter de
uther chilluns all de day an night wen I put de baby ter bed I bed ter
knit two round ebery night en would be sleepy en my missus would reach
ober en jab a pin in me to keep me awake. Now dat is what I calls a mean
woman.