Document text
Approximately 2,800 words
27 C.
TITLE:
SOUTH CAROLINA WRITERS' PROJECT
LIFE HISTORY
A TIE THAT BOUND
Date of First Writing February 15, 1939
Name of Person Interviewed Jim Kelley (Negro)
Fictitious Name Ham Cloud
Street Address None
Place Blythewood, S. C.
(Rural Section)
Occupation Tenant Farmer
Name of Writer John L. Dove
Name of Reviser State Office
"De debil and he wars," muttered Ham Cloud, an old gray-haired,
copper -colored Negro, as he strode up and down, up and down the old walk-
way. The place, the old Ben Cloud farm, is located on the old Blythewood-
Camden road, six miles east of Blythewood, South Carolina. It was August
18, 1918, and war time.
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*Honk, honkt""the auto horn sounded, as the driver's hand pounded on
the button at the end of the steering shaft.
"Good morning, Ham! Don't you know me?* inquired a gray-haired white
lady, who had just stopped at the front of the old farm house.
Pausing between the rows of spicy -scented boxwood, the old Negro
stood for a moment
shaded with a trembling hand.
Aben)slowly approached the car at the end of the lane. -211=12:01-4e-salz-
c-and-orketelyinetigrionr- m.
"Bless my life, if it ain't Miss Alice done come back to de old
place again," They shook hands.
"Ham, is there anything to cause you trouble this morning? You
h_
,—appear worried."
"Miss Alice, I was jest thinkin' 'bout all de trouble dat am caused
at die place by de debil and he wars."
*You think this war is the work of the devil, Ham?"
*Dot I do, dad I do, kiss Alice. I 'lows dis war bizness am de work of
de debil. It sho' is, caze I members 'bout de time when Morse Ben hafter
give up he three boys for de war. He say then dat mar am de work of de
debil. So when Gin'al Sherman and he sojers comes through here, dey proves
it what dey couldn't carry off dey destroy. I's imported 'bout my two
boys what lef' here yestiddy for de war, for dey tells me dam Germans ain't
nebber seed a nigger."
*Ham, you say you remember when General Sherman's army came through
this country, and what they did?*
"I members all 'bout itiMiss Alice. Mhen us heard through some of
Gin'al Wade Hampton's sojers dat de Yankees had done burnt Columby down
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and was marchia' on to de No'th, stealin' and burnin' as dey go, me and
Marse Ben got busy. I hope him to hide de thidgs on de -place out in de
woods and de fields." He began to laugh.
%bat happened then, Ham."
"Lawd, hab mercy! Jos' a whole passel o' Yankee pass right by dis
house. I was standin' in die walk one day when a crowd of dem, all dress
up in dey blue uniform, stop at de gate. One ask me whar Marse Ben and all
de folks. I says to him, 'Suh, I dunno; I jes' one o' de_free niggers lef'
to stay in our house and look atter our things.' Yes'm, I's twelve years ole
den, and I members it well."
"You are right, Ham. You were just twelve years old; for you were
born in February, 1353, a slave on my grandfather's plantation. Your father,
I have been told, had Arab blood in his veins and was a descendent of
Oriental royalty. He was the plantation wheelwright and blacksmith. His
wife, your mother, was a servant in the home; and you, consequently, spent
much of your early life around the kitchen and farm workshop. Grandfather
taught you to do a little reading and scribbling, did he not?"
"Dat he do, dat he do, Miss Alice. And, further mo', he reads de Bible
to me and to de other niggers on de place on .junday. And,Miss Alicethe sho'
was agin die war bizness. I hear him say one day, when dey was havin' all
dat argyment 'bout Kansy, or some place lak dat way out yonder, dat hit
was gwine cause de debil to git turn loose. But in spite of all he could
say and do, de white folks kep' on talkin' and gittin more and more excited
'bout de niggers till de war comes."
"That's right, Ham, the state seceded from the Union in December, 180,
and organized an army. My father and his two brothers, Henry and Oscar,
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enlisted in the State service. Later, they were sent to Virginia with
General Johnson Hagood's brigade and were with that brave band at 4althall
Junction, Drury's Bluff, and Weldon Field. Uncle Henry fell in that famous
charge at Weldon Field on August 21) 1846. Father and Uncle Oscar were
among the few who surrendered to General Sherman at Hillsboro, North Carolina;
and they came home soon thereafter."
"Yes'm, I 'members de very day dey comes home. I was out minin' de
two cows whet was ler on de place after Gin'al Sherman and he sojers pass.
I look up and I see two raggedy-lookin' men comin' down de road, and I say
to myself, 'Ham, I believes one of dem sojers is Master Fayette, sho' as
you bawn.' So when dey got on down de road where I wuz, one say, 'Who's
nigger you is, boy?' I says, 'I's Ham, and still your nigger, Master
Fayette. And I was sho' glad, Miss Alice, to see 'em core home."
"Yes, Ham, I know all must have been glad the war was over and our
heroes at home again. But, for some reason, Uncle Oscar wasn't satisfied
with a quiet life at home, and he soon went on his way to the Jest. Father
was different; he wished to settle down and live a quiet life. Grandfather
died, you know, two years after the boys came home from the war, and that
left Father and you in charge of the farm."
"Yuh know, Miss Alice, Master Fayette always seem lak a great big
brudder to me atter ole Marse Ben died. It was lak dis wid me I knowed
dat I would always be jes' a nigger, and I didn't want nobody acept Master
Fayette and other members of de Cloud family to be callin' me nigger. When
I wasn't lookin' after our cows, hawgs, sheep, and other things on our place,
l rid with Master Fayette and de udder red shirt white folks. Aack, kack,
kacki
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"what are you laughin, about, Ham."
'Yuh know, Miss Alice, all de sho' nuff niggers aroun' de Bear Greek
settlement was listnin' to all dat talk 'bout forty acres and a aule dat was
bein' put out at dat time by po' white trash from de No'th so's to git de
crazy niggers to keep 'em in office so dey could steal our money we paid for
tax. I was flyin"round Corrie Perry at de time. All her folks was votin'
wid de 'Publicans and sinners at dat time. So she say to me one day, 'Honey,
I hafter quit lovin' you of an you don't quit wearin' dat red shirt.'"
"Yes, Ham, I recall how you looked after the livestock, drove the
carriage horses for us, and rode with my father as a Red Shirt in the Hampton
campaign. But it required sledgehammer, your pet ram, and Corrie, your best
girl, to make you wake up and become religious. Ham, I have a copy of one
of Cousln 4illiam Barber's sermons. You know he once preached at Zion, the
chuch to which you drove the family carriage for us so long. After
Cousin William left the Zion charge, he told a story about you in one of his
sermons."
"Wh-wh-what he preach aoout me, Miss Alice?" inquired ham 'aloud, with
a puzzled look on his wrinkled face.
After "Miss ;slice" had pushed back her gray hair and adjusted her
glasses, she took from her handbag a bit of paper yellowed with age. Then
she sail, "Ham, I've brought this with me to read to you, as I felt you'd
be intersted. It's a copy of a part of that sermon." She began:
"It was in midsummer, and the weather was clear and warm that Sunday.
It was so warm in the church that it was nece,isary to the comfort of all
present to have all of the windows and doors open. The wide front entrance
to the church was directly in front of the pulpit, and I could see out into
the grove beyond the front lawn. In fact, I was the only one in the building
who could very well have that view and be in position to note the things
that happened out there during the hour of my message. In the midst of my
sermon, I saw Brother Lafayette Cloud's Negro driver, Ham, walk to a large
pine and seat himself on the ground by the side of that tree. His head
soon began to nod in sleep. Just then a flock of sheep came bounding into
view. Among them was a large vicious -looking ram. He saw the young Negro
and evidently mistook his nodding head for a challenge to physical combat.
The rum backed away a few yards to the front of the sleeping Negro and then,
for a few moments, he stood facing him. For every nod of Ham's head, the
large sheep would give a nod of his head in return, in such a way that his
brute mind may have prompted him to ask. 'Ay should you question my right
to be here?' They nodded until the ram could stand it no :Longer. He low-
ered his head, dug his hoofs into the ground, and charged. Even though Ham
Cloud was not physically damaged, he was awakened by the c-ompatt to the
danger of sleep at such a place and at such an hour.'"
"Dat aril de whole truth, Miss Alice. Ole Sledgehammer hit me so hard
dat lay I saw stars in iiebben. le sho' knock some sense in my head. Lie put
me to dreamin' so hard dat j- 'gin to see visions of cattle, sheep, and goats
on de hillsides. And after gits thor'ly 'roused I goes right straight to
.qorrie's house dat nex' night and say to her, 'Corrie, I's a change man; I
is gwine to line de church and live in de harves' till I die. I want you
to he'p me make my dream come true.' She was only too glad dat I come,and
us :;ent right straight on de nex' day and git married. And you 'member,
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Miss Alice, dat very same preacher, Mr. Barber, 'form de ceremony for me
and Corrie right here in de big house parlor in de presence of Master
Fayette and all of you."
"I remember the day you and Corrie got married very well. It was on
August 2, 1878, and was during what we used to call lay-by time on the farm.
Je were having a protracted meeting at Zion, and the colored Methodist in
the community were having protracted meeting at Shady Grove at the same time.
You joined shady Grove then, didn't you, Ham?"
"Dat's sho' right, Miss Alice. Me and Corrie was so happy after our
weddin' dat us got up on de flo' and shout. I bounce so high one night dat
I hit my head on de low joist in de church. Den befo' I knowed it I loss
part of my 'ligion and cuss right out befo' de officers of de church, and
dey come nigh turnin' me out de church befo' I hardly gits in it."
"But you did settle down after that, and you and Corrie went to work
for my father as a tenant farmer on the Baxter place. He sold you, on
credit, a plow mule and gave you Crump, the milk cow. He knew of your
ambitions, and he wanted to help you."
"Yes'm, Master Fayette was sho' good to me, and I tried to show my
'preciation by workin' hard. But somehow it look like things wouldn't turn
out right for me durins of 4e fust few years me and Corrie went to farmin'.
I wanted my fust bawn chillun to be boys, and I wanted Crump to fin' heifer
calves for me. It turnt out de other way 'round, and I finds myself with
two daughters and two bull calves on my hands. But when de year 1882 comes,
my luck change; and I jus' had to run tell Master Fayette 'bout it. Alen I
foun' him, I say:
"Marse Fayette, does you member 'bout de rabbit us kilt in de graveyard
8
year befo' las?'"
".'Why, yes, Ham. But why do you ask?"'
"Hit like dis, Marse Fayette. I been carryin' de left front foot
off dat rabbit in my right -hand -pants pocket ever since, and my luck done
change 'round.'"
What has happen', Ham?' he say.
"'I's gone to havins boy babies and gal calves to come to my house."
"'I'm glad to hear of your good luck. What are you going to name
your son?' he ask me.
"Den I say, 'well, Marse Fayette, I name my first chile Mary, and my
flex' chile Martha. So I reckon I hafter call de one bawn today, Lazarus."
'Yes, Father knew how ambitious you were and how hard you worked, and
he wanted to help you. Ham, I have never understood how it was possible
for you to bind into bundles, in one day, that seven -acre field of high
yielding oats your brother-in-law, Major Ferry, cut with a grain cradle
that hot day in June, 1885."
"Lawd, Miss Alice, dat was de hordes' days work lever did do in my
life. I was so tired when night come dat I fall down and dream a curious
dream all night long. when mornin' come, I still tired. You know, Miss
Alice, I dream so hard dat night I foune out later when I woke up dat de
witches had ride me plumb to Camden and back thirty miles."
"And quite incidentally," commented Miss Alice, "Major Ferry preached
in his sleep that same night. And he continued to preach in his sleep for
the remainder of his life, I understand. He moved from Bear Creek, in 1890,
to Salude County, and from there he went with a traveling show to demonstrate
his habit, or affliction. He outlined his text verbatim and preached in
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perfect Lnglish, despite his inability to read or write. (The State:
Dec. 9,10,12, 1906.)
"You know, Ham, we have always appreciated your staying on with my
father and the help you gave to him during his last years. It was you he
always wanted to accompany him when he traveled from home on business or any
other mission. The last trip you ever made with him was to Ridgeway during
the summer of 1894. It was during the early days of the Tillman campaign, and
the political lines were strongly drawn between the Tillmanites and the anti-
Tillmanites. Father, I understand, became engaged in a friendly, yet heated,
argument over politics."
'He do. He sho' do. And I was standin' right dar by him. Seein' as how
dey was gettin' purty loud lak, I say: 'white folks, if yuh finds yuh can't
settle de argumentation widout havin' to use your fists, please don't hit
Marse Fayette; hit dis nigger."
'Yes, yours and Father's friendship lasted to the end. He died soon
after the trip to Ridgeway. And it was you who picked up his broken body
after his fall from the wagon piled high with new -mown hay and placed him
on his deathbed.
"Miss Alice, de bawd has sho' been good to mo. I done live to see
Marse Ben and Marse Fayette and your good mother put away at Zion Church.
And I done live to see Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and Mood, my chillun, grow
up. I have sont 'em to school and done de bee' I could for 'em. Mary and
Martha went to de No'th Whar dey finish dey schoolin' to be teachers among
de niggers in New York. So dar nobody lef' here now but me and Carrie. But
Miss Alice, I's gwine live on die lane on dis here Cloud place and work
in de harves' fiel' till I die."
MCB