Monroe Brackins

31 Sarah Ashley 34 Edgar and Minerva Bendy ^ 66 Jack Bess1s House 72 Jack Bess 72 Charlotte Beverly 84 Francis Black 87 Betty Bormer (Bonner) 109 Issabella Boyd 114 James Boyd 117 Monroe Brackins 124 Wes Brady 133 William Branch 143 Clara Brim 147 Sylvester Brooks 149 Donaville Broussard 151 Fannie Brown 154 Fred Brown 156 James Brown 160 Josie Brown 163 Facing page Zek Brown 166 Martha Spence Bunton 174 Ellen Butler 176 Simp Campbell 191 James Cape 193 Cato Carter 202 Amos Clark1 s Sorghum Mill 220 Amos Clark 220 Anne Clark 223 Preely Coleman 240 Steve Connally 249 Steve Connallyfs House ' 249 Valmar Cormier 252 John Crawford 257 Green Cumby 260 Tempie Cummins 263 Adeline Cunningham 266 Will Daily's House 269 Will Daily 269 Julia Francis Daniels 273 Katie Darling 278 Carey Davenport 281 Campbell Davis 285 Nelsen Denson 305 430241 EX-SLATE STORIES (Texas) Page One WILL ADAMS was bom in 1857, a slave of Dave Gavin, in Harrison Co.f Texas* He remained with the Gavins until 1885, then farmed for himself. Will lives alone in Marshall, Texas, supported by a $13,00 monthly pension. M My folks allus belongs to the Cavins and wore their name till after fmaacipation. Pa and ma was named Preeman and Amelia Gavin and Massa Dava fotches them to Texas from Alabama, along with ma's mother, what we called Maria. The Cavins allus thank lots of their niggers and Grandma Maria say* 'Why shouldn't they - it was their money.1 She say there was plenty Indians here when they settled this country and they bought and traded with them without killin' them, if they could. jus1 pilfer and loaf fround all the time. The Indians was poor folks, The niggers was a heap sight better off than they was, 'cause we had plenty to eat and a place to stay. 11 Young Massa Tom was my special massa and he still…

me, she would beat on me and talk to me. We always tried to get to her, if she had her baby in her arms, because she would jes* throw that baby away when the Spirit moved her. "Did you ever know of Monroe Brackins over at Hondo City? Well, I and him was both Jes* boys and was with Jess Campbell, Joe Dean and a man named McLemore. They was white men. We went down on the Frio Hiver,and there was some pens down there on the Johnson place. Bhey was three brothers of them Johnsons. cattle, goin* down there. We had a little bunch of This Jess Campbell and Joe Dean was full of devilment and they knew Monroe was awful scarey. When we penned the cattle that evenin* it was late and Monroe noticed a pile of brush at the side of the gate. He asked em what you reckin that was there, and they told him they was a man killed -9- and buried there. " jfc Sx-slave Autobiographies Tom Mills (Texas) Of? i7 Page ffe ' That night after dark they was fixin* to get supper ready and told Monroe to go get some water down at the river, but he wouldn't do it. Well, I never was afraid of the dark in my life, so I had to go get the water. Well, we made a fire and fixed supper and then these men put a rope on Monroe and took him off a little piece and wrapped the rope around a tree and never even tied the rope fast. The other man, McLemore, he went around the camp and came up on the other side. had an old dried cow hide with the tail still on it. was all bent, crimped up. He The old tail Here he come from dovra the creek, from where they told Monroe that fellow was buried, and right toward Monroe with that hide on. Tail first and in the dark it looked pretty had, and, I tell you, Monroe got to sereamin'. have died if they hadn't let him loose. my life. I believe he would I never laughed so much in…