mother endured during her days of slavery.


Interview

Chaney was owned by Jesse Coffer, "a mean old devil." He would whip his
slaves for the slightest misdemeanor, and many times for nothing at
all--just enjoyed seeing them suffer. Many a time Jesse would whip a
slave, throw him down, and gouge his eyes out. Such a cruel act!

Chaney's sister was also a slave on the Coffer plantation. One day their
master decided to whip them both. After whipping them very hard, he
started to throw them down, to go after their eyes. Chaney grabbed one
of his hands, her sister grabbed his other hand, each girl bit a finger
entirely off of each hand of their master. This, of course, hurt him so
very bad he had to stop their punishment and never attempted to whip
them again. He told them he would surely put them in his pocket (sell
them) if they ever dared to try *anthing like that again in life.

Not so long after their fight, Chaney was given to a daughter of their
master, and her sister was given to another daughter and taken to
Passaic County, N.C.

On the next farm to the Coffer farm, the overseers would tie the slaves
to the joists by their thumbs, whip them unmercifully, then salt their
backs to make them very sore.

When a slave slowed down on his corn hoeing, no matter if he were sick,
or just very tired, he would get many lashes and a salted back.