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Randolph
Johnson, Age 84
Birmingham, Alabama
Randolph and
The Little
Cripple.
Interviewer:
Morgan Smith
Randolph Johnson, age 84, although he
admits he was "jes' a little picaninny" when the War between
the States began, still recalls with vivid clarity the days of
his childhood on the old plantation. Unlike most of the former
slaves, he never worked hard. Unlike most of the former
slaves, he never worked hard. His hours were too filled with
the joy of playing, for he belonged to a little crippled boy
about his own age and guarded over him all the time. At night
the little white master and his swell black playmate slept in
the same room; the latter having a pallet that he spread on
the floor. During the day both little white and black played
in the shade of the cedars on the grassy lawn. The kindly
white owner of the plantation was always good to Randolph.
Never a cross word was spoken to him, he says.
"But one
day," Randolph said, "de little massa took very sick. Dey
wouldn't even let me see him. I had a feelin' trouble was a
comin', kaze little massa neber did have no real life like
other boys. He was always a lookin' lak a sick puppy. I gues
de Lawd jus' wanted him fo' himself, and he took
him.
"Adder dat I was put to work on a mule dat turned
de wheel of de cotton gin. He jus' walk roun' in circles lad
de mule dats pullin' a syrup press. Den de War came, and all
de good clothes dat we had made on de loom turned to tatters.
De food got low; some of de slaves run away and some of our
houses wass burned by de Yankees. Atter de war, de massa came
back and told us niggers dat we waunt slave no mo'. Said we
could go, but if we wanted to stay we could do dat too. He
gib' each fambly dat stayed a mule, a cow, some tools and
money enough to run 'em till dey could git de crop harvested.
He was de best massa day any nigger ever had."
"Den I come to Bummin'ham. I worked on de
railraod dey was puttin' through. I was a big nigger and I
could make de others step. I was about six feet three inches
and weighed near 200 pounds. I knowd my ole massa would have
been proud of me if he coulda seed me a-workin' on de railroad
and a liftn' dem ties and a sweatin' wid dem rails; I wished I
coulda been in his cotton field and aheard him talkin' fair
like instid ob listenin' to dat foreman gibin' us de debil
'bout bein' lazy when he
was a workin' our selfs
nearly to death. Den one day I saw de foreman slap a
nigger fo' drinkin' at de dipper too long. De nigger picked up a
shovel and slum him in de haid, and run. Back in
de slabery days dey didn't do somethin' and run. Dey run befo'
dy did it, kaze dey knew dat if dey struck a white
man dere want goin' to be no nigger. In dem days run to
keep from doin' somethin'; Nowadays dey do it and den dey
runs." |
