Frank Cooper
From:
Indiana
Wm. R. Mays
Dist. 4
Johnson County, Ind.
July 29, 1937
SLAVERY DAYS OF MANDY COOPER OF LINCOLN COUNTY, KENTUCKY
FRANK COOPER
715 Ott St., Franklin, Ind.
Frank Cooper, an aged colored man of Franklin, relates some very
interesting conditions that existed in slavery days as handed down to
him by his mother.
Mandy Cooper, the mother of Frank Cooper, was 115 years old when she
died; she was owned by three different families: the Good's, the
Burton's, and the Cooper's, all of Lincoln Co. Kentucky.
"Well, Ah reckon Ah am one of the oldest colored men hereabouts,"
confessed aged Frank Cooper. "What did you all want to see me about?" My
mission being stated, he related one of the strangest categories
alluding to his mother's slave life that I have ever heard.
"One day while mah mammy was washing her back my sistah noticed ugly
disfiguring scars on it. Inquiring about them, we found, much to our
amazement, that they were mammy's relics of the now gone, if not
forgotten, slave days.
"This was her first reference to her "misery days" that she had evah
made in my presence. Of course we all thought she was tellin' us a big
story and we made fun of her. With eyes flashin', she stopped bathing,
dried her back and reached for the smelly ole black whip that hung
behind the kitchen door. Biddin' us to strip down to our waists, my
little mammy with the boney bent-ovah back, struck each of us as hard as
evah she could with that black-snake whip, each stroke of the whip drew
blood from our backs. "Now", she said to us, "you have a taste of
slavery days." With three of her children now having tasted of some of
her "misery days" she was in the mood to tell us more of her sufferings;
still indelibly impressed in my mind. [TR: illegible handwritten note
here.]
'My ole back is bent ovah from the quick-tempered blows feld by the
red-headed Miss Burton.
'At dinner time one day when the churnin' wasn't finished for the
noonday meal', she said with an angry look that must have been reborn in
mah mammy's eyes--eyes that were dimmed by years and hard livin', 'three
white women beat me from anger because they had no butter for their
biscuits and cornbread. Miss Burton used a heavy board while the missus
used a whip. While I was on my knees beggin' them to quit, Miss Burton
hit the small of mah back with the heavy board. Ah knew no more until
kind Mr. Hamilton, who was staying with the white folks, brought me
inside the cabin and brought me around with the camphor bottle. Ah'll
always thank him--God bless him--he picked me up where they had left me
like a dog to die in the blazin' noonday sun.
'After mah back was broken it was doubted whether ah would evah be able
to work again or not. Ah was placed on the auction block to be bidded
for so mah owner could see if ah was worth anything or not. One man bid
$1700 after puttin' two dirty fingahs in my mouth to see my teeth. Ah
bit him and his face showed angah. He then wanted to own me so he could
punish me.
'Thinkin' his bid of $1700 was official he unstrapped his buggy whip to
beat me, but my mastah saved me. My master declared the bid unofficial.
'At this auction my sister was sold for $1900 and was never seen by us
again.'
"My mother related some experiences she had with the Paddy-Rollers,
later called the "Kuklux", these Paddy-Rollers were a constant dread to
the Negroes. They would whip the poor darkeys unmercifully without any
cause. One night while the Negroes were gathering for a big party and
dance they got wind of the approaching Paddy-Rollers in large numbers
on horseback. The Negro men did not know what to do for protection, they
became desperate and decided to gather a quantity of grapevines and tied
them fast at a dark place in the road. When the Paddy-Rollers came
thundering down the road bent on deviltry and unaware of the trap set
for them, plunged head-on into these strong grapevines and three of
their number were killed and a score was badly injured. Several horses
had to be shot following injuries.
"When the news of this happening spread it was many months before the
Paddy-Rollers were again heard of."
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